Confused on specing out a new gaming system.

[Frills]

Last comp I built was early 2000-01.

Money isn't as much as an issue as the wife's approval of spending said monies, so I need to pick and choose the areas to focus. Thinking a new mobo, cpu, gpu.

First, I know the 64 bits are the future, but are games/OS's utilizing them now, or is it mainly wasted power until the software catches up?
Since its primarily a gaming system I don't need a dual core processor, from what I gather they are mainly for multi-tasking, right?

Processor: AMD Athlon 64 4000+
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103529

Since I can't justify a comp with 2 gpu's, I figure I just need a mobo that can handle the processor and has a PCI experss slot for a vid card.

Mobo: ABIT KN8 Ultra Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813127222

With the vid card, going with the Gforce 7800GTX but will ask which one in the gpu forum

Now a longshot, I don't want to have to jack with a new HD, and reinstall everything, is it possible to plug in my old HD into the new system...and have everything work?

Thanks.

 

[Rugger]

You forgot RAM.
OCZ Value Series (2X512MB) should do you just fine.

If you want to OC the CPU, then you might consider getting the 3700+ and the AN8 Ultra. The 3700+ should easily OC past 4000+ performance levels and you will save money overall. Whichever you prefer...

If you're considering the GTX, then take a look at the X1800XT. It has steadily dropped in prices and the most recent drivers have done a lot for performance.

 

[Rugger]

Now a longshot, I don't want to have to jack with a new HD, and reinstall everything, is it possible to plug in my old HD into the new system...and have everything work?

Forgot to respond to this...Save yourself the time, energy and frustration by formatting and doing a clean install. It is possible to do it with a repair install on Win XP, but not likely to work. Backup your data, format the HDD and install from scratch....

 

[Frills]

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

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16820145575

 

[Rugger]

Good RAM.

 

[Frills]

While looking at pricing I cound a few combos and some changes, how's this look?

AMD Athlon 64 3800+ Venice 1GHz FSB Socket 939 Processor Model ADA3800BPBOX - Retail

ASUS A8R-MVP Socket 939 ATI Radeon XPRESS 200 CrossFire ATX AMD CrossFire Motherboard - Retail

ATI 100-435705 Radeon X1800XT 512MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail

CORSAIR XMS 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered System Memory Model TWINX2048-3200C2PRO - Retail

 

[Rugger]

Looks awesome!

 

[bourgeoisdude]

Seconded, looks like a good system.