Need Some Info on Upgrading to 939 and SLI

[TheRoots]

I'm finally upgrading from my old system. I want to spend about 500 dollars.

I plan on just buying a new Mobo, processor, and a videocard.

I'm wondering what is the best for my money. I haven't really looked into the

pc scene for about a year. I would preferably like an easy motherboard to work on. I

don't want one like my DFI, where I have to tweak so many damn things in order to

overclock. Everything is on stock because it finally broke my patience when I upgraded

to a 6800le and it wouldn't boot. Also if I was to buy a 6800gs now and then later on buy

another one to run Sli. Would it be worth it or would I be much better off just buying a

7800 and throwing out the 6800gs.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[StarLancer]

Id say go for a 7800GT if you can afford it.
I have a Gigabyte K8n-SLI from newegg.com and i think its about $85 for the mobo now.

As for CPU, The Fastest in your Price range.
I hear Athlong X2 CPUs are good but ive never used one.

 

[Pyrokinetic]

Since you have a $500 budget, here are a few recommendations:

Motherboard: EPoX EP-9NPA+Ultra. This is a Nforce 4 Ultra board, so no SLI, but has come out tops in several comparisions (got an Anandtech editor's choice award), and is well regarded. It retails for $105.
Review: http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=2465&p=1
Retail: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813123236

Processor: AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Venice. Dual-core is a bit spendy for your budget, and you want enough left over for a decent graphics card. This processor is inexpensive and a good overclocker. It retails for $164.
Retail: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103535

Video Card: With your budget, the 7800GTs are out of the question. So your best bet is the 6800GS cards. I'll recommend the eVGA 256-P2-N391-AX Geforce 6800GS 256MB. eVGA is great because their warranty is tops because it will cover damage caused by overclocking. So overclock away! This particular card comes factory overclocked, and currently has a rebate that makes it the same price as the lower-clocked version. With the rebate, the card is only $189.
Retail: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130265

Also check out Anandtech's new review of the 6800GS cards (the eVGA card reviewed is the lower-clocked version, but will give you a good idea of what to expect):
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=2683

As for SLI, I would say avoid it. The best way to upgrade video cards is to save the box, and then sell the card later to offset the cost of an upgrade. This is because two 6800 cards in SLI will match or barely exceed the performance of a 7800GT. The 7800GT runs $300 and each 6800GS is $200. Why spend $400 when it won't outperform a $300 card? SLI is best left for people with money to burn, because the technology just does not justify the expense. Video cards that are one step down from the latest and greatest generally have the best bang for the buck, and that is what the 6800GS provides.

P.S. -- with your new gear, make sure you have a capable power supply. The 6800GS requires auxillary power as well, so a power supply around 400W (at least 350W+) is probably a good idea.