PC upgrading time for me too!

[Guest]

Priority#1
I suggest getting more RAM. I've had 512 for ages, and it just isn't enough to run the latest games. I don't even know if 1024MB is enough.

Unless you're running SDRam, 512 should be plenty.

Prioriy#2
If you're getting an AthlonXP2600-processor, it will be outdated come Christmas. My advice when upgrading. Look what's the best on the market and then take it one step down. That way you get a good combination of price and performance. I'd spring for a 3ghz-thingie, if I was upgrading, which I suspect I will be when HL2 comes out september 30th, 2005.

I don't know where people get this idea that HL2 is the super system hog... Far Cry and Doom 3 are both more taxing (even if HL2 requires more proccy power than Far Cry).

I don't think you should go for 64bit. These will be a necessity in a few years, but by that time, your processor will be outdated anyway. A 3200 64bit is still only 3.2 ghz, and in a few years we can expect ~7ghz proccy's. I'd reccomend a regular 3200+, non-64bit, just your standard Athlon XP.

Edit: Just in case anybody was wondering about how the AMD's work (it had me stumped for a while)

When looking at an Athlon, only look at the number with the + after it, in this case 3200+. This processor only runs at 2.2ghz, but through the Athlon's extreme efficiency, it can run programs just as fast and just like a 3.2 ghz P4 (not JUST as fast really, the FSB makes a diff since Athlons cap at 400mhz fsb). So although the 3200 may say that it runs at 2.2ghz, thats just its physical frequency, not it's actual performance.