quiery =s

k well atm i have a tower brought from a shop with

2600 amd athlon xp
1 512 mb pc2700
1 512 mb pc3200
fx 5200 128 mb
m848a
socket a mobo
120 gb hd 7200 rpm

and was thinking of getting these and was wondering if they r compatable ( this will be my first tower built myself)

AMD Athlon 64 3000+ Winchester 90nm
Abit AV8 (Socket 939) Motherboard
Akasa AK-855-BL Copper Base CPU Cooler (Socket 754 & 939)

but the proccessor comes with a heatsink and fan alrdy

Kingston HyperX 512MB (2x256MB) DDR PC3200 (KHX3200AK2/512) CAS2.0 Dual Channel Kit
ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB DDR IceQ TV-Out/DVI (AGP)

any advice would be appreciated =)

What do you want to do? Upgrading is possible but results can be mixed. While it's possible to use things like your current memory, HDD, case and PSU the results may or may not be acceptable to you. Your PSU may not be enough, your case may not have sufficient airflow, and then there's memory. Memory is very important on A64s because not all memory will run with stability on an A64. Like I said, mixed results. Some (including myself) would suggest the best route may be to sell your entire system and put the money toward a completely new system. That way you will not be mixing technologies and you will see generally improved results. Upgrading is rarely a good way to go these days unless you do it like every month.

The AMD A64 3000+ is a great call. I'd take the Asus A8V over the Abit, but they're not bad. For the cooler I like the TT Venus 12. The stock AMD HSF is a POS to be sure. For memory I'd go with a gig of the best memory you can afford. PC3200 that will run at 5-2-2-2 timings is preferred with A64 systems, as they really like low latency memory. Stay away from loose timing high MHz (PC3700+) memory because it's really expensive and in most cases it's not as good as high quality PC3200 running tight timings. Sell the stock HSF on eBay or keep it if you ever need to RMA your CPU. The Radeon 9800 Pro is a great card for the money.

If you've never built a system before do lots of reading and practice tearing apart and putting together your old machine if you have any doubts. GL!

if the best way is to buy a new system ill probebly get a radeon 9800 pro iceq and the saveup for a new machine cause 17 and working at a supermarket doesnt pay much =p

btw how do i find out if the ram run at a 5-2-2 ?

Some distributors and online stores actually spell it out. Newegg is one example. You may want to check out the threads here and at xtremesystems.org having to do with TCCD memory chips and modules that use them. Most of these will run 5-2-2-2 timings at 400MHz+.

when looking for a motherboard and a tower wht properties do i need to consider?