interesting...i have the same pc, only it came with 512mb of RAM. It's already bee upgraded to 2GB, but hasn't run so well in a long time...even after a lot of system maintainence on it.

wow...i really don't type well when i'm sick!

I went through this process about a year ago and I ended up deciding to just build a new box.

PC hardware is either ridiculously expensive or rapidly approaching dirt cheap. The only factor is how far behind the bleeding edge you look for your hardware. What is top of the line now will be second generation in 3 months or less, but in the meantime its possible to pay more than double for less than a 10% increase in performance.

Two questions suddenly pop in my mind;

Is it really worth the extra money?

Can you find something like a community recycling business downtown (most of these do it for charity organizations) which would gladly sell you another tip-top shape PC less than three years old for that same 120$?

Save for the Monitor, printer & extra stuff you already have... all you may need is a new tower that might have a Pci slot & the better card snapped in.

Unfortunately, the Dell Dimension's case isn't exactly standard specs when it comes to an upgrade.  You'll have to do some minor modifications to get the normal stuff to fit.  That being said, it can be done.  I've done it.

I put an upgraded power supply and a standard MATX motherboard in mine as a test just to see if I could.  It worked, but I had to take the CPU cooler vent thingy out (technically speaking).  The front panel connections aren't standard either and need some modification to work with normal motherboards.

A new DVD RW would fit as will standard Hard Drives.  To upgrade though, you'd only be saving the case and I'm not sure that it's worth it.  My test run was only because I was curious and wanted to make it work.  The parts have subsequently been removed and the case was properly laid to rest.

None of the components in the Dell are worth saving.  The technology isn't compatible with modern machines.  Other than the Hard drive and DVD Rom, but you'll want to upgrade those as well.

If you're going to go through that much trouble, I recommend spending another $30.00 and upgrading the case as well.

Edit - The upgrades you're looking at will make the machine a little better, but it still won't be a modern computer. The technology is too old.  You'd be much better off building something from the ground up.  I got a Core2 Duo with a PCI-E 16x motherboard for under $100.00 at Frys.  If you did that and threw in 2 GB of RAM for around $40.00, you'd be off to a better start.  You can use your old case and maybe the power supply until you could afford to upgrade those.  Then get a decent PCI-E video card later.

I had the same computer (almost) and upgraded it bit by bit. I started by upgrading my graphics card to an 8800GTS though your AGP slot really complicates things. My suggestion would to not go to the i7 quite yet and get a PCI-E  slot motherboard (I got mine for about $100) and then go from there. Though I guess it all really depends on what you really need upgraded. The Wolfdale/Yorkfield CPUs are pretty cheap at the moment but still very effective. Also, as Mottikhan said a new case would be advisable. Still it all comes down to your budget and how much you're willing to spend at once. My personal suggestion would be to upgrade the case, processor, and mobo (that could probably run you about $300-$400 depending on what you get) all at once and then upgrade the other parts in the coming months. Also, as for RAM, I'm pretty sure you can find decent Patriot RAM on Newegg for about $20-$40 for 2GB. Lastly, Newegg is your best friend.

If you're meaning that your attempt is to upgrade a P-IV to a Core Dual I'd say no resoundingly for this because the entire system is a proprietary factory build.

The case design and rear ports is what fails any chance of a modern upgrade because ports on the new boards are now configured differently.

And then there's the on-board devices like the nic, sound and video that has to be replaced, not to mention case connections.

Sorry, but not much of a chance.

If the system was hand built, then yeah, maybe.

To echo what MottiKhan said, think of a computer's architecture like a pyramid.  The better the base, the more stable the outputs at the top.

For a while, new RAM and video cards and whatnot can be used to gain an improvement, but after six years?   Well, those parts are going to be putting a stress on your basic components, specifically the motherboard and power supply.

For example, one of the best graphics cards out today, the Nvidia 9800 GX2 with SLI, has a list of supported power supplies.  Slight the power requirements and you could get less performance, or worse, a fire.  At the same time, the GX2 runs extremely hot, and if you don't have proper cooling systems it could lead to system instability.  AND, if your base motherboard architecture is old, you're not going to get the most out of that card. 

That's the problem with boxed systems like a Dell: the parts that are put in there are sufficient for those parts alone.  You're not going to be able to do much more with the motherboard that's in there because it was designed for that system, and the power supply was chosen to meet the requirements of what the system was built with.

As another example, I just helped my parents upgrade the RAM in their Dell.  They tried to do it themselves and were getting system errors, and I found out that particular model could only use TWO types of RAM.  They had bought something that was too fast.  Of course, the available RAM was at the same speed as the old ones, beause higher speed meant more power that the motherboard and power supply couldn't handle... all they could do was increase the capacity, moving from 768MB to 2GB.

So.... six years?  I'd recommend a new PC.  But do yourself a favor, in line with what others have mentioned:  Spec out what you want, and then wait 3-6 months.  You could save yourself hundreds of dollars.

Guys...

Pay attention to the OP.

I think he's just doing this to see if he can.

When it comes to desktop systems, everyone I know purchases second hand hardware exactly as you describe. Unless you're into high end gaming, there's no need to spend big money on a up to date PC these days.

Yep, i noticed... but this looks like he wants to please the kid downstairs, too!

That monitor would be the first thing I'd replace.

I personally have a 5 year old dell same model as yours, I had it totally overhauled. New motherboard, new dvd rom, larger harddrives and massive ram upgrade, that put me back around $560ish, also I added a new graphics card and a new lcd monitor, now it much more better, my only advice is to shop around.

make up a list and then take it around the different computer stores asking for a total price

Unfortunately I think the answer is no.  I'm in the same boat you are, and my system just barely runs Sins.  The problem is pretty much all the major computer components are using differnet standards than they were in 2003, and while you can still find things like AGP video cards and PC3200 memory sticks they are, paradoxically, generally much more expensive and harder to find than incompatible modern bits that totally blow them out of the water.

That said, if you sorta know what you're doing or know someone who does, you can put together a pretty good system from scratch for around 300 bucks.  At least you won't have to replace the monitor (real men use CRT) since it's an external device you just need, at most, an inexpensive TFT>VGA adapter.

If this is an experiment:

It's pointless

If this is for practical reasons:

It's impractical and pointless.

You can build a brand new pc for less than 300$ that will run better than two (or more) "upgraded" pcs combined.