EDIT: Simplified my original post in hopes of getting (any) replies.
Current Machine
Pentium 4 2.4 GHz, 800M FSB
ABIT IS7-E
1.5GB PC3200
GeForce 4 6600GT 128MB (AGP)
West Digital 80GB, IDE hard drive
Creative 52x CD-ROM
AOpen 12x CD-RW burner
AOC Spectrum 9Glrs 19” CRT monitor
Windows XP Home
Proposed Purchases (all prices are Newegg & include shipping)
Athlon 64 X2 4000+ Brisbane…57.00
Asus M2A-VM…71.50
2GB Corsair XMS2 DDR2-800…33.00 (after rebate)
GeForce 8600GTS 256MB…86.00 (after rebate)
West Dig Caviar SE16 320GB SATA hard drive…75.00
Samsung 20x DVD burner…34.00
Acer AL2016WBbd Wide 20" LCD monitor…194.50
…---------
Total…551.00
It’s time for my annual computer upgrade. Typically, I budget a firm $500 for this. This year, I need to upgrade my wife’s system to a PCIe capable one, so I’ve gone a bit over my usual maximum. My wife’s played WoW & Diablo 2 in the past, but has stuck to Bejeweled & Sudoku lately, so she doesn’t need a high-end graphics card.
Any recommendations for better bang-for-the-buck components would be appreciated, given my budget considerations. I plan to buy near the end of this week (end of Feb).