I need help upgrading my computer!!!

[aam9886]

I am a complete computer noob. Currently I have a:
-2600+ 2.08 GHz AMD Athlon XP Processor
-512 DDR ram
-120 GB hard drive
-Nvidia GeForce 4 MX graphics card w/ 64 MB DDR shared video memory

... and thaz about all i know about my computer.

My computer is fine for the most part, however I have trouble running games such as World of Warcraft and CS:Source. since i am a noob and have no clue what the hell im doing.. im asking for anyone's help.

I am on a tight budget however as a college student and i want to keep as much of my current computer as possible(my case.. hard drive.. etc.). I know that i have to get a new motherboard and CPU, more ram, and a new video card. Ive heard of the new PCI Express enabled motherboards but not much... is this important or what??

Anyways, i want to build this new computer.. not a super computer, but just one that will be good enough for me to enjoy these games without crazy lag... my budget is around $600. So yeah.. any help from anyone would be greatly appreciated

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Welcome to AT.
If you really want to stay on a tight budget, you could get away with just upgrading to a nicer videocard and it would make a world of difference.

Something like a 6600gt would give you a nice boost in games.

Another cheap thing to do would be to upgrade to a gig of ram.

If you want to do the whole thing though, go for an A64 setup with PCI-e.

Is your computer now custom built or is it from a company? Do you know anything about the powersupply?

You'll most likely want a new powersupply if you're going to upgrade the whole thing.

For $600 you could get:
A nice powersupply for $50 - $75 from a reputable company
An NF4 based motherboard for $100 - $130
A 3200+ A64 939 for $190
A 6600gt PCI-e for $175
A gig of ram for about $90

That should be right around your budget.

 

[biostud]

a 6600GT for AGP + 512 Mb ram, and save rest of your money

I have 2100+@2083Mhz + 9800pro (a bit slower than 6600GT) and run CS:S at 1280x960 fine.