Thanks for the commments! It really is looking like I should wait until I have some more money extra to spend (probably a while) before I should attempt any upgrade. One interesting point, though, I have actually seen 2GB of DDR2 running for about $40 on newegg/tigerdirect.

Just to let you know, I run Team Fortress 2 on a computer that is roughly equivalent to that (it's a little hard to compare since I've got Intel and NVidia where you have AMD and ATI). Sure, I have to run it at 800x600 with nearly the lowest settings, but it runs at a quite playable ~30fps My Specs: GeForce 6200 256mb, Pentium 4 3.0 Ghz, and 1gb RAM.

I had the same problem as you; I wanted to upgrade just one thing, but it really wasn't worth it. Getting an AGP graphics card costs more than the PCI-E version and runs slower. Getting more RAM could work, but wouldn't really help that much in too many situations. The processor is about as good as it can be without getting a new motherboard.

There are some pretty nice AGP graphics cards that fit in your range and would help. But for me, it certainly wasn't worth the large price for a small upgrade. My recommendation? Get Gametap and play all those old games you missed. [wink]

hehe. Actually, I do happen to have 512mb of spare DDR sitting around that I'm planning of putting in my existing machine (hopefully for a bit of a performance boost). I mentioned team fortress 2 because there is a giant LAN party at my school each semester that a club I help run is involved with (which gives me registration-free entry into everything) and I wanted to actually be able to participate this semester. One of the main games they play is TF2 (and from what I've seen, its worth it)

Decent Motherboard $55-$85
Worthy Dual-Core CPU ~$95-$110
2GB Name Brand DDR2 ~$45-$55 (667 or 800)
Video Card $110-$140

Total Price for minimum worthy upgrade = $305-$390

That's using all parts I would personally recommend to my more budget constrained gaming friends. Of course everyone wants a Q6600, 4GB, 8800GT system - but for people on a budget it just isn't worth waiting an extra 6 months to afford it.

NOTES:
The CPU's I assumed we're the AMD X2 5000+ (65 watt) or Intel E2200 dual cores.

The ONLY budget video cards I recommend are the nvidia 8600 GT and AMD 2600 XT based cards - anything less isn't much of an upgrade for you. Of course if you can afford an AMD 3850 or nvidia 8800 GT you should buy them, but I assume even the $60-$90 price premium is significant to you.

I HIGHLY recommend getting an integrated video micro ATX motherboard. The reason? Nobody needs the extra slots these days (since most features are on the MB), they are priced more affordably than the larger board even when they havethe EXACT SAME features (often $10-$20 less), the integrated video allows you to keep this system alive if you build another system and snake the video card (this system would make a great work computer or server a few years down the line). This is particularly usefull if you wait and buy the more expensive HD 3870 or nvidia 8800 GT cards, as they are likely to be powerfull enough for the future.

DO NOT buy a cheap motherboard (quality wise, not price) Motherboard / power supply and memory quality are the 3 most important elements for a stable computer.

Very well said, Xai. Those are the rough numbers I've been coming up with as well. Considering, though, that I don't have $300 available right now, I'll have to wait another 6 months to a year or so until I do. I could probably try to offset some of my costs by selling some of the spare hardware I have sitting around, but that would be rather difficult and wouldn't be particularly profitable (I have a pair of Pentium 4s sitting around clocked at about 1.6ghz each, and other bits like that)

Quote: Original post by medevilenemy
my Power Supply is a Thermaltake TR2 430W I bought about two years ago after my earlier one burnt out... sadly, I was in the middle of playing a game of Star Trek: Bridge Commander [grin].

I could probably push my budget up to $250 if there was enough to be gained, but being a college student I have to mind my expenses (luckily, I have some cash free after setting up an office network for a condo complex).

I'm aware of the need for a PCI-E gfx card, and newer RAM. I have no need for more storage space (I'm going to be swapping out one of my hdds -- a 40GB -- for an 80gb anyway -- and I still have about 175GB free space). What I'm looking for is a good config that will let me play some newer games, while leaving me a future upgrade path for when I can afford more. Thanks for the prompt response talroth!

I just finished putting a computer together, well the motherboard arrives tommorow but i have all the other components, and all for just under 500, that includes:

coolermaster case with 3 case fans
500 watt power supply
P4 3.2 Ghz CPU
GeForce 7600 GT
1GB 667 mhz Ram
ABIT AB9 QUAD GT mainboard
Pioneer DVD/CD writer
some CPU fan/heat sink combo,forgot the name


just search around for deals, especially e-bay

ABIT IP35-E LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard $77
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813127031

RAM
Corsair 2GB PC6400 DDR2 800MHz $26
http://www.dealstudio.com/viewtopic.php?t=35823

CPU
Intel 2.2GHz Dual-Core Processor $94
http://www.chiefvalue.com/product-_-productdetails.cv_-_item--CE00153693010060

Quote: ABIT IP35-E LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard $77

Problem is, he only has an AGP graphics card, so he'll need to add a $120 graphics cards to your parts list to actually have a usable computer that exceeds his current rig.