Current system dilemma

[Jojocalypso77]

So I've had this gaming pc up and running since Septermber 2008 and I'm considering upgrading it. One reason is that there seems to be a huge bottleneck somewhere in its performance. To summarize the problems: In World of Warcraft I've been getting framerates of less than 7 when standing around in Dalaran, on and off of peak gaming hours, while getting 40+ flying around the rest of the game. Also my frame rates drop dramatically during large boss encounters and massive particle and graphical effects. So it sounds like there's a graphics card incompatablity happening somewhere, but could it also be a motherboard/cpu incompatability? Here's the specs:

AMD Phenom 9600 Agena 2.3GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 2MB L3 Cache Socket AM2+ 95W Quad-Core Processor
ASUS M2N-E AM2 NVIDIA nForce 570 Ultra MCP ATX AMD Motherboard
Rosewill RD550N-2DC-SL-SLV 550W 12V V2.2 / SSI standard EPS 12V Power Supply
NZXT Alpha Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case with Open Window
nVidia GeForce 9600 GT video card
4 gigs of DDR2 memory

Could an AM2+ CPU on an AM2 motherboard be the problem? Are there other compatability issues I'm not thinking of?

I've been considering upgrading my system anyway, and I was hoping for some feedback on where to start. If the motherboard is indeed the problem, and upgrading it critical, do I go to an AM2+ for the compatability or jump to AM3 and starting rebuilting from there?

Basically I want a powerful, reliable gaming machine, and if my current setup (minus mobo) is sufficient to run a game like WoW on medium to high settings, then I'd rather not upgrade everything. Thanks for any help/advice!

 

[Outlander_04]

The Phenom 9600 is a Phenom 1 and they are bad processors that contained an error manufactured in to them [ TLB error ...google it ] . Its almost certainly the limiting factor .

If you are going to stick with AMD and want a budget build then jump straight to AM3+ and leave everything behind except your case

 

[jsc]

Upgrading your video card will do a lot for your WoW frame rates.

 

[dish_moose]

Outlander_04 - Good advice - you may want to give this computer to somebody else - will work fine for many people. Go for complete new set-up.
-Bruce

 

[Jojocalypso77]

Best answer selected by Jojocalypso77.