Upgrade or Whole new PC?

Hi,

I'm thinking of investing some money into my current PC, or buying a new one, or possibly both and keeping one in my loft for multiplayer games!

My current PC is:

AMD Athlon 64 3000 @ 2GHz (Socket 754)
512mb Savastore ValuRam
GeForce 6100 Onboard Graphics
I can't remember what motherboard. It's a Gigabyte something!
XP Pro
200GB HDD
Crap PSU (400W)

If I were to upgrade it I'd change it to this (or something similar):

AMD Athlon 64 3000 (same)
2GB Crucial / Kingston PC3200 RAM
nVidia 8600 512mb Graphics
Same mobo
XP Pro or Vista Home Premium (OEM)
750GB & 200GB HDD
New Quality PSU

However, If It were a new build I'd go for:

Eiher AMD Athlon X2 6400
2GB Crucial / Kingston RAM
nVidia 8600 512mb Graphics
A motherboard
Vista Home Premium
400GB HDD
Decent PSU

I know there would be a big price difference (upgrade about £350, new build about £720)

What I want to know is if it would worth buying a whole new PC at over double the price, or whether I should just go for the upgrade? I'm wanting the computer for gaming (Far Cry, Far Cry 2 (when it's out), Colin McRae Dirt, Runaway 2 )

Thanks, Thomas

 

I would say a new build. Your upgrade path is very restricted, especially the CPU which is 754 slot.

 

as you know, if you buy a new rig, you'll be stuffed & stuck with all the generic (crap) i'd always recommend anyone to go for a new build, then you get to decide exactly what goes into the rig

personally i only buy Corsair VS, but, Crucial / Kingston have a good reputation, but, i've never used them

cheap mobo's are generally pretty good, basically i'm using a Foxconn 775 that cost me about £30

 

I'd go for a new one.

 

Go with a new build, check here.
Intel Pentium D 925 PC Chips P21G Combo - SALE PRICE: $159.89

 

Thanks, new build it is!

 

Crucial has great service, as both times I've had to RMA an original stick of my Ballistix DDR, they've had it to me in a couple of days and their people are not only competent but friendly.