my current pc specs are:

amd athlon 64 3400+
895~ megs of ram (crappy mismatched ram, tho)
ati radeon x1950 256vram pci express
160gb hdd

i'd like to upgrade my ram and my processor. i only have about $200 to spend and i'd like to add at least 1gb of ram. what would you guys recommend?

What is your motherboard? What ram do you have?

how do i find out?

To find out your motherboard you might be able to run dxdiag (via start > run > dxdiag) in windows. On the first tab it will say "System Model: Board Name." To determine the brand of your memory you can either a) look at it, or b) run CPU-Z (this should also give you a more accurate description of your motherboard and other computer parts as well).

http://www.cpuid.com/cpuz.php

my ram is ddr

motherboard: ASUStek computer INC
model: nagami 1.01

Ok, well, this is what I would probably do. Your system is a bit dated. It's not completely off the charts but it could definitely do with some upgrades. $200 is fairly tight for what I'm going to suggest, but I doubt it would go over $300 at the most and you'll see a lot of improvement AND you'll be set up for the future. AMD has just released its first batch of Phenom II processors. These are quadcore processors that are going to be using the new AM3 socket, however they are also backwards compatible with AM2+ boards. This is a good thing! Because you don't want to jump the gun just yet, I suggest you buy a cheaper processor and then when the time comes swap it with a newer one.

First things first is we need to replace your motherboard. I know this isn't on your list, but I highly recommend that you do.

Something like this for example: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3672390&sku=S458-1302

That allows you DDR2 memory which although isn't enormously faster than DDR it will lend to some improvement, especially in low memory situations.

2GB: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2206874&CatId=2261
4GB: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3228139&CatId=2261

Now for the processor I'll recommend a dual core AMD 64 6000+: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3318082

This should run you ~$250 I think.

also i'm pretty sure i have a really terrible psu. it's like 200w max. i should probably upgrade this, right?

You could probably pick up a good socket 939 dual core amd processor for around 40 to 70 bux and I'm sure you could find a good price on 2gb ddr 400 ram on ebay

I'm p. Sure you won't go over 200 there and you'll notice a pretty big difference

200w psu is fine for what you're running, if there's no problem with it I wouldn't even bother. They're pretty reasonable tho so if you need a new one I wouldn't go over something like 400w

okay i just went lookin around newegg and i came up with this:

ECS A780GM-A AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard $69.99

Rosewill RV350 350W ATX 1.3 Power Supply $24.99

Kingston ValueRAM 1GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 533 (PC2 4200) Desktop Memory Model KVR533D2N4/1G (x2) $27.98

AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ Windsor 3.0GHz Socket AM2 125W Dual-Core Processor Model ADX6000CZBOX $74.99

+ $12.33 for shipping = $210.28

how does that sound? is all this shit compatible? also how hard is it to replace a motherboard and add in a processor and psu? also, if you can improve on this money wise that would be great!

checked my current psu and it's 150w Lol

ACTUALLY if one of you guys could find a way for me to shave about $15 (or more) off the price that would be great. i wouldn't have to wait for my filthy government money to arrive.

You could probably pick up a good socket 939 dual core amd processor for around 40 to 70 bux and I'm sure you could find a good price on 2gb ddr 400 ram on ebay

I'm p. Sure you won't go over 200 there and you'll notice a pretty big difference

This is sort of the alternative, the only issue is that there's nowhere to really go from there. You have to buy a new everything if you really want to upgrade because 939 is dead. At least this way when the time comes all he needs to do is pop in a Phenom II. It's up to you, though. I only suggested what I would do.

Get an x2 5600+ you'll save 50 bucks and its 0.10ghz slower(you won't notice)

the one on newegg is like $5 cheaper than the 6000

okay i just went lookin around newegg and i came up with this:

ECS A780GM-A AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard $69.99

Rosewill RV350 350W ATX 1.3 Power Supply $24.99

Kingston ValueRAM 1GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 533 (PC2 4200) Desktop Memory Model KVR533D2N4/1G (x2) $27.98

AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ Windsor 3.0GHz Socket AM2 125W Dual-Core Processor Model ADX6000CZBOX $74.99

+ $12.33 for shipping = $210.28

how does that sound? is all this shit compatible? also how hard is it to replace a motherboard and add in a processor and psu? also, if you can improve on this money wise that would be great!

replaced the amd athlon 6000+ with an amd athlon 64 x2 5600+

replaced psu with a 300w one

replaced ram with a faster (and cheaper) stick by corsair.

grand total with shipping is now $187.48

you're practically buying a new computer. also the 780g chipset rocks!!!!!!!

Make sure you're not getting an OEM processor or else you're gonna need a heatsink+fan cuz they'll just gonna send you a chip in a little plastic container with nothing else

I'd spend the little extra to up the PSU. Any future upgrade especially graphics cards are going to require it.