CPU upgrade next? Opinions?

[PhatEd]

Hi folks.

I'm after a little advice on the next best upgrade to make to my system. It primarily used to run Flight Sim X and would like it to run a bit smoother than it does currently. I have heard that the game is fairly CPU dependant but would like to know if I would benefit more from a GPU update first. My current spec is below.

Thanks in advance

AMD Athlon 64 3500+
2Gb OCZ DDR 533Mhz (4 x 512Mb)
ASUS 512Mb 7600GS Silent
MSI K9N Ultra Mobo

Cheers

 

[PhatEd]

sorry I forgot to add that it is an AM2 system.

 

[PhatEd]

Thanks for all the advice. Unfortunately my board doesn't support the Phenoms but not to worry. I am looking at doing the upgrade as cheaply as possible really which was why I was wondering if there will be a noticeable diffrence in gaming with just the CPU upgrade.

Secondly, am I better going for the 5000+ black edition which I realise is mulitplier unlocked but only has 2 x 512kb L2 Cache or would going for the 5600+ with 2 x 1Mb L2 cache make much difference?

I hadn't really considered looking at the 9600GT cards as I was focusing mainly on low end of the 8800 range. Will I be sacrificing much by going for the 9600GT?

 

[PhatEd]

Yeah your right in assuming that £340 is a little more than I am looking at spending. I think that the CPU is going to be the next logical upgrade then so I can start making use of the dual cores in FSX.

Thanks for all the advice guys