Rebuilding my new computer

[cothrift]

Well its that time again to rebuild my computer in preping for the release of Vanguard. I know I am going to have to go to a 64 bit processor but it has been a while since I have built my system so I had a few questions.

Whats the difference in the processer slots I am seeing a few differenet pin slot numbers? Which is the best for gaming and which is the best for future upgrades?

I am looking to keep it under $325 for the motherboard and CPU as a unit? I have found some good deals but I wanted to see what others thought.

Video card, I want to spend around $150 and was wonder whats a good deal out there for gaming?

I have a ATX case atm but it only has a 350 wt power supply, is it better to just buy a new case with say a 420 power supply or buying a new power supply and installing it into the old case?

Thanks.

 

[zman19689]

here is an item number tigerdirect.com Item #: MBM-MSNV-4000 Budget Powerhouse!
Mach Speed MSNV-939 Motherboard.
Mach Speed’s new MSNV-939 motherboard offers an affordable, high-end platform for an AMD Socket 939-based system. This efficient, scalable ATX mainboard is built for AMD’s Athlon 64FX, Athlon 64 and Athlon 64 X2 processors, enabling simultaneous 32 and 64-bit computing. The Mach Speed MSNV-939 supports Hyper Transport Technology up to 2000MT/s full duplex, up to 4GB dual channel 333/400MHz DDR memory, SATA (150MB/s), PCI-Ex16, PCI-Ex1, PCI, 6-channel audio and Fast Ethernet LAN price 199.99 cpu includedAMD Athlon 64 4000+ Processor
AMD64 technology is AMD’s approach to 64-bit computing which doubles the number of processor registers and increases the addressable memory space well beyond 4GB for increased performance and new, cinematic-computing experiences. Processors with AMD64 technology offer leadingedge performance on today’s software applications while enabling a seamless migration to future 64-bit computing.

- Processor Speed: 64 4000+ / 2.40GHz
- Cache Size: 1MB
- Processor Socket: Socket 939

 

[Tarkus]

Get a new PSU, they rarely put a good power supply in a case combo. The newer motherboards will also probably require the newer style memory sticks too. I've seen some Core 2 Duo and MB combos for around $350.

 

[Tetra-Stryf]

If you are going with an Intel processor then you will want to go with a Core 2 Duo processor and I would suggest the E6400 for a budget gaming PC.

If you are going with AMD then I would suggest going with the AM2 socket and not the 939. The only thing wrong with the 939 is that its pretty much dead technology and there isn't going to be any new processors for it as well as it takes DDR and not DDR2 memory.

If you are going with an ATI video card then I would suggest the Sapphire Radeon X800 Pro. I has a very large bang for its buck and its under $150 I believe (don't quote me).

If you are going with Nvidia then I would suggest the BFG 7600GT. It also has a large bang for its buck and I know for sure its around $140.

Both of these cards run most games on the market at medium to high settings so they are both very good for that price range.

Obviously be sure to go for a PCI-Xpress compatible mobo and be sure to research the mobo chipset very closely. The last couple chipsets for most companies have had many issues with corruption and instability.