SHOULD I UPGRADE? questions that im itchin to ask ::opinions needed!

[jaylee714]

my main activities on computer is pretty much all around but not too much of anything....i play games and look forward to the latest games, i download alot of music and store em, burn em, and i do alot of internet and bit of online gaming

currently i have a

compaq model 5108us
XPhome installed
athlon 1.2GHz 200MHz
w/ 768mb SDRAM
WD80GB 7200 8mb (primary)
40gb (second one installed)
GeForce4 MX440 128mb
Creative Lab Sb Live!
DVD16x & 48cd-rw

i want a
p4 or athlonXP around 2.8-3.2GHz (really interested in HT on intel)
MEMORY: no less then 700mb
HD: possibly the one that im using 80gb
VIDEO: geforce fx 5200 256mb
my old dvd&cd-rw drives, sound card


hi
upgrading my computer never crossed my mind cause my current computer havent gave me any serious troubles. but its been around 2years i think and i want to be updated wit the latest tech & i kinda torture myself if i should or not so i thought it would help if i came in here and asked few questions. i kno the basics of computers but not the details so please bear wit me..

would thre be a dramatic increace in speed from athlon 1.2 to about p4 OR athlon wit 2.6-3.2 GHz...? does it depend alot on the amount of ram?
&
would it be a good idea to use old parts on my new comp? or should i keep the compaq as it is? if i have it as is i dont kno what i could use the second computer for....
&
i dont kno how fast my second (compaq retail) HD really is...should i keep using my 80gig and 40 gig or would it be better or even faster if i just get a 120gb...?
&
is it a good time to upgrade? or should i wait a little bit for upcoming stuff...like the 64?


so basically im just askin for 2nd opinions on the comp upgrade so ideas, suggestions, comments anything would be appreciated...thnks

 

[Inaris]

The specs you provided are pretty good. As far as processors go, until a good 64bit OS comes out (aside from Linux) you might want to just hold off. But that is my opinion. The P4HT chips are good and are what I use, but the AMD chips are pretty sweet and quite a bit cheaper.
Got for 1gb of Ram. It's pretty cheap and pairing is easier that way. Your HDD is fine, but if you have demands for more space, look into doing either ATA Raid or SATA Raid with 2 drives. Kind of cool and can be really fast if used right.
The Sound card from the old system is good, as well as the optical drives. Unless you need a DVD+/- RW no need to upgrade there.
The Video card isn't all that great. I would suggest an ATI 9600PRO or if you can afford it, go for the 9800PRO XT w/256. Sweet card...
Good luck...