Hey guys so I have some questions. This is my old pc

http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/Tec...Id=3550541

I have replaced the power supply and the heatsink and the GPU. However, the 2.6 cpu is really old and 3gb of ram is not enough.

So if I were to get a new motherboard + cpu, what do i need to look out for ? Would any mobo work ? When hooked up to my hard drive and all of that, would I just be able to boot into the same setup that I had before (same OS with all my files and everything as it was)?

i'm looking at these

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-AMD-FX-4100-...5af329bf9a

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-AMD-A6-5400K...51a44f8d5f

http://www.ebay.com/itm/COMBO-AMD-FX-410...19dec22a4e

From your old computer specs, you will have to upgrade RAM as well: You need DDR3 for those Motherboards you listed.

I will need the specifics of each part that you already have

• GPU - What is the slot size or just the name of it
  
• New Power supply wattage
  
• Heatsink - Socket type: 775
  
• Tower (Case) Size - Mid-size ATX
  

Do you plan on getting a new case? HP and Dell cases suck

You have a SATA HDD. All newer MOBOs come with SATA. As long as the MOBO it isn't IDE, we're good. With that said, you surely can boot and keep all files.

The only thing we need to look at when comparing MOBO to CPU and making sure those two are compatible is the socket size/type. Overall, making sure the case size can fit the motherboard would be key. In this case we're good as well.

Unfortunately I don't believe your current heatsink will be compatible, but of the links you listed, I would go with:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-AMD-A6-5400K...51a44f8d5f

http://pcpartpicker.com/ - Step by Step. Pick. Build. Play.

From your old computer specs, you will have to upgrade RAM as well: You need DDR3 for those Motherboards you listed.

I will need the specifics of each part that you already have

• GPU - What is the slot size or just the name of it
  
• New Power supply wattage
  
• Heatsink - Socket type: 775
  
• Tower (Case) Size - Mid-size ATX
  

Do you plan on getting a new case? HP and Dell cases suck


You have a SATA HDD. All newer MOBOs come with SATA. As long as the MOBO it isn't IDE, we're good. With that said, you surely can boot and keep all files.

The only thing we need to look at when comparing MOBO to CPU and making sure those two are compatible is the socket size/type. Overall, making sure the case size can fit the motherboard would be key. :p In this case we're good as well.

Unfortunately I don't believe your current heatsink will be compatible, but of the links you listed, I would go with:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-AMD-A6-5400K...51a44f8d5f

gpu - geforce gt 630 2gb
power supply - thermaltake 500w
heatsink - cooler master hyper 212 PLUS

the ram is included in the links i posted.

i dont really plan on getting a new case, cause I have to buy windows 7 home premium too on top of all of that. The reason for that is my OS is Vista 32 bit. I'm gonna have to put all my files and such on a HDD, upgrade the OS to windows 7 64 bit and put everything back (after I replace the motherboard and all of that, or do you think I should do it before ?)

the one link you prefer has a dual core CPU though, i'd much rather have a quad core to be able to overclock

Ahh, failed to see it was dual
It doesn't entirely matter when you upgrade, to be honest. Personally, I would do it before.

so you think 500w will be enough for overclocked 4.2ghz quad core cpu + 8gb ram + gt 630 ?

I think you'll be good
http://support.asus.com/powersupply.aspx

[cucubelu]

What is your budget? Remember August/sept/October are release months for new tech = cheaper to buy the current tech!

What is your budget? Remember August/sept/October are release months for new tech = cheaper to buy the current tech!

200$

i'll be travelling in august and back to school in september.

[cucubelu]

200$

i'll be travelling in august and back to school in september.

Back to schools specials 10-30% off xD