Upgrade time! From Athlon 64 3000+, 6800 GT SLI, 1g RAM..

[austin785]

I can finance an upgrade with disposable income up to $500, but past that I'd need to use credit.

Current system crashes and simply cannot run Command and Conquer 3 at 1280+ with acceptable settings.

Current System
Athlon 64 3000+
SLI'd GeForce 6800GT's
Asus A8N-SLI Premium
Enermax 535w PSU
1GB (2x516) RAM


I built a few systems around $850 without a new case that seem quite nice.. Most go like this:

CPU: E6600 C2D
Mobo: Need help here: Dunno whether to go P965, 650i or 680i..
GPU: 8800 GTS 320mb
PSU: 500w Enermax Liberty (could use some lower-priced feasible alts)
RAM: 2GB (2 x 1GB) G.Skill. CAS 4

So, it looks like:

CPU: $225
Mobo: ~$130?
GPU: $270
PSU: ~$100?
RAM: $110

For a total of around $850.

Can anyone help me tweak this in order to play the current games (C&C3, BF2142, Oblivion) at either 1280x1024 with max settings or 1600x1200 with settings that would allow acceptable framerate?

Last bit of information: This computer will probably only need to keep me running for a year or slightly more. I will be getting a influx of income and a top of the line system is in my first line of purchasing. Could I get some cheaper parts (motherboard, CPU, RAM?) and still run the new era of games well? Could I forego getting a new PSU at all, or would it be wise to upgrade since I've been using it for almost 2 years?

Thanks so much all!

 

[akhilles]

Your Enermax 535w has 34a - enough for even an 8800gtx. Don't waste money on this.

Your minimum upgrades would be:

e4300
msn p6n sli-fi
2gigs brand name value ram
8800gts

All set.