First of all, I'm a novice. I'm not even going to try to fake that I know what I'm talking about. Second, I love these boards. Thanx for your contributions as they have allowed me to do some changes/ upgrades to my computer. What started out as a internet connection problem has become the evolution of my computer; first the network card, then a larger hard drive added, more RAM installed (512 added to the original 512)and a new graphics card. That being said, I am still in the mood to tinker. My computer is about 4-5 years old. Should I swap out my Pentium 4 2.4ghz? Is there a different, compatible CPU that is clearly better? If so, how do I determine compatibility? Thanx in advance...

any CPU you could purchase would cost about as much as a new motherboard with a newer CPU, that would vastly outperform your current P4. You could consider overclocking a little, but the P4 is already a pretty warm chip, so OCing it would probably just shorten its lifespan and decrease stability, while making barely measurable performance increases. Typically, once your CPU/motherboard are the only pieces left to upgrade, you should just start fresh, unless money is really limiting. 4-5 years for a PC is a pretty decent lifespan. I try to cycle through mine every 18-36 months. If you want to squeeze more life out of the PC, RAM and video card upgrades are usually the way to go. Is there room for more RAM? Even if there's only two slots on the motherboard, you could probably pick up a pair of 2x1GB sticks for under $100 to replace your 2x512MB. Most people notice a difference when upgrading from 1GB to 2GB in windows XP. What video card are you using? If you are enjoying tinkering but already upgraded the RAM and video card, you might consider building your next machine yourself. There's less to it than people realize, as long as you start with compatible components (which people here can help you with). any CPU you could purchase to upgrade your current CPU would probably cost $200-$400, and you could build a sweet new rig that would out perform your current setup for around $1,000.

I'm not sure how much more I can do by way of RAM as the slots are both occupied and the DDR that I find only goes up to 512. (DDR2 would have a different slot configuration, no? As such, I assume that it would not work?) The video card that I just got was a GeForce 6200 256mb. From here on up, a lack of equipment options seems to tell me that I've hit the ceiling for upgrading certain components. Like you said, I'm not crazy about replacing the mobo if it's going to undo all of the things that I just did.

Upgrading the CPU would be a waste of money. You definitely could have gotten a better video card though but as long as you're not a gamer, the 6200 *should* suffice. And depending on the primary use of the system, 1GB RAM *should* be enough. Frys.com has had several sales on DDR400 lately...2GB (2 x 1GB) has been going for between $20-25 (after rebate) with free shipping. The current deal is sold out: http://shop4.frys.com/product/4700789 They also have 1GB sticks for $11 after rebate, but shipping kills the deal. "If my answers frighten you then you should cease asking scary questions" - Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson) in Pulp Fiction