Help me build a good and inexpensive PC

My current Processor and Graphics card is as follows:

Intel Pentium 4 506

NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200

Can someone give me a list of what I can use?

Edit: Let's say we're replacing the Motherboard; will the HDD/Processor/graphics card be compatible with other motherboards in this timeline or will I need to replace those too? And what's a decent Motherboard that's nice and not too expensive?

Getting a big hammer and crushing your own own balls is less painful in the long run than buying a motherboard to support obsolete hardware. Your CPU uses the LGA775 slot - almost 2 generations behind current tech. Does your GPU use PCI-E? If it uses AGP then it's waaaay too old for gaming.

Frankly both your CPU & GPU are worth very little. You're better off just buying low-end modern hardware then crippling your future upgrades with yet another LGA775 motherboard.

You could do two things:

1. Buy the maximum harware your currect motherboard supports. (If it doesn't have a PCI-E slot I wouldn't bother et all).

2. Get a new config. This means a new motherboard, CPU, GPU and maybe a hard disk + optical drive too if you've been using IDE drives so far.

yyyyeah, guess what; I was too stupid in the past when I told my dad that I won't be needing a DVD-rom drive... I'm regretting that decision now ;A;

Optical drives are dirt cheap, as long as you don't want Bluray, one can be had as cheap as 20$. Having noticed the actual title of the topic, I could finally confirm that your motherboard only has an AGP slot.

All in all if you *need* a better PC for gaming you should invest in either an AM3+ board (if you ascribe to the AMD religion) or an LGA 1156 board (if you sacrifice your innocence to Intel).

I've also checked out what your motherboard could accept... well it can't even accept a lousy E5200, budget-rated Dual-Core chip. The board is just too old/was a low-end bargain (more like dumpster) bin "wonder" to begin with.

http://www.cpu-upgrade.com/mb-Biostar/P4M800_Pro-M7_1.x_7.x.html
http://www.cpu-upgrade.com/mb-Biostar/P4M800_Pro-M7_8.0.html

Then would you recommend me a nice and balance set of speed and performance? by balance, I mean fast, great quality (in graphics) and cheap...

Depends on your budget and what you really want vs need.

You can get a decent bare bone kit for 299$ then add Gpu/s and dvd/bd drives or just buy a external for 39 and use it only when you need it.

or piece and choose option which would be best but more money.. probley can build a x4/i5 rig with a Radeon HD 6950 Video Card 2gb or the 1gb and crossfire it 2tbhdd for like 599$

It all depends on your cash flow, amd heresy vs intel money pig, your highest conserves and really do you want to rebuild or scrap the box and start fresh.. aka keep the case and if the Psu is good that too or just use the old one as a storage of spare internet box.

Hmmm... well, I was thinking the line of around $330.00... think I can get anything nice with this much?

If you're strapped for cash you better go with AMD. (This was said by an Intel fanatic, woe what the world has come to!)

Check this huge poster for wisdom:



You probably don't need a case, and your old PSU will suffice.

Please note that since games are usually developed for consoles and *then* ported to PC (provided the port is not a hackjob, a'la Halo series) even Modest configurations are more than adequate for gaming. Will it play everything on max? No. Will it look good? Yes.

PS.: SLI & Crossfire are GIMMICKs. You're better off just buying a newer video-card and selling your old one on e-bay.

er... noob question alert:

what is:
PSU?
GPU?
MOBO?

Edit:
PSU: Some sort of cooling piece of hardware to keep the PC cool?
GPU: Graphics card?
MOBO: Motherboard?

Did I get it right?

PSU = Power Supply Unit. The thing you plug everything into that gives 'em power. (...and into which you plug your power outlet). 500-600W is enough for anything. The reason why manufacturers recommend high wattage PSUs is because most "cheap" models are *very* wonky. When put under a proper load, their effective wattage can be as low as 1/2 of what the tag says. Buying a reliable model from a reliable vendor is the way to go. Never be frugal when buying a PSU! A cheap one can fry your whole system if it goes kaput.

GPU = Graphic Processing Unit. In other words, thumbs up, this is indeed the graphics card.
MOBO = Motherboard. Two thumbs up so far.

