Upgrade CPU vs upgrade MOBO+CPU++++

Hi Guys, I am currently running a M2N-MX SE Plus MOBO, bios 0602 with AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+, Memory is 4meg of DDR2 with a frequency 334.9MHz. Graphics Card is a Radeon HD 4350 with 512Mb and I am running win7x64. HD is a 120Gb OCZ Vertex2 SSD + 500Gb WD.
Up to now I have upgraded my system when I could double the speed and have followed this since my first 286. As I now don't play games anymore, my 'Need for speed' has slowed down. My main use of the computer is now surfing, word processing and skyping with relo's overseas. As my latest purchase is Pinnacle 15, to manage and collate a lot of photos collected over the years, I need a bit more UMPH.

I am tossing up 4 things, 1 - upgrading my video card, 2 - Upgrade CPU, 3 - Upgrade Video card and CPU and 4 - upgrade to a new MOBO with all the "FUN" ;-) it entails.
My questions are: has anyone upgraded a CPU and any idea what sort of CPU would suit this MOBO and I am also considering a Radeon HD 6950 Video Card. This probably will set me back 300 bucks for the card and I haven't looked at the cost of a new chip. I am reluctant to go the whole hog, as this would mean MOBO, chip, ram, but at what cost? Any thoughts out there guys ?????

I would suggest upgrading to an AM3 motherboard and an appropriate Athlon X4 or maybe even an entry level Phenom II processor. Your stated needs do not require a quad core CPU (a current-gen Athlon or a Phenom II dual core maybe even more than enough) and your 4 GB DDR2 should be more than enough for that as well. The same goes for the video card. Unless you're a total gamer, it's enough for basic tasks and you will be able to play the latest games albeit at lower resolutions and medium settings. Should you wish to enhance your gaming experience, I believe a Radeon HD 5770 is enough for casual gaming and it can max out most of the latest games and those cards are running cheap on the market right now so I hear.

You can go out to your motherboard maker's site where you should find a list of compatible CPUs and RAM for your exact motherboard. Most motherboard makers provide these QVLs - qualified vendor lists.

Also note that only full "retail" license for Windows is transferable to another computer or upgraded motherboard. So be sure to budget for that, or plan on using one of the free Linux alternatives.

Don't forget to budget for a quality power supply and be sure your case can provide the necessary cooling.

Had a message writen, pressed the wrong button.....gone. So I'll try to remember what I said earlier, thanks guys, talking (or writing) about it helps, also opinions/notes from other users such as this forum makes a big difference. For the moment I will buy a fast video card from the 'good ol' US of A' due to the excellent exchange rate (sorry Guys) as my Win Experience index is 3.5 for Graphics. All other are 6.5 & 6.9, and in the meantime I do a bit of research into getting a new mobo. Thanks Digerati, yeah, got a full licence but probably will need a new power supply.