System Overhaul $250

I've got an HP Pavilion 7935
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc [...] e=bph06799
that's running Ubuntu 9.04. I recently tried to buy a graphics card because I wasn't able to watch videos on Youtube (diagnosed as a hardware compatibility issue), but was disappointed when it turned out that I did't have a PCI E slot. I kicked around the idea of sending it back and ordering a PCI card, but realized I would need a new power supply as well. So, I figured I might as well spend a little more to get something that would last me a long time and beat the pants off my old system.

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Next week or two

BUDGET RANGE: $250 or less

Before / After Rebates $239

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Recording music, surfing the internet (lots of browser tabs), watching movies

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers, graphics card, hard drive, case.

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.com

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA

PARTS PREFERENCES: Intel

OVERCLOCKING: Maybe

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Don't know what this is.

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1600x1200

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: As you can see, I'm not building a new system from scratch, but installing a new motherboard, CPU, PSU, DVD burner, and RAM into the old HP. For the music recording, I'm not doing multi-tracking much, just running a line out from a cassette 4-track to mix down to the comp so I can burn CDR's of stuff I do. Would like to eliminate runs when this is going on and I thought a system upgrade would help. Also, I think with this upgrade, the video card I bought will work great. It's an evga 9400 GT.

I've been trying to post my newegg.com wishlist that had all the stuff picked out, but it doesn't seem to show up in the list of public wishlists. I want to post up what I plan to buy and see if I was forgetting anything or making any huge mistakes. I guess I'll just list everything here and provide links. I think if you look at the things I'm picking out, it's obvious that I'm trying to do this on a shoestring budget.

GIGABYTE GA-G41M-ES2L LGA 775 Intel G41 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard (this is an open box so $20 discount)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 813128388R

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

Intel Pentium E5300 2.6GHz 2MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819116074

Patriot Extreme Performance 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820220174

LITE-ON Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA DVD Writer
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827106333

Any comments and help would be appreciated!

Hmmm I missed the part about the GPU you bought.

Why are you buying a G41 board if you have a GPU already?

Here:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813186145
an Intel option.

P.S. The only drawback is that I'll have to replace either my keyboard or my mouse since there is only 1 PS/2 input. I think that's a small price to pay for a better system overall for only a few dollars more.

get a ps/2 to usb converter

It's all one flat piece. I'll take your advice. I found this combo:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.260859
I like the power supply I picked out a lot. This one looks kind of sketchy. How important is a good quality power supply compared to a good quality case?

Scratch that. This looks better:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.265958

Yes PSU quality is vital and the HEC is trash.

The EA380 is a Seasonic built PSU and an excellent choice.

I won't have the money for this until Tuesday, so I still have plenty of time for revisions. Here is the most recent config:

Combo: 785G board and Regor 245 CPU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.273662

Combo: Antec Three Hundred and Antec BP500U
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.265996

DVD-R
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827140042

Mushkin Ram (I guess they sold out of the stuff you suggested, Proximon)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820146673

USB Keyboard (I looked at adapters but they seemed hit-or-miss)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6823126013

It's about $120 more than I initially wanted to spend, and I think I'm keeping the GPU. I don't want to send it back and then want it later. It's still a pretty low budget build though, and $52 dollars of the cost is shipping and warranties (mobo and CPU). Thanks a lot to everyone who has helped me out with advice. I know it might not be as exciting as giving pointers to gaming beast builders, so I really appreciate it.

Also, I didn't intend this thread as a question; it's my first post on Ted's.