absolute bare minimum upgrade

[doacen]

is that even worth doing? I haven't built a computer since 2003. Ive since replaced the motherboard and processor which is an athlon3200 64. But really all I want is a system that can play the current games respectively. I'll probably keep my case and HD's (which are SATA). So basically it comes down to a PSU, motherboard, CPU, videocard and memory. Its ok, if it makes more sense to spend a little more on something for longevity purposes.

[iamsostupid]

You want a cheap Athlon64 X2 on socket AM2+, you want at least 2 giga of DDR2 memory, and you want at least a 8800GT or Radeon 4830 video card. What games are you playing, and at what resolution? what kind of monitor do you have?

[OS-Wiz]

Bare minimums:

P35 socket mobo, check out ASUS mobos
A Core 2 Duo Intel cpu, check out Intel Core 2 Duo E7400 Wolfdale 2.8GHz

DDR2 1066 memory, check out OCZ

For gaming, an nVidia 260 vidcard <-- this is the one component you should spend a little extra on

Antec or PC Power & Cooling PSU of at least 550 watts.

Have fun upgrading.

[doacen]

thanks for the help. Ill probably be playing mostly FPS's. (HL2, COD, Bioshock etc) at whatever resolution would be best on a new monitor