UPGRADING AN AMD ATHLON XP 2000+ FOR GAMING SUGGESTION?

[Exraided]

Hi, In your opinion what would be the best choice of upgrade for my AMD Athlon XP, 1666 MHz (12.5x 133) 2000+ Thoroughbred-B, Motherboard is an Asus A7N8X v2.0 Deluxe Socket 462 (Socket A) Supports FSB200 up to 400.

Was looking for a good CPU for gaming and such. Another noob question am I limited to what model of CPU to upgrade example since my CPU is a Thoroughbred will I be able to upgrade to say a .... Barton, or a Thorton? Thank you.[/b]

[Neon]

Well all of the socket A desktop processors should be supported by that board, if it has a recent BIOS. You can check here to confirm:
http://www.cpu-upgrade.com/mb-ASUS/A7N8X_Deluxe.html

Which to get? If you need/want the best, then Athlon XP 3200+ (Barton) - know that there is a significant price premium for this one, because it is the fastest in its class.

Think hard about spending much money on a system that is 2 generations ago (K7). Depending on your circumstances, it may be more cost effective to save up for a current generation system. It depends on how hard you game, and what resources you have. If you proceed to upgrade this board, then perhaps consider the Athlon XP 2800+ or 3000+ (both Bartons), which are less costly, but nearly as fast.

[Exraided]

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE INFO! YOU'VE SAVED ME THE STRESS AND HEADACHES OF MAKING ANY FUTURE BAD PURCHASES! AGAIN THX!