Help with Budget Gaming Build Please

[N1FTy]

Hey, I'm a new forum user so please let me know if I'm doing anything wrong.

I am looking to upgrade my current system to a more current one, but at a tight budget of up to $700. I have little experience with computer hardware beyond properly connecting them and building. So, I am looking for advice from the experienced forum users 8) . I have no brandname preferences, but I'd like to stay with well-known brands to ensure reliability. My main purpose for this system will be gaming, so I would like decent, playable performance on newer games, but it doesn't need to be extremely fast on them. I do not know how to properly overclock, and I am not looking to overclock anything, unless it is easy and safe. I would like this computer to last 2-3 years.

Current specs:
AMD Athlon 64 3000+ Newcastle 2.0GHz Socket 754 Processor Model ADA3000AXBOX

DFI LANPARTY UT nF3 250Gb Socket 754 NVIDIA nForce3 250Gb ATX AMD Motherboard

CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model VS1GBKIT400

MSI NX6600GT-VTD128 GeForce 6600GT 128MB GDDR3 AGP 4X/8X VIVO Video Card

SAMSUNG SpinPoint P Series SP2014N 200GB 7200 RPM IDE Ultra ATA133 Hard Drive

Thermaltake Silent PurePower W0009R ATX12V 420W Power Supply

After browsing the General Homebuilt section and looking at a few other builds, this is what I'm looking to upgrade to. I have seen that many people recommend the GA-965P-DS3, so I chose that one. Is there a cheaper memory kit that I could use with comparable performance for my system, other than the one I listed? My limited hardware experience also prevents me from gauging what kind of PSU I would need, so advice there would be appreciated. I prefer retail parts, merely because they have guaranteed warranty. If the OEM price is much cheaper and has an available warranty plan, I wouldn't mind using it. Also, when I upgrade, will I still be able to use the CoolerMaster case?

Upgrade:
GIGABYTE GA-965P-DS3 LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

Intel Core 2 Duo E4400 Allendale 2.0GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E4400 - Retail

GeIL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model GX22GB6400UDCA= - Retail

EVGA 256-P2-N624-AR GeForce 7900GS 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 KO Video Card - Retail

PSU - ???

The total so far without the PSU is ~ $535 without shipping (from NewEgg). I know there are cheaper places, so once I can finalize my build, I will use PriceWatch to search for my finalized items. Plus, I think I would only buy something from NewEgg or cheaper so they're sort of my standard.

Thanks for all the help!

 

[g-paw]

If you haven't done so, check out this recent article as well as the CPU chart. Right now AMD looks like the best bet on a tight budget given the mobo seem to be a bit less. One of the things that this article shows is that if your gaming, the video card can make a big difference. There was a recent thread on PSUs that included some comparisons, unfortunately, not sure where it is but you could probably find it doing a search for PSU in the forum. There was a 500w Antic for about $110 or so that looked really good.

http://www.tomshardware.com/2007/05/11/system_builder_marathon/index.html
http://www23.tomshardware.com/cpu.html

 

[akhilles]

350W 22A is what a 7900gs pc needs. Might wanna get a bigger one in the 450-500w range:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16817128005

If you can afford, get a better one:

http://forumz.tomshardware.com/hardware/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=1491365#1491365

 

[g-paw]

350W 22A is what a 7900gs pc needs. Might wanna get a bigger one in the 450-500w range:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16817128005

If you can afford, get a better one:

http://forumz.tomshardware.com/hardware/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=1491365#1491365

Is there any way to make the second link a sticky or something easy to find? Very good reference matereal.