Please Help - Urgent Emergency PC Replacement Needed! Best Options?

For the past fifteen months I've been using a system that I built with an i850E based Gigabyte GA-81HXP with 2x256MB 1066 RDRAM and a P4 Northwood B 533mhz processor. Due to the pc being hit with a series of brown out/power fluctuations a while back, while running (the UPS failed first, the the pc got socked)the motherboard has developed serious problems, and one stick of memory is also shot.
I had originally been waiting for Prescott and the related motherboards to build a completely new system around. Given the disappointment with Prescott's performance, at least currently, I was hoping to be able to hold out for Tejas and Alderwood (or whatever will replace it), or a socket 939 w/FX Proc when the prices get semi-down to earth. I REALLY want PCI Express, DDR2, etc.
Now my problem is that due to the need to replace the failed hardware I need to purchase another motherboard, new memory, and probably also a processor to carry me over till the stuff I want is available in roughly twelve months. I want very good performance, but also cant see expending more than say, $500-600.00, for this temporary need. I also can’t see re-investing more in another i850E platform (if I could even FIND a motherboard, and PC1066 both of which are long discontinued technology, and incompatible with current performance stuff.
What would you recommend as the best performance solution given my budget, and this situation? The 865/875 platform is getting a little long in the tooth. Would my best value choice maybe be an nForce2 board, probably a DFI Lan Boy, w/ Mobile Athlon XP 2500/2600+w/ SLK900/SP97 cooling, overclocked..........or, maybe go Athlon 64 3000, no idea what motherboard, they all seem to have compromises, though I like the Chaintech.
The pc is used for heavy net surfing, some digital photography storage and manipulation, and a lot of gaming. The remaining components include one WD Raptor drive, one 80gb Western Digital Special Edition w/8mb cache, a Radeon 9700 Pro, an Audigy ZS, a Plextor cdrw unit, Antec True 430 etc, AND I just grabbed two 256mb DDR3200 BH5 sticks from ZipZoomFly.
Thanks for any recommendations, assistance or expertise that you can provide to help with this. Its greatly appreciated. I'm using a "borrowed" pc as we speak or I coudlnt even leave this message.


John


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If you game, then the best solution is definitely the Athlon 64. Athlon XP does not even compare and you need some seriously overclocked Northwoods and Prescotts to compete with stock A64s in the gaming department. Bang for the buck the A64 3000+ and a suitable motherboard (Shuttle, Chaintech, etc) would be what you're looking for. If you want to overclock a lot, then get the cheapest possible A64 board right now and upgrade when the Nforce3 250 Pro based mobos appear.

I am a die hard Intel guy and even then the 64's are so good atm thats how I would get now hands down. So build around that you should be able to do pretty good for $500. Specialy if you shop a bit and can wait a day or 2 on shipping.

The hardest part would be not talking yourself into spending just a few bucks more for that upgrade here or there. Thats how I usually end up starting with a budget of $500 and spending 1k+

Happy shopping and best o'luck.

The problem with going with an Athlon 64 is that there dosent seem to be any motherboard made for them that dosent have some serious compromises. This would be my platform of choice, excepting that, and the fact that the second generation 250 series boards arent going to be out until April or so, which isnt soon enough to help me.