please advise on parts for build....

[suitcase]

Western Digital Raptor WD740ADFD 74GB 10,000 RPM 16MB Cache Serial ATA150 Hard Drive

ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce SPP 100 ATX AMD Motherboard

(2) eVGA 256-P2-N563-AX Geforce 7900GT CO 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card

SPARKLE FSP650-80GLC EPS12V & ATX12V 650W Power Supply 100 - 240V UL 60950, CSA C22.2, TUV or VDE, NEMKO (CB Report), IEC 60950, EN and CE

CORSAIR XMS 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM Unbuffered DDR 400 (PC 3200) Dual Channel Kit System Memory

AMD Athlon 64 3700+ San Diego 2000MHz HT 1MB L2 Cache Socket 939 Processor

I don't need a huge HDD, no video work done. I won't be doing any overclocking either. I'll use my opticle drives and sound card in my sig. Does anyone see any problems? Any advice on improvements. Can I use my Windows Home thats installed on my old PC? I actually plan to install my old IDE drive too but the OS will be on the Raptor.

And finally, you see my old system in my sig. How could I upgrade it to run the latest games at good frame rates? Or is it like me, a little to old to upgrade?

[pam123]

Your old computer isn't that different from mine.
Put in another stick of ram so that you have a gig.
I had a 9500 pro so I got the X800, which was a definite performance boost for me.
For a 9700 pro replacement I'd use this card, pricey but worth it : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130274

That should keep the old box going for the next year at least.

edit : I didn't remember seeing your power supply on the nVidia recommended list for 7900 cards but I just double checked and you're good to go with it.

[glc]

I'd upgrade the old machine one time (more ram, stronger video card) and run it till it no longer performs well - then look at a new build. The longer you wait, the more performance you will get for your money, and we are in a cycle right now where new processor technology is just around the corner.

A 2.53/533 processor is still quite viable for gaming. Just be careful exactly which video card you get - 350 watts doesn't go as far as it used to, even though Antec is top shelf. The 7800GS will run on it.

The only reason to build now is if you have a good use for the old machine, lock stock and barrel - it's still too good to strip down and selectively recycle parts unless you have a buyer for the leftover parts. The only parts worth recycling into a new build are the bare case, hard drive (as a second drive), the DVD burner, and the sound card.

[ammo]

That's just like my computer right now and mine still runs games smoothly. I'm going to wait another 6-12 months to build a whole new PC.

my specs
pentium 4 2.53MHz
AGP 128MB Geforce 6800
420W Thermaltake PSU
2GB Kingston value select PC 2700 ( I went from 1GB to 2GB 5 days ago)
ASUS P4P800SE mobo ( got this 5 days ago also)
WD 120GB Caviar SE
Audigy 2 sound card
Lite-on CD\CD burner
Plextor DVD\DVD burner
I also bought a new G5 laser mouse 5 days ago brcause my left button on my other mouse had too much wear and tear.

[suitcase]

Thanks alot everyone. That's great advice. I've been struggling with the decision of which to do. My ati card only needed a power plug, so you say my power supply will be enough? And will it be a simple replacement.? I like the 256mb, 256 bit, 16 pipelines on the eVga card. Just checked newegg and the one listed by pam is out of stock but the other on is in. It's $299 and it looks to identicle but must not be because of two different prices. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130269

About ram. I read comparison tests done where high speed ram compared against "regular" ram and it wasn't that big of a deal really. Not for the much higher price for the faster ram. So while my ran was fast when I bought it I may just replace it with slower ram. I know it will cause my XMS to run at the slower speed but the money difference will be considerable.

[suitcase]

How are these for the upgrade?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130269
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145401
and if I do need a power supply this one
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817103928
or this one
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817103928

This all comes to $466 plus $9 shipping with one $20 rebate on the card.
That sure beats the almost $1700 system I was considering.

Oh, and one last thing. I was robbing the old system and would have had to find a use for the leftovers. Thanks for the advice.

[pam123]

Back up a minute.
What is your idea of current game comp. with a future ?

[suitcase]

pam my power supply is antec true power 350w

[suitcase]

I guess I should have told you all. When I originally built it I had ordered the Asus P4S8X board but people were having trouble running the card at 8X so I chickened out and RMAd it for the Gigabyte board which has ran flawlessly for me. It's only 4X though will that be a problem with the video card??

[glc]

You lose a whopping 2% performance running a 8x card at 4x. No need to replace your power supply yet. Thats good ram - its CAS 2.

[suitcase]

Pam I realize that the system I listed above isn't a killer system. The only thing top shelf is the board the rest is sort of middle ground. On the other hand when I built my present system it was also and it's only now seeing a problem running a game. I think GLC's advice is good considering the way things are right now. Like I said, it's about a grand cheaper to upgrade and I still wouldn't being building a "top of the line" system with those parts. I think I'll order the ram and just see what difference that makes. If it doesn't make it better I'll get the card.

I looked up my account to see exactly what ram I bought back in '02 and it's available for $85 for a 512mb stick. That's about $100 less than I paid for the first stick.

[suitcase]

Thanks for the help and advice everyone.