Upgrading system for Xmas, need tips.

[Rico]

Hey guys.

I'm going to be upgrading my CPU, Mobo, videocard, and ram for christmas this year and I was hoping you guys could give me a bit of a hand in picking my equipment. I'm a bit out of the loop as of late so I'm not 100% familiar with the new tech from the past 2 - 3 years.

Here's my budget:

- I can't spend more than $150 dollars on a CPU and Mobo. That means both of them combined cannot be more than 150. I'd also like a dual core if possible, if not, at least 64 bit. Both if I can, I basically want to squeeze as much performance for games out of my PC as possible, as I'm a gamer.

- For a videocard, I'm looking to spend less than $150. My likely budget will be at around 130 or less(as it depends on gifts from friends)

- I may or may not get ram. If possible, I'd like to find a mobo that supports my current DDR but also allows me to upgrade to DDR2 when I have the money to do it.

- PCI-e is a must on the mobo.

With that said, here are some tentative options for the CPU and Mobo:

AMD

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813138264
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103531

Combo price: $149

Intel

http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16819116213
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16813135023

Combo Price: ~$150

Out of these, basically I'd like the best bang for my buck. Is the Intel combo better, worse, or the same as the AMD combo? I'm not a big overclocker, so keep that in mind as well, but don't rule it out completely.

I appreciate all your help!

Edit:

My current system specs:
Athlon XP +2800
Radeon 9600SE AGP
1GB DDR 2700 Ram.

 

[Link]

Simple formula to calculate if a CPU is better than another at the same price:
Intel core based CPU < Any AMD < Any other Intel CPU
So, as the intel your looking at isn't a core, go for the amd

Oh, and I'm afraid that its either DDR or DDR2. A motherboard will only support 1 or the other