actually now that i think about it, at Fry's Electronics they sell Pentium 4 combinations with mobo (i've seen a 3.4 ghz with an ASUS mobo combo) for $200. And they've sold pc3200 ram (512MB) for $50.
Also, just so you know anything will be an improvement for me i'm currentlyr unning:
Pentium 4 1.8 GHZ
Elitegroup Motherboard (VIA)
512mb SDram
80GB 7200 RPM hardrive
350 watt powersupply
ATI-brand Radeon 9800 pro 128MB (Best part of the machine)
I guess I shuldnt' have spent so much on the video card
$250...
Also, i'm not familiar with PQi, and i hear that AMDs take a lot out of the power, and considering i have many fans, lights, 2 hard drives, Radeion 9800 pro, SBL 5.1, and Sony CD, DVD, RW, Dual Layer etc. I don't think i will be able to add much more, correct me if i'm wrong.
I've heard of Kingston and Crucial and corsair, thats about it.
I'm also trying to run Half-Life 2, 1280x1024... (19" LCD)