How would you upgrade if you were me?

[AKA_RA]

OK, heres the deal. I need to upgrade. I've looked around and looked around and i just see toooo many mouth watering configs that would blow my current system away. I've pretty much settled on 4 basic components that will need replacing. I was hoping for some opinions from everyone here at TBCS because i want this system to last as long as possible, needing only minor upgrades over the next year or so. So, I ask this of all who wish to accept.

Below are the components i will need.

Motherboard (SLI would be nice for later, but not right now)
CPU (definately 64 but dual core is optional but prefered)
RAM (at least 1gig with good timings)
Graphics Card (anything thats not budget and post 6000 series)

My goal is about 600-800 dollars, but by the time i have the money prices will undoubtedly drop. I prefer AMD and ATi, but i really just want to see what you would do with that amount of money. Even a suggestion for a CPU or GPU alone would be much appreciated, as would any suggestions made by any community members.

I've been following all these things since beforei can remember, but i want the best bang for my buck. MAinly i'm just curious if whatyou guys would do with that money for those parts. Thanks in advance everyone. :)

[Mitternacht]

Buy all the best stuff you want, used. It would still work, but will save you money. That's the approach I'm taking.

[xdxforever]

I would recommend getting a AMD X2 3800.
It's not a big deal if you get the AM2 or 939 socket unless you want upgrade possiblities in which case AM2 is the one to get. this is the cheapest dual-core worth buying and it sounds like you really dont need to spend for a conroe. Also the low power version is the same price as regular $150: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103733
A cheaper board without SLI that looks good: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131022
A more kick ass board with crossfire: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813130057
An equivalent SLI board: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131013
Most AM2 boards are similar in performance so get a name brand so you know it will be stable and then shop around for the features you want. If you want to go cheaper than getting a 939 socket board will perform great and be cheap.
For DDR2 the latency doesn't define performance as much as frequency, 2GB for $200: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820211066
getting lower speeds gets only marginally cheaper, faster is much more expensive.
For a good video card I would recommend the X1950PRO this one is the best: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814161043
others can be had for less but this has a good factory OC. There are many good features to this card and it has great performance for the price.
All together thats about $700.

[Slug Toy]

i havent had time to look through newegg lately. for now ill agree with xdxforever. i might go with a better processor though because theoretically you have about $100 extra to play with. the x1950 is definitely going to make that system cpu limited.

[Mitternacht]

Eh, my personal preference is TigerDirect. I like them over Newegg.

[monoflap]

If you're looking for a more future proof system, I would go intel. I recommend getting a socket LGA775 quadcore ready motherboard with sli from a reputable brand such as ASUS or MSI. This way, you could start small if need be, and have the elbow room to buy the next-gen hardware down the road. For ram, I wouldn't get anything less than a gig of 800mhz medium to high quality ram. For the video card setup, I think you should either save some money by getting a less expensive 7 series card (less than $200) from nvidia, or you get a lower end 8 series card (when they come out) that won't blow your budget. Pretty much any 8 series card will outperform the high end 7 series cards and there really isn't much sense in buying a high end last gen card with dx10 tech coming in a matter of weeks. In fact, I'm considering this setup for a rig I hope to build for the holidays.

[Slug Toy]

true, there is core 2 duo and quad... but its a little more expensive. ive got to look at whats out there before i say anything definite.

[AKA_RA]

Thanks for the input guys. You brought up some things that i hadn't thought of. Like a Core 2 board that was quad core ready. i certainly cant afford quaf core now(newegg had one for over $1k i think), but i would love to upgrade to a quad core in the future.

ATi cards work perfectly fine on Intel boards, correct? I wouldnt want crossfire anyways, or SLI for that matter. I think id rather just buy single card, like the X1950 or something alongthe lines of that. I also noticed that one has VIVO, which is not something i desperately need, but definitely something i like to use. I have it on my 6600GT and I like using it for casual video editing and transfering home videos off VHS and such.

[PauL]

I would recommend going with a Core 2 Duo such as the E6400 or E660. Some of the top CPU for their price and overclock easily. You can look at tomshardware.com for CPU charts.