Which Motherboard and CPU for my system?

Hi,

I have a Dell Dimension 9150. I want to upgrade the CPU as the Pentium D that it came with runs to hot and is too slow. I know that because it is a Dell the motherboard is not upgradable. I want to put it in a new case with a new CPU and motherboard. I also want to keep my old hardware in my new system. I currently have 3gb of DDR2 533mhz RAM and an Nvidia GeForce 9600gt graphics card. The rest of my system is stock. I use my system mostly for multimedia and some gaming.

Which Motherboard and CPU should I get? Also do I need a new PSU as mine is only 375 watt?

you'll need to get a new case as well since dell uses DTX or BTX form factors, not the ATX standard which pretty much any mobo you can buy will be.

To put what "guts" of your pc in?

You pretty much have to upgrade everything because even the ram is slow and 3gb doesnt make sense. Dual channel needs to run as 2gb or 4gb.

So new ram, mobo, cpu, psu, case. All you have is a hdd, a dvd drive and a mediocre video card.

Just build a new system.

Lesson learned. Dude, dont get a Dell.

Start a new thread and title it "$500 multimedia and gaming PC". Let people know you have a hdd, video card and dvd drive. You can get some good suggestions on a new build. Sorry I dont have time right now.
You can build a pretty nice system with $500.

If you use your current HD, optical drive, and GPU this build fits your budget and needs.

Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811129042

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit for System Builders w/ Tech Guarantee - OEM (Includes free Windows 7 updrade coupon)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6832116677

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] 11-129-042 $154.94 (Case + OS combo)

AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8GHz 3 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Black Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819103649 $119.00

GIGABYTE GA-MA770T-UD3P AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128392 $84.99

Patriot Viper 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model PVS34G1333LLK - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820220286 $78.99

CORSAIR CMPSU-400CX 400W ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS Certified Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817139008 $49.99 - $20.00 MIR

Total - $487.91 - $20 MIR

Keep in mind that the motherboard only has 1 IDE connector for a total of 2 devices. You could get a new SATA HD if you drop down to a dual core CPU. With this CPU, motherboard, and HD the total is just over your budget at $503.89.

AMD Phenom II X2 545 Callisto 3.0GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 80W Dual-Core Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819103694

ASUS M4A785TD-V EVO AM3 AMD 785G HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813131398

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.237631 $169.98 (CPU + motherboard combo)

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD3200AAKS 320GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] wd3200aaks $49.99

Thanks for the help everyone. All your advice has been extremely useful.