Hey all,
I am looking at upgrading and I have 2 setups in mind:

Common Upgrades
Antec NeoHE 500 $91.99
ASUS A8N-SLI $111.00
WD CaviarRE 250 $94.00
2GB DDR-400 $161.40

Option #1
Athalon X2 3800+ $297.00
XFX 7600GT $199.99
--------------------------------
TOTAL $955.38

Option #2
Athalon 64 3500+ $203.00
XFX 7900GT $299.99
--------------------------------
TOTAL $961.38

Which way should I go? Dual-Core or High-end graphics?

Do you really need that SLI motherboard? Because an A8N-E has SATA II and everything else that SLI board has, without the second pci e 16 slot. Its also only about 92 bucks at newegg. The Antec Neo is also not really a neccesity for 91 bucks at least, you can get a really nice PSU for much cheaper.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817103937
And for the processor/graphics card, it depends on what your going to do. If you are a gamer then you have diffrent needs than a typical office user.

I second that. The A8NE is great for anything you need. You really don't need SLi, so get it.

DDay

hmm i would definately go for the higher graphic card , simply because if u have a athlon 3000+ it generally covers up for speed in the cpu department .

cpu=not so fast
gpu=very fast as it is needed for a specific purpose , for example u take a p4 3.0mghz and put a say ati 9200 in it ..it wont run anything

but if u take a say p4 2.0 mghz and put a ati x1800 in it it will still run every game at more then a decent resolution and speed .

"Which way should I go? Dual-Core or High-end graphics?"

If gaming at 1280x1024, the gpu is drastically more important than cpu clock speed....

An A64/3200+/7900GT will decimate an FX57/7600GT at high res...

If forced to choose between a dual core and a good graphics card, I'd choose the latter....

I'd recommend Option #2 Go for high end graphics.
And yes, the A8N-E is a good choice.

I agree, my 6600U lets me down at high end games. BF2 gives her a work over.
You need to get a high end graphics card and the cpu will do what it does best.
I planned on getting the XFX 7900GT XXX Extreme Core 560Mhz Mem 1.65Ghz
Pretty deadly combination eh?

Thanks all,

Looks like I will be going with the A8N-E motherboard and the 3500+/7900GT option.

Final Tally:
Antec NeoHE 500W P/S, ASUS A8N-E M/B, WD RE 250GB HDD, Corsair DDR400 (2GB), AMD 3500+, and an XFX 7900GT for 931.95 shipping included.

BTW: I do plan on using this as a gaming system and my LCD is a Viewsonic VX2025WM running 1680x1050.

Thanks again for the helpful advice.

No Worries mate