koko said:
i'd trash the idea of moving to a 64-bit cpu. there are no 64-bit apps/games right now, so you're blowing $.
Ok, that statement is outrageous. If he wants to play games, he or she SHOULD go with AMD64. It doesn't matter if there are no programs in 64bit mode. All there is is Windows for that. The 64 bit processors run in 32bit mode beautifully. They dominate for games. So it's not a waste if that's his intention.
Ok to the thread starter now.
I've got an AMD64 3200 939 I like it, but I'm planning on overclocking it soon to get some more out of it.
MSI K8N Neo2 Platinum boad. It's a great board, stable, and nice looking.
I wouldn't go with the Crucial Ballistix if you went with the MSI. Something more like the OCZ EL Platinum Rev.2 are VERY nice.
And spending money on the 9800SE is a waste, it overclocks fairly well to become a 9800Pro, but for $80 more, you'll be able to get a 6600GT card which will beat a 9800Pro. And yes, they are coming out with a 6600GT AGP flavor soon.
If you want to cut back on cost, You could change the ram to something else. Maybe some HyperX or something. The Processor could go down to a 3000+ and overclock it. I'd keep the board though. The MSI is a great board.
The Gigabyte board that has the Nforce3 is the best way to go but it's still around $200. It's Via version isn't that great.
But of course, this is coming from an Overclockers standpoint.