Different CPU/MB but same hardware

Hi to all! Newbie here.

I do have a question but I guess this maybe similar or different from others.

My current system has the ff specs:

AMD Athlon 64 3000+
ECS MB with built in audio
2 gb DDR ram PC-3200
160 gb HD
ATI Radeon 256mb video card
OS: Windows XP Home Edition

My question is that I am planning to replace my current CPU and motherboard to accomodate a pair of rams I bought the other day. The new rams are (2) 2gb Kingston DDR2 667 mhz. I thought this one would fit in my current MB but could not fit after realizing that my current ram is DDR and not DDR2. So I found at frys that they sell an Asus MB that can take 4gb of DDR2 rams but will require a new CPU. If I change my cpu and MB and retain my current HD, etc will the change affect the programs and files that I have in my hard disk?

Also the reason why I am planning this change is because I am going to get new CAD softwares that are memory hungry. Vendor's specs minimum 1GB but recommends 4gb for maximum productivity.

Planning to buy the upgrade anytime this week but need expert advice. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance

Check newegg or Fry's electronics for combo specials; newegg has them mostly on amd cpus. Amd has the best onboard video chipsets, such as the 8200 and 790. I use low end core2 duo, and they overclock nice. Mine has copper tape connecting 2 pads for an instant 33% overclock with no bios adjustments necessary on 2 of my boards.

but then what has changed from a few hundred on cpu and mobo is not atleast 300 or more on graphics card 4 ram sticks and new intel cpu and mobo!

athlon X2 6000+ and 8gb of ram would do ya and a cheapo GPU

aslong as the MOBO is AM2 socket it will work.

however it needs to be SOCKET AM2+ to use the full power of the PHENOM

if your going to OC the PHENOM then DDR2 1066 memory is needed and u will need to latest Southbridge chipset = 750.

you can get 2 types of board the 790FX( and the 790GX (inbuilt shared graphics)


the following is the best ASUS AMD MOBO at the moment which will allow you to OC the phenom to a shockingly poor 3.Ghz available from newegg:



AMD 790FX/SB750, Quad PCIe x16, Ideal OC platform

ASUS M3A79-T Deluxe AM2+/AM2 AMD 790FX ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
CPU Type: Phenom FX / Phenom / Athlon 64 FX / Athlon 64 X2
FSB: 2600MHz Hyper Transport (5200 MT/s)
South Bridge: AMD SB750
Number of Memory Slots: 4×240pin
Memory Standard: DDR2 1066
Maximum Memory Supported: 16GB
Dual Channel Supported: Yes
PCI Express 2.0 x16: 4 x PCIe 2.0 x16 slots with ATI CrossFireX™ support (@ dual x16, triple x16 / x8 / x8, or quad x8 modes)
Model #: M3A79-T Deluxe
Item #: N82E16813131339
Return Policy: Limited 30-Day Return Policy

Your Price:$188.99