so you may have heard that my pc died a while back, i was trying to see if anybody in this forum knew how to fix it lol. anyway, i've now decided to replace some parts in it, a simple upgrade. i'll start off by telling you what i'll be wanting from this pc so you get an idea of what parts i need; basically, i'll be using it for multimedia purposes (ie webdesign, flash, 3d studio mx, maya and sound apps) but i'll also want to play games at a decent level of quialty without it lagging to the core. my budget is about $700aud so lets just say $1100usd.

can anybody enlighten me on wat the amd am2 processors are? and it it worth goin with the duo core pentiums now or is it still okay to stick with the normal amd/p4 processors? i'm too poor but if they're really worth moving up to i may consider them. don't want my pc to go out of date too quickly. oh and my current hdds are ide, can they still be used on current sata cable things (small orange cables -__-)? haha i sounds so noob.

dvd-roms and other peripherals can be dealt with later, i just want specs on the core of the pc. so what does eveybody think? you help is very much appreciated ;3

ok, youre wanting to build a new computer? i can help you with that, and explain to you what those dual cores are an what not.

youre from aus. right? if so, can you shop from newegg.com?? ill just give you the list that i made for the comptuer i am going to build. for less than $600 USD

great... this topic is getting spammed -___- sigh, it just had to be mine

If your going to be using your computer for multimedia, you should get a 64-bit processor.

64bit processors more things at once yeh? is it better then the pent4 core duos? i heard they were faster.

I think he meant 'Dual Core' processor, since all (recent) CPU's are 64 bit these days.

The (recent) Intel Core 2 processor give good results in the tests these days.
The older Pentium D 9xx processor is also not that bad.
In the AMD brand there also some good CPU's.
All the new CPU's of AMD are now using the AM2 socket witch is newer then the 939 (athlon) and 745 (semptron).
In my country the AM2 CPU's are cheaper then the older sockets, and the older sockets are hard to get.
So if you buy an AMD you choose best and AM2 socket.

If you buy new hard disks certainly choose SATA (smaller cables and more easy to connect).
The old IDE drives can still be connected on the current mainboards.

In a upgrade you have also to watch out for your power supply.
It should be at least 300W and have a 4 pins power connector.
The ATX connector has also been changed from 20 pin to 24 pin.
There exist mainboards that supports both or there exist a conversion adapter.
All the depends on the hardware that you don't replace in your case.

oh so the am2 is the best of the amds? besides teh fx range i mean. cause when i saw that they were cheaper i thought they werent as powerful or something. you provided really useful information ^^ i think i'll be needing to buy a new PSU aswell. the one i have now is a 400w but it's about 2 years old now. i dont think it uses the 24pin atx connector. i think i'll just get a new case and psu combo cause they're usually cheaper.

can you recommend any graphic cards? just something which will suffice, i dont need some top of teh range thing. aslong as i can do my work with good speeds and play the latest games with decent graphics i'll be contempt. ;] thanks again

AM2 is the socket , the pin layout of the CPU.

Even the FX is available in the AM2 socket
So in the AM2 socket you have :
Cheap CPU 'AMD 2800+ 64bit Sempron Boxed AM2'
Medium 'AMD 3500+ 64bit Athlon Boxed AM2'
Dual Core 'AMD 4200+ X2 64bit Dual-core Processor Boxed AM2'

and some extreme
AMD Athlon 64 FX62 2.8GHZ PIB AM2 2MB CACHE

For a graphics card I can't give you advice since I'm only playing 1 game 'Red Alert 2' witch is already a some years old.
Certainly don't use a graphics card witch is on your mainboard.

For real high-end graphics you can use SLI (but the price is high since you need 2 (identical) graphics cards).
If you are playing old games , must of the current video-cards will be good.
But for the recent (certainly shoot and kill games) you need a good video card.
Also here you have to watch out because the high end video-cards need a decent Power Supply and a good airflow in your case.

So building a basic computer is easy, but for a high-end you have to watch out for good-cooling.
Since you are living nearly on the other side of the planet , it's hard to tell what's best for you.

oic haha, you sure know a lot about pcs. so you definately think AMD over intel? i should be looking to buy within the next week or two, probably getting the dual core cause its not too expensive. should suffice for what i need. i'm not too much of a gamer, but i like to be able to play a game or two every now and then. i love red alert 2, havnt played it in ages but its such an awesome game hahaha.

thanks for the help, you've