[Cyborg17]

So recently, my main computer's motherboard quit on me.  This is not a big surprise since it has been a crapboard from the start.  I've had so much trouble with it, that I'm actually pretty glad.

Also, all my hardware is ancient, except for some DDR2, which is merely obsolete.  I want to recycle what I can because I just do not have money.  I'm currently using my roommates' laptops for everyday use.

I'm also unsure about what is compatible with what.  I tried to do a good job and I put four things together for about $350, which should last a good while and kick the crap out of what I was able to do before.

Here is what I have:

AGP Video Card -- Will not be recycled because of AGP-ness.
Memory, 1GB DDR2 x2 -- Probably will not be recycled because of DDR2-ness.
1 DVD Drive, 1 CD Drive -- Will be recycled.  (I'm not wasting money on new ones, since they've been working fine.)
200 watt power supply -- It has worked since I got the original Dell.  I don't think it will put out enough power now, though.
Intel Pentium 4 3.4 Ghz socket 775? --  I almost sure I can't use this.  It has been an awesome CPU and has given me no trouble.
Netgear crappiest wireless card in the universe -- Old PCI card.  I will use it if I have to and can.
A case --
Random Assorted useless crap -- lol
Hard Drives --  2, Old, SATA 1? With WindowsXP 16-bit installed.

What I'm looking at:
Sapphire Radeon HD 7750
ASRock H61M-DGS LGA
Intel Core i3-2130
Kingston HyperX 8GB

Working Total: $314.96

What I need to know:
Do these components work together?
Can I use the old DDR2 Memory in the DDR3 slots?
Can I use a normal PCI card in the PCIx1 Express slot?
What kind of wattage am I looking at needing?

What would be awesome:
Suggestions for alternatives, for either equivalent pieces of hardware or ones for less money that make more sense to have.

I know that Im not leaving much room for upgrading, and my rig will probably be trash again soon, but right now I'm hoping to get it working again.

[Dark RevenantX]

With your very limited price range, that's about as good as you can get.  I agree with your choices, for the most part.

You still need a PSU, though.  You'll need 400W minimum.
And you NEED a new hard drive, sata2 or sata3.

[Cyborg17]

I'm not sure about the Hard Drive specs at all, actually.  They could be SATA 2, and they way you're talking about SATA 1, they probably are 2's.

[Klaustrophobia]

yes, you need new RAM.  DDR2 and 3 are incompatible.  if your hard drive is in fact SATA, no, you don't NEED a new one.  i'm gonna go have a quick look; i suspect you can do better on the motherboard for not a lot more money.  did you need it to be micro ATX?

[Cyborg17]

I don't need it to be.  It just seemed to be the best choice from what there was.

[Klaustrophobia]

well, the better ones aren't as cheap as i thought.  the cheapest p67/z77 etc. are about $70-80.  they would certainly make it a lot easier to upgrade in the future though.  whether or not that's worth the extra cost now is up to you.

[Cyborg17]

Hmm...  Does anybody have a suggestion on power supplies?  I'm pretty lost on those.  Again, not looking for fancy, just workable with what I've got.

[achtung]

If you're looking to go cheap, I recently used this in a build for someone else, and it's churning along just fine:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182200

[Al-Rik]

1 DVD Drive, 1 CD Drive -- Will be recycled.  (I'm not wasting money on new ones, since they've been working fine.)
A case --
Random Assorted useless crap -- lol
Hard Drives --  2, Old, SATA 1? With WindowsXP 16-bit installed.

The CD Drive is nowadays useless. So you need only the DVD drive.
The Case - that kind of Mainboard fits ? ATX or MicroATX ? Some Dell PCs are even build on the BTX Form Factor. Check the Manual or old reviews before buying a mainboard.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BTX_%28form_factor%29

SATA should work fine, but try to get Windows 7/64 Bit or Vista 64 Bit.

AGP Video Card -- Will not be recycled because of AGP-ness.
Memory, 1GB DDR2 x2 -- Probably will not be recycled because of DDR2-ness.
200 watt power supply -- It has worked since I got the original Dell.  I don't think it will put out enough power now, though.
Intel Pentium 4 3.4 Ghz socket 775? --  I almost sure I can't use this.  It has been an awesome CPU and has given me no trouble.
Netgear crappiest wireless card in the universe -- Old PCI card.  I will use it if I have to and can.

If you keep the CPU and the AGP Card you didn't get moar Power
200 Watt are not enough, you need at least 550 Watt
Wireless LAN Card or sticks are cheap, no need to stick to the old stuff.

What I'm looking at:
Sapphire Radeon HD 7750
ASRock H61M-DGS LGA
Intel Core i3-2130
Kingston HyperX 8GB

Working Total: $314.96

What I need to know:
Do these components work together?
Can I use the old DDR2 Memory in the DDR3 slots?
Can I use a normal PCI card in the PCIx1 Express slot?
What kind of wattage am I looking at needing?

