I'm going to run the Core 2 Duo E6600 for a little while yet, waiting for the i7 Quad to drop in price, I'll also need a new motherboard for the i7 as is. The cpu is overclocked, runs at 3GHz. My bottlneck is gpu and RAM right now. I can't afford a new cpu, gpu, monitor, RAM and motherboard at this time. With a new gpu I'll also need a bigger power supply I'm guessing and hardware isn't exactly cheap here in Norway... I'll probably do the full work-up in the spring and throw in a Quad cpu, replace the motherboard and possibly upgrade to some faster RAM eventually!

My new monitor will run at 1920x1080, its the new Samsung P2770FH!

If I were you I'd save some money on the motherboard/CPU by buying AMD. The i7 motherboards are not cheap, or at least they weren't the last time I was looking at it (a few months ago).

I'm going to run the Core 2 Duo E6600 for a little while yet, waiting for the i7 Quad to drop in price, I'll also need a new motherboard for the i7 as is. The cpu is overclocked, runs at 3GHz. My bottlneck is gpu and RAM right now. I can't afford a new cpu, gpu, monitor, RAM and motherboard at this time. With a new gpu I'll also need a bigger power supply I'm guessing and hardware isn't exactly cheap here in Norway... I'll probably do the full work-up in the spring and throw in a Quad cpu, replace the motherboard and possibly upgrade to some faster RAM eventually!

My new monitor will run at 1920x1080, its the new Samsung P2770FH!

I'm looking to replace my GPU, add more RAM and I'm getting a new monitor. The monitor is settled, I know which one to get. I'm also getting Windows 7, since XP won't allow more than 4GB total system memory (probably go for the 64 bit version).

Now, to my questions, its been a while since I did this;

1: Do I need to replace my motherboard as well? I currently have the aging Asus P5B, P965 Socket-775, ATX. It only has DIMM 240 support (and DDR2 SDRAM) as far as I know, the 6GB memory I want is probably not going to run on this and I'm also unsure of whether it will run a modern GPU. I know it runs most DX10 cards though.

2: Which GPU would you recommend? Not too highly priced, looking for the low range high performance or high range medium performance sort, preferably ATi, I just like the ATi setups better. No crossfire or SLI, takes too much space and power, I want to keep using my Hiper 580W power supply.

3: Will a newer graphics card even fit into my Thermaltake Aguila cabinet? I remember there being scant room even for the X1950XTX when we put it in.

4: Which memory manufacturer? I know that most Corsair and Kingston chips are decently priced and run well, not looking to overclock them btw.

Thanks in advance for all help!

ok since i somehow glitched my browser and erased a very large response. Im posting a shortened version.

Mobo, get a micro-atx. For cost, get amd. Unless you can afford performance then intel.

GPU, GTX460 if you can afford it. Later, get a GT240 for physx if you have room on the mobo later on.

ram, gskill is excellent. Otherwise get mushkin.

Not a fan of AMD, I have some pretty bad experiences with their cpu's, as does most of my nerd friends (overheating, poor at overclock speeds, lower performance and shorter lifespan). I'll rather pay a bit more and get an Intel cpu. I looked at the motherboards with i7 compatability, they weren't that bad, cost about the same for a decent one that I paid for my P5B when I bought it.

I love ATi graphics cards but I really don't care for AMD processors at all.

Why would anyone get a GT240 for PhysX? Hardly any games support it especially the bigger games. He'd be far better off spending that money on a faster CPU and getting more general purpose performance.

Also good basic generic RAM is fine for just running a PC within normal parameters. You don't need a fancy cooler for memory so something basic like Kingston works just as well as anything which costs 10-30% more.

G.Skill memory is not expensive, is very good with voltage, and is very stable, not to mention they do RMA very fast if shit happens, at least in the US. I don't know about that Lalaland Mum is from.

GT240 would be a waste of money indeed. For general media quality, ability to support more than 3 monitors on the go, 3D gaming, 3D movies, good power consumption, and good gaming performance, etc, go with the 6850 for now.