What to do about a new CPU

Hey anyone,
I've got a bit of a dilemna. Just to give you a quick overvew here is a list of my basic specs:

AMD Athlon 64 3700+ CPU
Radeon X850 XT graphics
130GB Disk space
2GB RAM


now what i am looking to do is update my computer. I am a gamer so I cater to that. I require (because of the motherboard) an AGP graphics card (crap) and some sort of AMD CPU. I am debating whether to wait, save the money, and switch to a PCIe motherboard as well as my CPU an graphics card along with my RAM (most likely) or just do the best i can to update what i have. any suggestions or ideas?

Don't spend more money on that PC. For example AGP cards these days cost more than some PCI-E cards that are several times faster.

What is your budget?
Are you in the USA?
Do you need a monitor/speakers/keyboard too?

If in the US try this build out.

Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811147114
$40 Rosewill RZLS142A-P
PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817103941
$50 Antec NeoPower 550
MB: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813138117
$70 Biostar TForce TF720 A2+
CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819103211
$60 AMD AM2 X2 5000+
RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820227189
$22 OCZ DDR2 800 2x 1GB
HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822148138
$50 Seagate 400GB
DVD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827106264
$26 LITE-ON 20x DVDR/RW retail
Vid: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814130378
$65 eVGA geforce 9500GT 512MB


Total, no OS: $383 + S&H (not counting MIR, or specials)

Either way you look at it, the 9500 (PCIX) is still better than that old X850 (AGP) card. It would be cheaper in the long run to just build a new system (note the MB I mentioned is just a suggestion, I prefer Gigabyte)

MB: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128327
$70 (AMD 770 chipset) remember to run any BIOS updates with this board tho.

That Biostar is a nVidia chipset, which I prefer as they don't have the same stability issues as the AMD chipsets.

1) You can reuse the case, optical drive, and hard drive for a budget build.

2) Old PSU might be sufficient. That x850xt was a high-end dual slot card and consumes more energy than a 9500GT.

3) As a gamer I would shoot for a $100+ GPU, not the $65 one. Maybe a 9800 GT?

4) The recommended RAM is deactivated on Newegg, though comparable options are still cheap.

x2 5400+ Black Edition $77
780g micro-atx m/b http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813157127 $84
PSU from above + evga 9800gt (newegg combo) $186
2 x 1GB DDR2-800 cas 6 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820134635 $30
-----
$377 including shipping

upgrade options:

1) overclock that dual core CPU from 2.4Ghz to ~3GHz
2) upgrade CPU to a quad-core Phenom (up to 125W TDP) or Deneb (AM2 compatible version)
3) upgrade GPU to any PCI-e compatible (PCI-e will be around a LONG time)

Note: You can probably ebay the 2 GB of DDR on ebay. We always find socket 939 owners just looking to upgrade RAM.

What is the mobo in it?

I ask because if it is a 939 mobo it might support a dual core spu - you can still find them around the place and it would give that system a boost ... certainly run a lot smoother at a slightly higher resolution in games where at present it is likely cpu bound.

If it does support a dual core look for a 4400+ which has the 2Mb cache and clocks easily to 2.4Ghz (equivalent to a 4800+ @ 220FSB.

Should give you a bit of a boost.

Regarding the AGP graphics there are a few much faster cards but they are pricey ... and if your looking to upgrade to PCI-E they will be lost on the upgade.

So what mobo is in it?