I am upgrading my computer with about 400-500$ to spend. My current system is a 1600+ Athlon XP with 512MB of pc2100 ram and a Geforce 4 Ti 4200 128MB.

I am thinking of upgrading to a Athrlon 64 3400 (754 socket) with 2GB of pc3200 and a Geforce 6600 256MB vid card.

My goal is to be able to play games like EverQuest 2 and Battlefield 2 well and yet still stay within the amount I have to spend.

This is the motherboard combo I am leaning toward purchasing: http://www.bzboyz.com/store/product2218.html

And this is the video card I plan to buy: http://www.allstarshop.com/shop/si [...] &ad=pwatch

My main issue is I am not sure what type or where to buy the RAM that is inexpensive yet will suit my needs. I want 2 1GB chips of pc3200 DDR ram. I heard that ASUS motherboards are not compatible with high density RAM so that throws me into even more confusion. If any can offer advice on the RAM or any part of the upgrade I plan I would greatly appreciate it!

(As a note: I do not care much for upgradeability now. I just want these upgrades to hold my computer for another year or so for the games I play and to run well for that year. After that I plan to purchase a gaming laptop. Sadly my current system dosn't seem like it can last that year... hence the upgrade)

Two gig should work, probably have to put it at 2T command rate and maybe it will fall back at DDR333, no quite sure.

Wait for nf3 owners to help you =Þ

Asus P4P800DX, P4C 2.6ghz@3.25ghz, 2X512 OCZ PC4000 3-4-4-8, MSI 6800Ultra stock, 2X30gig Raid0

What would you recommend for a motherboard then? I basically need a cheap motherboard that can last me a year and handle 8x AGP card and pc3200 DDR RAM as well as a Athlon 64 processor. Most likely a 754 socket one.

Looking to be able to run games like Battlefield 2 and EverQuest 2 with minimal slowdown. (Also WoW and other games but, that runs decent on my current set up)

The question isn't how much but rather what density RAM will work... and now what motherboard to get especially considering that money is an issue. Looking for the best bang for the buck. Dosn't need upgradeability. Just to last me for the next year or so when I plan a major upgrade.

I'd go with the <A HREF="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813123220" target="_new">Epox 8KDA3+</A> at $92 or the <A HREF="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813127190" target="_new">Abit NF8</A> at $83. Both have the nF3 250GB chipset. A third option for $76 is the <A HREF="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813180061" target="_new">Soltek SL-K8AN2E-GR</A>.

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