My current system:
AMD 3800+ AM2 (Single Core)
1GB (2x 512MB) DDR2 5200
250GB SATAII HD
ATi x1600 512MB

My budget for this upgrade is £280

The Processor
I have decided for what must be the first time in over 7 years to build my self an Intel based computer. For years i have been a big fan of AMD but lately I have been a little disappointed with their offerings. It seems like AMD has fallen far behind Intel in terms of performance and even quality. I was going to upgrade from my aging but still good AMD AM2 3800 to a AMD Phenom 9600, but the performance of this chip according to many reviews just isn't good especially when compared to Intel's Q6600. Since both processors are about the same price i opted to go for the Intel Q6600 G0 "SLACR". I went for an O.E.M version for £151 & an HSF for another £17.

The Motherboard
For me this was the hardest choice, i mean what the f' do i get? their are so many socket 775 boards out there all supporting different Intel CPUs, memory and graphic cards. AMD boards are so easy to select just get the one with an AM2 socket if you have an AM2 CPU, it's all pretty well standardized. But why isn't it the same for Intel? I'll never know but if you do please leave a comment :)

So after a lot of searching i found two compatible chip sets the G33 and P35. So given that i need a PATA and a parallel port that ruled out the G33 chip set (Both are optional). So I went with an MSI P35 Neo-F Motherboard for about £59.

The RAM
This was the easiest thing to select and the RAM prices are low at the moment too. So i got 2GB (2x 1GB) of DDR2 6400 CL4 for about £35. That's a good price when you consider my system's current DDR2 memory cost more than double that amount 18-24 months ago.

Have i made the right choice in ditching AMD? I'll post the answer to that when i have the system up and running.