budget computer suggestions please!

[octacon]

hey all

i've been planning to upgrade soon, just the main parts cpu, ram, mobo etc...and just wanted some opinions on these parts. keep in mind i'm on a tight budget. well here goes:

AMD Athlon 64 3000+ 1.8 GHz Socket 939
DFI NF4 SLI Infinity Socket 939
OCZ PC-3200 DDR400 Premier Series 1GB (2x512MB) Dual Channel Kit
BFG 6600 GT OC

i was thinking about just A8N-E but wanted to be able to pop in another graphic card to boost my performance down the road and that dfi board is one of the cheaper sli boards. i've never really done any over clocking but thought i'd give it a shot with this system, nothing major mind you just. any suggestions regarding this setup

[ProfessorChaos]

except that two 6600gt's in sli arent that powerful anymore...if you are serious about gaming get a 7800gt for ~$400 no real need for sli because it will be hindered by ur processor speed.

the rest is decent...although i'd step up and get a 3200+ if you dont want to OC much...

it all depends on your usage...if u only play games once in a while and dont wanna play fear @ 1920x1200 then ur fine with just a crappy video card

[octacon]

except that two 6600gt's in sli arent that powerful anymore...if you are serious about gaming get a 7800gt for ~$400 no real need for sli because it will be hindered by ur processor speed.

the rest is decent...although i'd step up and get a 3200+ if you dont want to OC much...

it all depends on your usage...if u only play games once in a while and dont wanna play fear @ 1920x1200 then ur fine with just a crappy video card

first off thanks for you input...

i actually bought one of the 6600 gt oc already and was planning on buying another when the price drops even further. i really don't plan to spend $300+ on a video card at the moment so i was just gonna run with only one 6600 gt oc for now until i can afford the other. i was actually considering seriously upgrading the cpu to a 3200+ but wasn't sure it was worth the extra $40 performance wise.

i play mostly mmorpg games right now but i do own doom 3 and half-life 2 and would like to get to those someday soon with a capable system that will run it all smoothly with decent framerates...i don't know too much about this stuff but i don't think i'd ever be able to spend a good $300-$400 on just a video card...but thats just me, since i don't play the most demanding games won't this setup do?

please more input, i'm probably gonna go shopping for the parts this weekend.

[Cafe_333]

Only $40 dollars for the extra performance? I would go for it because how often do you upgrade CPU's right? Especially when you don't intend on spending so much on videocard performance at this time, the extra cpu performance would certainly help in games. Anyway, DFI is best for overclocking, but if you decide against it, there are cheaper SLI motherboards to consider:

Biostar N4SLI-A9 $119
Gigabyte GA-K8N-SLI $128

[Nealester]

DFI is actually quite a difficult board to use. Before you get it read some threads on (http://www.dfi-street.com/forum/) so you know what you are getting yourself into.

[windwaker]

I'd just get an A8N-E with SATA II support & a 6800/7800 something. An SATA II drive is a few bucks more than the SATA.

BFG6600GT/OC is over $200 + taxes. 2 = $400 + taxes. 2 x 6600GT in SLI still can't beat 7800. Plus, you'd worry about power with 2 cards. BTW, not all games support SLI.

DFI would be a waste if you don't o/c. If you do, it's not easy to do, like what he said above. ASUS, MSI, etc. are easier to o/c, but may not be as good as DFI's o/c capability.

[octacon]

wow appreciate the advice.

like i said i only plan on getting one video card now and i already bought a 6600 gt oc at $179 - $50 rebate. i looked at some 7800 gt prices and they are way above my price range, unlesss someone can point to link that sells it sub $400. i do agree i should probably just got with the 3200+ cpu but like i said i'm on a budget and i've seen prices as low as $139 on the 3000+ while the lowest i've seen the 3200+ is $189.

It was my understanding o/cing isn't that hard...am i wrong to assume so. i do plan to research it but was planning on running at stock until i do, its just i'd like the option to be able to o/c well. this board sells at around $150 so its a mid-range board which i think is affordable to me. i really only wanted to go with asus or dfi, thats just my preference. the a8n-sli is a bit pricey, well the deluxe and premium versions are. i beleive the basic version is around the same price. so which would be better?

thanks for all the feedback so far i think i will probably take the recommendation and change the cpu to 3200+.

[Sun-Tzu]

You might want to know that XFX put out a GF7800GT that is almost equal in speed to a 7800GTX and it's going for just a little over $450 at TG! It also comes bundles with 3 games.