My current system specs are as follows:
AMD Athlon XP 2500+ 1.83 GHz
Asus A7V8X-X Mobo
1.25 gigs of DDR400 RAM, about 775 gigs of which are free.
nVidia GeForce FX 5200 (and I can still play Half Life 2 on mostly high settings..)

I know that these specs suck, and that's why I want to upgrade.
I was thinking about ordering parts from Newegg and building it myself, but I have no idea how to as my friend built my current one for me.


Hanns·G HW-173DBB Black 17" 8ms DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor $149.99




Foxconn 8600GT-256 GeForce 8600GT 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 SLI Supported Video Card $104.99




Winsis KY-600ATX ATX12V 500W Power Supply $39.99




SpecResearch SMART-1B Black PS/2 Standard Multi-Media Keyboard Mouse Included $6.99 (yes I know mouse is included)


KINGWIN KWI-114 Black 3 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB Optical Mouse W/Blue LED $3.99




Transcend 1GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Desktop Memory Model JM800QLJ-1G $45.98 ($22.99 each)




MSI G31M-F LGA 775 Intel G31 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard $68.99




Intel Core 2 Duo E4500 Allendale 2.2GHz LGA 775 65W Processor Model BX80557E450 $129.99


Shipping: $50.93

Grand Total: $693.81

^^
Would these work together? I don't know if the processor would fit into the motherboard or if I have the right power supply or what. I just need someone to tell me if this could run for casual gaming.

Hi welcome to PCHF Yes it would work and will be ok for a cheaper PC the graphics card is decent over all good for a low budget PC to run games and will all work together. If you use newegg please use my link below a little extra ram will be good are going to run vista? If you get stuck when assembling it we can help you so don't panic that's the main thing

Thank you for the warm welcome! I think i'll be using either XP Pro or Vista Home and I might take away one 1GB and add a 2GB stick-- if 2GB isn't enough for Vista. I won't be ordering or building any time soon, it's just a thought for now.

Edit: What I meant was I already have two 1GB sticks. If that isn't enough for Vista, i'll take away one and add a 2GB stick.

Still looking for advice/comments?

Got a budget maximum?

Maximum would probably be around 900 dollars. I am still looking for advice because my friends are telling me I could get a much better computer for a little more.

Sure, gimme a few hours and I'll spec something up for you.

For when are you wanting it?