Upgrading computer for gaming

[Sin Cut]

So.

I'm looking for a graphic card in the price range 100-150$
After some browsing I found three;
X1950 PRO PCI-E 256M GDDR3
GF 8600GT SILENT PCIE 512MB 128BIT
HD 2600 XT PCI-E 512MB GDDR3 SUPER

Would these be a "good value for the money"?

I'm also wanting my CPU and I'm needing a new motherboard.

However I want my old HD to work so I need to be able to connect "old" HD's via pata(?) / IwDE connection.

Here's the recomended configuration;
3 Ghz Intel Pentium 4 or equivalent processor
1 GB System RAM
ATI X800 series, NVIDIA GeForce 6800 series, 256 MB, or higher video card.

[Genesis]

Among the cards you listed, the HD2600XT is the best. You didn't mention your budget for the CPU and motherboard though. Why do you want an old Pentium 4? Go for the Core2Duo instead.

[Sin Cut]

I'm just wanting the cpu to be as good or better as in the requirements

[JMack]

Dell 410 is a less $ and you can get the 768MB Nvidia GeForce 8800GTX w/Agia Phys X (Physics accelerator) I have the 720 also but it's real expensive.? It is a geeks dream but I also was able to build the 410 pretty much the same way for much less for my kids to use.
? My son and I were able to play online together and the only difference was the screen size of the 720.? They were both fast and clear the gaming was flawless.? I was beaten w/o mercy by my 4th. grader.? The 720 of course comes with more stuff and can be continually upgraded and hooked up with the X-Box 360.? I haven't done so yet but supposedly they can work together.
? ?To be honest out of the 3 XPS's that I have the 410 has impressed me most because it cost less and was able to handle the latest games.
? ?With all my PC I went with the xp pro or media rather than the vista.
?

[tim_m]

I'd personally go for a core2duo or an athlon 64 dual core processor. I know you just want one that just meets those requirements but if you get something even better you'll be set for awhile. I can't make any recommendation for which to get though. Its been awhile since i've really researched which is currently best.