My Specs:
amd anthlon 6000 3.0 ghz
2 7200 rpm hard drives 150 GB each
nvidia geforce 8600 gt
4gb gddr2 800 ram
biostar tf-7050-m2 mother board
killer nic network card
500 W Power supplies


so my question is to you guys is if you had my comp what would be the next upgrade you would get?

i either would like to get the 9800 gx2 video card, water cooling system, new mother board, or a new hd about 10,000 rpm.

Motherboard and HDD would be a complete waste of money without netting you any performance at all. There are two things I would get on this PC though, first one is a decent graphics card (I would incline for a 8800GT or GTS, unless you have a 24" screen), and the second thing would be a sound card, because I feel that, while not necessary, it is definitely a very good investment overall for your gaming experience. (I know it was for mine)

So... basically:

1.) Definitely a GOOD graphics card (Either 8800GT or GTS if running at 1680x1050 or less, if at 1920x1200 then get HD3870X2 or 9800GX2)

2.) If you have extra that you would like to invest on your computer (Like I did), a good sound card. Here's a deal I just can't get enough of seeing, $200-250 sound card + $50 headset For $130 (or $80 after rebates) on a bundle pack.

Creative 53SB000003000 7.1 Channels 24-bit 192KHz PCI Interface Elite Pro Sound Card and HS-900 Headphone Bundle - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6829102018

ok so i have a 19" widescreeen that runs at 1440 X 900 by acer. so ur saying that its a waste of $$$ to get a 9800. also i have a logitech z-5500 5.1 speaker system that sounds great when im just using the onboard sound card form my motherboard. also does optical sound better than the three mini's that i have hooked up now? if so i would probably want to get a sound card that has a optical port on it.

It wouldn't be worth it seeing as SLI sees best gains when resolution is upped. I would suggest that you get an 8800GT or even an 8800GTS G92 at most. This is what I consider the best deal for a GTS on newegg, because it bundles The Witcher:

MSI NX8800GTS 512M OC GeForce 8800GTS (G92) 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card -

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814127325

I guess you get what I mean with the sound card, when I got mine I didn't believe I'd hear a true difference, but the best way to explain it is that all sounds are 'richer', it's really hard to describe what that difference was to me. Is it worth it to everyone? Not necessarily. Was it worth it to me? Definitely. As far as I understand a digital connection should be better than an analog, but I use an analog with my Logitech X-530 and I'm loving every minute of it.

^ As he said..get the 8800GTS.......the 9800gtx is quite underwhelming.