First custom build... Help!

[TreBomb]

So heres whats up. I have a Dell Inspiron 537, fairly new. Right now, I have an Intel Core 2 Duo @ 2.8ghz, 2gb ddr2 ram, ATi Radeon 4350. On its way to my house, I have 4gb Mushkin ddr2, a 550w psu, and a Radeon 5770. However, I was told that my CPU would bottleneck my new 5770. I can't overclock my cpu either, checked BIOS, my pc doesn't support it. After giving that some thought, the idea of building a custom computer came into mind. If I took my 4gb ram, 5770, 550w psu, and then bought a new case and a motherboard, would that be all I need? Are there any certain combonations of the three that would work well? I'm on a budget, so I'd probably have to stay with my psu I have now. - Am I stuck with an Intel motherboard, or would it be smart to do a combo deal on newegg and go AMD? Im looking at this combo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.334788 Would I be able to use DDR2 ram with this motherboard? Comments, questions, input would be much appreciated!

[RickyTick]

So heres whats up. I have a Dell Inspiron 537, fairly new. Right now, I have an Intel Core 2 Duo @ 2.8ghz, 2gb ddr2 ram, ATi Radeon 4350. On its way to my house, I have 4gb Mushkin ddr2, a 550w psu, and a Radeon 5770. However, I was told that my CPU would bottleneck my new 5770. I can't overclock my cpu either, checked BIOS, my pc doesn't support it. After giving that some thought, the idea of building a custom computer came into mind. If I took my 4gb ram, 5770, 550w psu, and then bought a new case and a motherboard, would that be all I need? Are there any certain combonations of the three that would work well? I'm on a budget, so I'd probably have to stay with my psu I have now. - Am I stuck with an Intel motherboard, or would it be smart to do a combo deal on newegg and go AMD? Im looking at this combo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.334788 Would I be able to use DDR2 ram with this motherboard? Comments, questions, input would be much appreciated!

Welcome to the forums.

You're in a tough spot. It's hard to justify buying (or building) a new computer when the one you have is functioning as designed.

One option is to hand-down the Dell to a young son or daughter, or younger sister or brother. Then you can buy or build a system that better meets you needs. Since you're wanting a better video card, I'm guessing you're looking at doing a little more intense gaming.

The other option is to attempt an upgrade on the Dell and make the best out of it. I don't see the cpu being that much of a bottleneck. It really depends on exactly which cpu you have, and what games you're wanting to play.

Oh, that motherboard you linked to only accepts DDR3 ram.