I currently have an Athlon 64 3500, X800 pro, Abit AV8 mobo, and 2 gigs ram.
I have been having problems with this system, I think its the video card.. and I wanted to replace/upgrade. Well, the AV8 is a socket 939 so I am caught in a tough spot.. I dont want to invest in an overpriced AGP card... just to scrap it in a year or two.
This was an Alienware pre-built Aurora system(before dell bought them)... so the case is good... and I got a newer 550 watt power supply. also have a spare 350 gig hard drive, and some spare ram.
My question, and your mission... is what MOBO, CPU, and Video Card can I get for $600 that will feel like a substantial upgrade over what I have now, while also allowing me to upgrade piece meal in the future. I only play Team Fortress 2 and the upcoming Left 4 dead, so nothing that needs to run far cry or anything, but I'd like to see a decent to moderate performance boost and run vista. I'm trying to not only get some good bang for the buck but balance any potential bottlenecks.
Is it possible? with a budget of $600? If so, help me out and point me in the right direction. Or let me know if I should just keep the current system I have and have it repaired as its not worth the money and effort that $600 will buy me at this point. Thanks guy.
I have been having problems with this system, I think its the video card.. and I wanted to replace/upgrade. Well, the AV8 is a socket 939 so I am caught in a tough spot.. I dont want to invest in an overpriced AGP card... just to scrap it in a year or two.
This was an Alienware pre-built Aurora system(before dell bought them)... so the case is good... and I got a newer 550 watt power supply. also have a spare 350 gig hard drive, and some spare ram.
My question, and your mission... is what MOBO, CPU, and Video Card can I get for $600 that will feel like a substantial upgrade over what I have now, while also allowing me to upgrade piece meal in the future. I only play Team Fortress 2 and the upcoming Left 4 dead, so nothing that needs to run far cry or anything, but I'd like to see a decent to moderate performance boost and run vista. I'm trying to not only get some good bang for the buck but balance any potential bottlenecks.
Is it possible? with a budget of $600? If so, help me out and point me in the right direction. Or let me know if I should just keep the current system I have and have it repaired as its not worth the money and effort that $600 will buy me at this point. Thanks guy.