EMachines to New build

[CHayes1126]

I am currently in the market to make my fiance another computer. The problem is that I am cheap and want to spend as little as possible. She currently has an Emachines T5026 (Ive posted a link to the specs below). What I want to do is be able to just upgrade the mobo and processor to stay with the times as this computer is about 4 years old now. Ive picked out some of the cheapest parts I can find on new egg that I feel are a suitable upgrade. Now id like your wisdom. Is it worth the hundred bucks to upgrade to the new parts?

Old System
http://reviews.cnet.com/desktops/ema...tag=mncol;rnav

New Parts
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103255
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813153120

[Force Flow]

I'm not 100% sure, but the power supply might be proprietary, so you might not be able to use it on an ATX motherboard.

You would need DDR2 RAM too. The current board uses DDR, which isn't compatible.

I have no idea about the reliability of "jetway". When you buy cheap, you usually get what you pay for (as in, it may be faulty, may not last long, etc)

That AM2 CPU is already obsolete. Also, since the one you chose is not all that powerful, you'll run into the same situation you are in now with the P4 CPU.

If you change the motherboard, you'll also have to purchase an operating system. Operating systems that come with pre-built machines are tied to the proprietary motherboard's BIOS.



What is the machine used for? How much are you willing to spend?

Usually, if you have to spend around $250-$350 on an upgrade, it's often better to buy a new machine altogether.

[glc]

Do yourself a favor and wait till you can afford a full build. There is nothing in that eMachines that's worthy of reuse except the hard drive. STAY AWAY from cheap parts.

[Khalil]

We do get a lot of customers with eMachines that come in with bad motherboard, we replace the boards with Asus or Biostar depending how much the customer is willing to spend, the power supplies always have to be replaced or I won't do the work, reason why is because eMachines builds junk and I won't put my name on one of the power supplies they use. I have seen a lot of eMachines sold new to customers yet they had refurbished parts in them. That is just wrong!