Just the mobo and let's say amd x2 cpu is going to cost you 169-209$
Add a another 50$ for a x4
Cpu and case fans 60-80$
Ram .. you need at least 6gb 60$
dvd burner or bd.. 59-129$
HDD atleast a tb 89$
Os other software is varable on if you want to hack a os and these are whole sell prices.. you can find cheaper places and ebay.. i actually get alot of my spare parts from cannibalizing old pc and geek squads dumpsters.. not the hard drives.. they either give that back to the customers or drill holes into the cases. Plus we have a tech swap meet in my area.. where else can you get a i7 extreme cpu for 99$
447 x2
597 x4
high 537 x2
high 600 x4

Now searching my favorite place to see shit i found this.
.. never mind i though it came with a good Gpu, it just a graphis booster if you have a 6000 series GPU..
Well anyways this place has great parts and barebone kits to fit you needs
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/category/category_tlc.asp?CatId=31
There sections for amd and intel Cpu based rigs... i never cared for amd.. actually i never owned a amd cpu computer in the 20 years of me having and building.. i don't even think i ever build one with a amd processor.
New egg is a nice place too but the outlet store worker was a prick to me once.. so i not even.

Shop around, check sales.. you can even buy a build computer for $329.. too game... no. Too internet..yeah.

Just re-read this, and I had to ask; how'd you know my current PSU would suffice? I don't even know anything about my current PSU...

Open up your PC. There tends to be a "big damn sticker" on the PSU (the metal brick in the back) that tells you its wattage. If you can't read it, you might have to loosen the PSU (it's usually attached via screws in the back) and turn it around 'til you find the sticker. Usually you don't have to detach the cables to do this, but take care not to yank anything out.

Does this mean it can play just about any game, but not at full quality, but still would look nice?

If you still want to stick with the LGA 775 mobo. Buy a Core 2 Quad. Not sure if it will work though, you will have to update your BIOS for it to support it. As for your video card, the GeForce FX 5200 is PCI, not PCI Express. It might also be AGP. There really isn't a good upgrade for the graphics card. Might be better off buying a cheap LGA 775 motherboard with PCI exress with a good card and a core 2 quad, or an 1155 with a core i3 and a decent card if you don't like the i3's integrated graphics. I've built computers for friends for less than $300. Which included the an i3 processor, 4gb ram, and a decent sized hard drive.

Buddy you're waaaay too late to the party.
1. His motherboard doesn't support most *dual* core CPUs, much less quad. (No, it *can't* be forced!)
2. His GPU is AGP based.
3. Investing in LGA775 is a waste of money. (All in all "investing" in IT hardware is a waste of money. Computers are not fine wines, they don't get better with age). If he buys a new MOBO he should buy one that has a couple of years of upgradability in it.

All i have to say is go with Asus for your Mobo, and see if they have a deal with AMD because that is how i got my AMD phenom x4 with my MOBO for around $100 (MOBO + Processor)

I learned something new about mobos today. By the way, would it be better getting an Intel motherboard, or AMD one? Considering upgradibility and such. I'm really a newbie knowing the differences between the two.

It's up to your religion. Right now Intel has a broader range of CPUs that go with their 1156 socket. AMD by comparison has a history of supporting sockets longer, so their new CPUs will probably work fine with the AM3+ socket.

AMD tends to dominate the low-end as their configurations are cheaper. Intel dominates the high end, and in that (price) quarter their CPUs are just better (at the moment).

...but in the end it's up to your religion. Wheter you baptize in the church of Intel or you ascribe to the gospel of AMD is up to you, as there's no true objective reason why one should stick with either brand.

Thus spoke the Intel acolyte.

Then, how bout this?:

Motherboard ECS H67H2-M3 (B3) V/S/L/ddr3= 3,650
RAM PQI / Elixir 4GB 1333 ddr3= 1,050
Harddrive 500gb Seagate Mobile 5400rpm= 2,750
Processor Intel Core i3-540 (3.06G) 4mb V733mhz= 4,900
Graphics card Inno3D GTS250 1gb ddr3 256b dual dvi= 4,500
Power supply Aspire/Zeno/ Electron/Orion 600w= 680

Edit: The set here is lookin pretty nice too...
http://www.tipidpc.com/viewitem.php?iid=11922397