Upgrading Computer

[mxalix258]

Hi All,

I built my first computer around 3 years ago - I believe. It has done really well, but some of the hardware is starting to get outdated. I want to upgrade some of it to more standard stuff today.

Here is my computer as it is today:
ASUS M2N-E AM2 NVIDIA nForce 570 Ultra MCP ATX AMD Motherboard
OCZ GameXStream OCZ700GXSSLI 700W ATX12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply
AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ Windsor 3.0GHz Socket AM2 125W Dual-Core Processor ADX6000CZBOX
G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL5D-2GBNQ
LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model LH-20A1L-06 LightScribe Support
EVGA 256-P2-N765-AR GeForce 8600GTS 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card
Antec Performance One P180B Black 4 x HDD area ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

I am trying to mainly focus on gaming for this upgrade, but I will need an upgrade in CPU, Motherboard, Graphics card, and Memory for sure.

I feel like I will be able to use the case, power supply, and optical drives on the new machine - unless someone says otherwise.

Can someone recommend some new parts? I am out of the loop on what is good these days. What would everyone recommend for CPU, Motherboard, Graphics, and Memory. I'm not too worried about a price range, but I don't need anything too crazy. So recommend whatever you think will leave me with a higher than average gaming computer.

Thanks! :-)

[Raiden619]

What is your budget for this upgrade?
Nd what games are you looking to play?

[glc]

For gaming, all you really need is a new video card. Concentrate on that - your mobo and CPU have plenty of life left in them.

[mxalix258]

Like I said, budget isn't too firm...just anything reasonable. GLC, what about RAM? I have a feeling it be in my better interest to atleast have 4GB of ram correct? I run Windows 7 32bit right now - would the processor I have be able to handle 64bit fairly easily?

Aside from that, my motherboard supports x16 graphics cards, and there isn't much of a selection on newegg, a lot of them are 2.0 x16. Am I able to use a 2.0 card in the X16 slot I have on my current motherboard?

[mxalix258]

What about this card:

Newegg.com - XFX HD-577A-ZNFC Radeon HD 5770 (Juniper XT) 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

Seems to be really popular on newegg, and fairly cheap. How will it do with my current system and with newer games out? I also plan to get 2 more gigs of RAM to have 4 total gigs on my system.

Let me know.

[Nuclear Krusader]

For games, I'd go with a card that had more bandwidth than 128-bit. At least 192, preferably 256.

[mxalix258]

Any Suggestions?

I found this card, not sure though
Newegg.com - MSI N250GTS TwinFrozr 1G OC GeForce GTS 250 1GB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

I am not sure what price range to shoot for, I want to be able to play games that are just coming out, but I don't want to go too expensive where I am paying for something that the rest of my system can't handle

[Nuclear Krusader]

Hmpfh, it seems the ATi card you chose is actually better than the 450, bandwidth notwithstanding. The former supports DX 11, whereas the latter is a DX 10 card only.

The 5770 is the current budget card.

http://www.nvidia.com/content/HelpMe...asp?lang=en-us

[Tempest000]

I had to make a similar upgrade and bought a gtx 470 for $300. Read the thread here on "why a high end card." I wouldn't really worry too much about mobo, cpu, or ram upgrade just yet, remember that most games use the gpu more than anything else.

Check this out:
Best Graphics Cards For The Money: September 2010 : September Updates

[glc]

Get a GTX460 1GB or a Radeon 5830 and 2 more gigs of ram.