My current system is getting a little sluggish. I'm running an Athlon XP 3200+, 1gb PC3200 ram, and a Geforce 7800 GS 256mb AGP. I'm ready for an upgrade and a plunge into the dual core/PCI-e world. My budget is about $700. All I'll need is: Motherboard, CPU, PSU, Memory, and Graphics card. Here are my current thoughts. Let me know what you guys think.
Mobo: MSI 975X Platinum V.2 ~$164
CPU: Intel Core2 Duo E6300 ~$185
Memory: OCZ Gold 1GB DDR2 (PC2 6400) 5-5-5-12 Timings ~$100
Graphics: EVGA GeForce 7900GS 256MB PCI-e ~150
PSU: Antec NeoHE 500w (think I may can get from $50 to $75 from a friend, if not a similar one or a little more powerful)
Estimated Total: $649-674
Here is my main concern: I want a motherboard that will last me a while. As you can tell, I've made my current board (Abit AN7) last a while (~3 years?). It withstood a few processor, memory, and graphic card updates, and has reached the end of its upgrade path. Is there another board in this price range that would be better?
My other concern is making sure my PSU will be upgrade proof. My current PSU doesn't have the 20+4 connector or PCI-e.
Also, should I hold out just a little longer for the Geforce 8600gs?
Let me know your thoughts.
-Matt
Mobo: MSI 975X Platinum V.2 ~$164
CPU: Intel Core2 Duo E6300 ~$185
Memory: OCZ Gold 1GB DDR2 (PC2 6400) 5-5-5-12 Timings ~$100
Graphics: EVGA GeForce 7900GS 256MB PCI-e ~150
PSU: Antec NeoHE 500w (think I may can get from $50 to $75 from a friend, if not a similar one or a little more powerful)
Estimated Total: $649-674
Here is my main concern: I want a motherboard that will last me a while. As you can tell, I've made my current board (Abit AN7) last a while (~3 years?). It withstood a few processor, memory, and graphic card updates, and has reached the end of its upgrade path. Is there another board in this price range that would be better?
My other concern is making sure my PSU will be upgrade proof. My current PSU doesn't have the 20+4 connector or PCI-e.
Also, should I hold out just a little longer for the Geforce 8600gs?
Let me know your thoughts.
-Matt