Bear with me guys, I don't know too much about upgrading hardware. 

I have an HP a1510n and I'm looking to upgrade. Currently stock it runs an Athlon 64 3800+ 2.4GHz and has Nvidia 6150 LE integrated. As you can see graphics are outdated

Ive been looking around and would Athlon 64 X2 (Model: ADX6000IAA6CZ) fit on my current motherboard? It says its socket is AM2 and mine is 939. What confuses is that i read my motherboard (socket 939) supports Athlon 64 X2 series. If not, then what other processors are recommended? I know i will have to get a new cooling unit but will any universal work? And what about power supply? (current is 300w)

Also, I'm looking to improve the graphics but only plan to spend about $100; Lets say i would want to run Crysis or Gears.. I went to Best Buy website and is Nvidia 8400GS 512 DDR2 good? Or  how about ATI Radeon 4350 or 5450, Nvidia GeForce GT220? I dont get what the difference in memory does and why some are expensive or cheap. Last of all how do you compare an Nvidia to an ATI? (for example Nvidia 8400GS is equivalent to ___)

Thanks in advance.

That computer's pretty outdated man...You'd also have to worry about what kind of power supply they put into it...the wattage and efficiency.

If you put too many upgrades in, I doubt it would take it.

For future reference...HP/Compaq media center XP machines are pretty awful in the specifications department...and the OS...And the crapware on the system when you get it

In short, I wouldn't reccomend upgrading at all if you can afford a new machine for about 500 bucks, a budget machine would run better than what you have...

But that's besides the point.

To upgrade yours:

RAM 2GB 2x1GB 74.00; http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231039
Video Card nVidia 9400 GT...Minimum...50.00; http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150488

No that CPU will not work. Your best bet is to really just get a whole new PC. If you cant afford that or dont want to then you should probably upgrade your Graphics card. It would be helpful to know what monitor you are using (size and resolution). As for the graphics cards none of the ones you listed are very good. Im just gonna give you my thoughts and i would tell you to spring for an ATI card. The higher the number generally the better the card. Get as good of one as you can afford.

Best buy is going to rip you off as far as prices go. buying your card online would be a much cheaper alternative. Try Newegg.com

You need to replace the whole computer.

AM2 chips will not work in 939 and there's nothing good on 939.
You probably have an AGP graphics port which wouldn't accept modern PCIe graphics cards.

For a budget build, I would say an AMD tri-core processor (e.g. Athlon II X3 440, $75), an AMD HD 5670 ($100) or Nvidia 9800GT for the graphics, 2GB or 4GB of DDR3 RAM, any speed, and a 785G motherboard (but definitely an AMD motherboard, Nvidia's ones are outdated).

If you prefer Intel I can give some options there, and you'll have less performance/$ (and higher motherboard costs) but greater power efficiency.

I recommend newegg.com for the parts, though other online shops have similar pricing so if you can get it cheaper elsewhere then do so.

--

Since the graphics card is the most important part, here's some general advice:

- AMD usually has better performance for your money at the moment.
- For gaming, always buy cards with the second digit a '6' or greater. Really. Less than that and performance will suffer. So rule out the AMD 4350 or GT 220, they suck. One tiny exception to this is the GTS 250, which is decent.

To compare AMD to Nvidia roughly, use this link:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-geforce-gtx-480,2598-6.html

And choose anything from the row beginning "Discrete: 8800 GT" upwards. Below that is not worth it.

A 5670 or equivalent will play almost all current games on high settings at 1600x1200, or medium settings at 1920x1200. Individual games vary here.

Thanks you guys really helped.

@1337 Gamer
I have an HP w1907 monitor. Resolution is 1440x900.

@ Vanbierk
I have 300w supple, Windows 7 and 2gb RAM



...How about replacing the motherboard?

@ Soleron
Thanks man, great info.

Solid, at that point don't bother...build a new one, or buy a new one with guidance on upgradability.....Most people don't keep in mind though that warranties are typically better on a custom built PC, as individual components are warrantied and not the unit as a whole

If you're not comfortable building a PC you can always use: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883109040

With an HD 5670 for ~$500 shipped.

Alternatively you can use

http://www.techreport.com/articles.x/18747/2

For a complete good list of components.

ORRRRR

You can stick an HD 5670 in now: $93

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161319&cm_re=hd_5670-_-14-161-319-_-Product

Then decide later if you want to upgrade because when you do you can reuse the card and do the upgrade in easier steps.

300 watts isnt gonna cut it. You need a 450 Watt supply as a minimum anymore. if your gonna replace your Motherboard you might as well replace the entire computer.

Some good advice on this site, but i would suggest doing some research yourself. It honestly is by far the best way.

Goto www.tomshardware.com and check out these two links.


http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-geforce-gtx-480,2598.html

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-gaming-cpu,2599.html


Also go to the forums on tomshardware, there is a whole community of people that will help you with your build.


Your computer as others have stated will most likely not run pcie cards and you cannot upgrade to an am3. I just recently built a pc for under $500 and i live in australia so our prices are alittle higher. If you can afford to spend alteast $500 you will be able to get a decent gaming rig but if you want to play crysis, and play it well i would aim closer to $700 not including monitor.