You can't use the old DDR2 Memory in a DDR3 Slot.
Some older Mainboards for AMD2 and AMD3 support DDR2 and or DDR3, but with only 40$ for 8 GB keeping the old DDR 2 doesn't save much money (using a AM3 CPU in an AM2 Socket is possible, but some power saving options aren't aviable).
Also: 2 GB are not enough. Buy at least 4 GB. 8 GB may be useful for some Games like ARMA II, but only if you have a CPU/GPU with enough power (Quadcore CPU, GFX Card with at least 256 Bit Interface)

Some thoughts:
A dual Core CPU is clearly outdated now. If you only want to play older Games that's not a problem, but newer Games will benefit from a Quad Core.
The same with the GFX Card: buy at least a card with a 256 Bit interface. With only 128 Bit most modern Games won't be able to play with activated AA.

Toms Hardware has had an article in June about System building:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-pc-overclocking-pc-building,3273.html

[Cyborg17]

I worked with these old specs for years.  I really don't care if I get anything better since I don't buy new games, anyway.  The point of this topic is, it's not easy to get the parts which would keep it where it was, I've been out of upgrading circles for so long that I have no idea what's what anymore, and the little I do still know is that it's not worth it to try to find a replacement motherboard -- Hold on......

*does quick Amazon search*

So... False assumptions are dumb.  I think I'm just going to get another motherboard and keep having a crappy PC. I've been doing it for years, anyway.  And 20 dollars is much better than shelling out 400.  (I probably should have done this a long time ago)

Sorry for the trouble guys.

[achtung]

Just save up for a while, that's what I advise most sub-500 dollar budgets to do.

[Dark RevenantX]

His computer is dead, Swantz.  I don't think he has that option.

Anyway, get a decent motherboard, skip getting a video card until you can afford a good one, and get a decent quad core Intel CPU (Try to get Ivy Bridge, so you get the HD 4000 graphics, which are actually decent).  The RAM you picked is fine.  If your hard drive is old or uses SATA1, replace it.  If your DVD drive is IDE, replace it with a SATA version.

[achtung]

His computer is dead, Swantz.  I don't think he has that option.

If he's fine with a repair instead of an upgrade, then why not go with the stopgap repair and get a nice rig after saving some more? I think that is the decision he's made anyway. 

[Cyborg17]

Funny thing is, the stopgap repair doesn't come with an on-board video card or an AGP slot.  So until I at least upgrade that, it's not going to work, anyway.  And really guys, I don't need an awesome rig.  I just don't need one.

[karajorma]

Need a Second Pair of Eyes (Computer Parts)
Started by Cyborg17

Looks like someone's taking their user name a little too seriously.

[Grizzly]

With your very limited price range, that's about as good as you can get.  I agree with your choices, for the most part.

You still need a PSU, though.  You'll need 400W minimum.

Disagree, I think you can get quite a bit lowe rwith those parts, but Use hte newegg power supply calculator

Heck, I think you can go as low as 300watt - the hardware advancements of the last years have been mainly in power effecciency, adn the I3 and especially the 7750 are really effecient.

[zookeeper]

Yeah, you should be able to find plenty of people trying to get rid of their old lga775 motherboards on eBay or whatever other outlets there are. There's no reason for a bigger upgrade if you're content with what you have now. I know I subsisted on a setup similar to yours (except with less than half the RAM and a crappier CPU) until about 2 years ago, and it was fine except when I needed more performance for some specific tasks. Basic low-poly 3ds Max work and playing only slightly older games? No problem.

***

And here's what I already wrote before I bothered to read your last two posts:

Yeah, you definitely don't need a 550w PSU unless you have multiple GPU's (or a particularly power-hungry one), a lot of hard drives or some other particular reason for needing that much. For basic desktop use and light gaming, 350w should be just fine, although

If you want to skimp on something, I'd suggest getting the insanely cheap G530 (or G540) as a CPU. From what I've read, it gives you a whole lot of bang for buck, and should be quite enough for all basic use and light gaming. Apparently, the old wisdom of everything called Celeron being crap doesn't apply anymore.

[Dark RevenantX]

Disagree, I think you can get quite a bit lowe rwith those parts, but Use hte newegg power supply calculator

Heck, I think you can go as low as 300watt - the hardware advancements of the last years have been mainly in power effecciency, adn the I3 and especially the 7750 are really effecient.

300W means that if he upgrades he WILL need to upgrade the PSU, and with 400+W he might be able to avoid that.

Anyway, getting lower prices with that same tier of parts is not going to happen unless you start bidding on eBay or scour the internet for an eventual sale.

[Klaustrophobia]

power supplies, like most computer parts, have gotten to the point where you don't have to buy a piece of **** that barely works to get an affordable one.  $5-10 is a small price to pay for not being held back in the future.