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Games like Flight Simulator X and Crysis have convinced me that it's time for an upgrade. I don't have much money, so I'll have to do it in stages. Only problem is that I've only got a few hundred dollars ATM.

I currently have:
AMD Athlon 64 3200+
2 GB RAM
Antec 400W PSU
GF 6800 GT
NForce4 PCIe MB

So I was thinking:
Stage 1: Processor & MB - Now
Stage 2: PSU & RAM - Feb->March sometime
Stage 3: video card - tax refund

Any major flaws in that plan? Should I just save and get the whole thing later? (I know most prices will come down some between now and refund check day, but I think each little step could make quite an impact on my current system.)

I am currently going over anandtech's budget guide and doing other bits of research, but any tips will be appreciated.

What's your target?
Do old mobo and new mobo take the same type of RAM?

If the old mobo will support, maybe you can think about bumping up the processor and PS, then vid, and then replace or add more RAM later.

Your system is just a little bit better than what I upgraded from last month. It was still pretty respectable, just a bit long in the tooth.

My budgets for each step...

Now - $300, March $200, & May $300.

I'd just really like to be able to play Crysis... I had a bad frame rate at the lowest graphics settings in the demo. Oh, and I was talking of wanting to run Flight Simulator X... well, this thing's having difficulties running FS2004. :'(

Kinda funny... but my biggest reason for wanting to upgrade in stages vs saving and doing it all at once... is that I'd have a real hard time not spending it on camera equipment.

That system might see the biggest gains in a new video card first.

Though I'd wait a bit for Nvidia to release their next video card series.

DDR2 ram is relatively cheap now, and it's pretty much the standard. This and your processor might dictate what you can do with your motherboard.


I've got two computers:

amd opteron 170 with 2 GB ram, and an x1900xt video card. It's run everything I've thrown at it fairly well so far. I haven't tried crysis yet, mostly because I'm scared of what it will do... I don't have the money now to upgrade.
Though I've found that very slight overclocking puts me at the same performance of a Core2Duo (E6600), and some of the quad core chips if I push it.

I've also got a laptop: amd turion processor (TL-52, I think), 2 GB ram, Geforce Go 7600. And it does will with everything I've thrown at it.


I think that the intel stuff has more horsepower now, but for a budget system, AMD still takes the cake.


You might also run into the problem of having to look at a new power supply if you don't have one that can supply the proper current (or lacks the proper connectors).

Well, here's my dilemma: many of the games I currently have would benefit from a CPU upgrade (Medieval II: Total War, Live for Speed, etc), but many of the games I want would run fine w/ my current CPU if I had a better GPU.

So, with many of my current games, going from max details to min details means maybe a 5 fps difference. But with FS-X, going from medium details to minimum details means going from unplayable to 60 fps.

Well, if I go w/ a GPU 1st, then it'll have to be an XFX 8800GT... still undecided on a CPU/MB combo.

As Asha said, you may well have to put the power supply in with whatever you upgrade first, especially if it's a power-hungry GPU.

Hrmmm.... looking at the numbers... I think I might need a new PSU w/ the GPU.

6800 GT at idle.... < 25W full power ~ 60W
8800 GT at idle.... > 160W!!! full power ~ 200W

The annoying thing when looking at MB reviews is that it seems like everything has 10-20% of the reviews saying DOA, won't post, or OTW faulty MBs... is quality control really that bad anymore? I think I'll stick with an ASUS MB... never had trouble w/ ASUS before.

So, I'm currently looking at:

Athlon 64 X2 5000+ = $129.99 (don't know if I'll go w/ the Black Edition & OC or get the regular one)
ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe = $169.99 (yikes!)
XFX 8800 GT 512MB = ~$280
CORSAIR XMS2 2GB Dual Channel kit x2 @ $77.00 (4GB RAM might help when I'm going through my zillions of photos)

I'm looking to find a cheaper MB, but I really don't know what I'm looking at. I wouldn't mind losing the SLI & the on-board Wi-Fi... I've basically thrown in anandtech's recommendation. (Maybe an ASUS M2N-E for $94.99?)

How much power would I need? I've read the GPU can use as much as 200W and the CPU can use as much as 160W... idk what the rest of the system uses......

OTW, how am I looking?

Since you're upgrading from an AMD 3200, I'd think you shouldn't get less than a 6000, instead of the 5000 you listed.

For power, probably a 550 would be good, depending on how many drives and other peripherals (USB, too) you're running.

For power, I wouldn't get anything over about 550 or 600. Going more than that would require a quad core or dual (triple) SLI/crossfire to actually use it all. Remember that if you aren't utilizing the power with the computer, it's just going as waste (heat).

BR...this is what we put into Hammers new computer and it rocks. Very budget conscious.

GIGABYTE GA-M57SLI-S4 AM2 NVIDIA nForce 570 SLI MCP ATX AMD Motherboard - $85.00

I have the ASUS M2N-SLI AM2 NVIDIA nForce 560 SLI MCP ATX AMD Motherboard - $90.00 (bought it last year before the Gigabyte was available.)

AMD X2 6000+ CPU - $150.00

XCLIO 500 watt SLI Powersupply - $50.00 (I use this plus I put it in all my clients machines, love it, dual power rails)

G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - $50.

All from Newegg. Hammer and I both have GeForce 8800GT's now that were $270. But that can wait until the prices come down for you. Should drop another $40 by March.