Upgrading my PC, please help!!!

hey guys im currently looking to upgrading my pc,i know this is the second post but this is more structured, my current build is

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System Information

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Operating System: Windows Vista? Ultimate (6.0, Build 6002) Service Pack 2 (6002.vistasp2_gdr.100608-0458)
System Manufacturer: Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd.
System Model: M56S-S3
BIOS: Award Modular BIOS v6.00PG
Processor: AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 6000+ (2 CPUs), ~3.0GHz
Memory: 6142MB RAM
Page File: 2323MB used, 10171MB available
DirectX Version: DirectX 11

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Display Devices

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Card name: NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GT
Manufacturer: NVIDIA
Chip type: GeForce 8600 GT
DAC type: Integrated RAMDAC
Display Memory: 3050 MB
Dedicated Memory: 235 MB
Shared Memory: 2815 MB
Current Mode: 1680 x 1050 (32 bit) (60Hz)
Monitor: AOC 2230F

as you can see my current build is pretty old with a **** graphics card, i want to upgrade the pc solely for intense gaming, so getting rid of the graphic card is a must, but i don't know if i should upgrade my cpu or ram etc.

I don't really have a budget but would prefer buying with lower price if possible (im poor), however the parts can be more expensive but must be really good in terms of price/performance in the long run, so i don't need to upgrade again in a few years. eg. i bought the 8600gt for $50 less than the 8800gt which i had been regretting for the past 3 years, so yeah what im saying is im looking for some good parts which are gonna last me a long time, so its less expensive compared to upgrading again in a few years.

i also have questions about my PSU and motherboard, this is my PSU info

Cooler Master 460
Product No. RS-460-PCAR-A3
ATX F2V V2.3 W/O PFC

AC INPUT l 15/230V~10/6A 60/50HZ
DC OUTPUT l +3.3V l +5V l +12V1 l +12V2 l -12V l +5VSB
l 22A l 25A l 18A l 18A l 0.5A l 2.5A
MAX POWER l 165W l 312W l 6W l 12.5W

think its 460 watts but not sure, if im gonna get a good gaming card, is my power supply enough?? do i need to get another one???

also about my motherboard, i was wondering whether it supports SLI/Crossfire or not, cos running 2 gfx cards or using the 8600gt for physx sounds nice.
and also if im gonna upgrade the cpu, what are the good ones my motherboard support, does it support quad core???

and i live in sydney Australia, so what would be the best place to get the hardwares, going to shops or online shipping?? also what would be a good time to buy them, like before christmas or after???

so yeah, please leave advice and suggestions about the upgrade and shopping and sorry for the wall of text : )

from the other thread the most suggested gfx card is GTX 460, GTX 470, HD 6850, HD 6870

from what im getting, if im gonna use the nvidia/gtx cards, i need to upgrade my psu which i think is 460 watts, whereas if i use the ati/hd cards i do not

the problem is im planning on upgrading my cpu to at least quad core (if my motherboard supports it, im not sure) then is upgrading the psu necessary as well???

also i don't really plan on overclocking the graphic card( (at least not anytime soon) so which combination would be best forbest bang for the buck???

like best performance which is going to last for me for a long time with a moderate price

you have to ask yourself how much you are willing to spend on upgrading your pc. I don't live in Australia, so i can't advice where to buy or how much it is. And if you're going for the 400 series cards, a 460W PSU isn't enough except for the GTX460 and below. A GTX470 requires 550W and the GTX480 requires 600W easily. Assuming you are willing to spend on one, i'd suggest taking the HD5970. It's about the same price as a GTX480, but the performance is better.

well i dont think my motherboard supports sli/crossfire (im not sure where to check though) so i can only use 1 gfx card

which gfx card would then be best in terms of performance/cost ratio??? btw i don't plan to overclock it

also is my current psu enough to support a quad core and a newer gfx card?? im thinkin about poping in a new cpu as well so i might get a new psu anyways

well i dont think my motherboard supports sli/crossfire (im not sure where to check though) so i can only use 1 gfx card

which gfx card would then be best in terms of performance/cost ratio??? btw i don't plan to overclock it

also is my current psu enough to support a quad core and a newer gfx card?? im thinkin about poping in a new cpu as well so i might get a new psu anyways

zhangweizheng3

In that case, a GTX460 should fit your needs just fine. Nvidia website recommends a 450W for it. So i'm confident that you can upgrade to a quad core without changing your PSU. The GTX460 is by no means close to the performance of the GTX480 or even the HD5870. But those cards cannot be judged from a value for money perspective.

okay according to http://www.msy.com.au/Parts/PARTS.pdf
which should be the best??? the price are listed in $AU

1GB 5870 Powercolor / HIS / Gigabyte / Asus------------------372 / 372 / 372 / 394

1280M GTX470 ECS/Zotac /Inno3D /Gigabyte /Asus-----------296/296/297/338/345
1GB 6870 HIS / Powercolor--------------------------------------273 / 273
1GB 5850 Powercolor / HIS / Gigabyte / Asus-------------------244 / 262 / 279 / 279

1GB GTX 465 Inno3D / Gigabyte / Asus--------------------------233 / 243 / 243
1GB GTX460 Gigabyte / EVGA / Asus----------------------------222 / 222 / 222
1GB 6850 HIS / Powercolor--------------------------------------219 / 219

my motherboard only supports 1 graphics card and my PSU is 460 watts, so i might have to buy a new PSU if i decided to get the NV cards (cutting it too close with gtx460), but i think im gonna get a new quad core cpu anyway, so do i still need a new PSU if i decided to buy the ATI cards???? also what about getting a power adaptor for the card?? it seems to cost less than a new psu, what are the pros and cons for this???

also i don't really plan on overclocking those cards so which deal is the best?????