The Pentium 4 2.0GHz is old but still a decent processor. Consider obtaining a 2.4 GHz + processor that runs on the 800 MHz front side bus.
 
Your information on the 9600 XT is wrong. Intel graphics chip are usually on motherboards with integrated video. The 9600 XT can only refer to an ATI model, and their Radeon line of cards. The ATI Radeon 9600 XT is a good card to get though. Of course though the Radeon 9800 is the best bang for the buck, and the 9800 PRO and 9800 XT are top of the line.
 
256 MB SDRAM is too little, for a P4 system you should only be getting Dual Channel DDR400 memory. Get at least 512 MB DDR400 if you can...1 GB is even better.
 
Get a good motherboard, Abit and Asus are two great companies. I have had success with these manufacturers and will continue to buy from them.
 
Get a motherboard that uses the Intel 875P chipset or if money is tight get the Intel 865PE chipset. Both the Asus and Abit lines of 865PE chipset boards perform just as good as the 875P models but cost less. Good boards are the Asus P4P800 series models or the Asus P4C800 models. For Abit the IS7 series or the IC7 series are all good boards, I personally have the Abit IS7 with a 2.4GHz/800 FSB CPU and it is an excellent performer, I just need a good graphics card...I only have the Radeon 8500 right now.

Thanks for that quick reply, so i guess i need a different motherboard i think mine is intel and i plan on getting 512mb to add to the 256 and the 9600 XT is the graphics card i want becuase money is tight lol thanks . talyor

Hi again, i was just wondering what you meant by "Just a dual channel......" :x am i only supposed to have that much or a certain kind? Also i was thinking of getting the new Abit Mboard, the IC7-Max3, will that work with my configuration?
more information on my (not so great) computer is that the chipset is a
i845G, now that you know that do i even need a better motherboard? if that is an ok one. Thanks again.

The latest dual-channel motherboards support a much higher memory bandwidth then their single-channel counterparts. This being said it means that you have to purchase a matched pair of DDR400/PC3200 memory modules in order to use this function on dual-channel memory motherboards. Otherwise the board will function in single-channel memory mode. This means a performance hit, especially in memory hungry apps like games.
 
As for an alternative to dual-channel boards, I recently built some workstations for a client using the new Intel 848P chipset, basically an 865 lite if you will, this chipset *only* supports single channel modes and supports FSB CPU's of 400/533/800.
 
The speed isn't as fast as the dual-channel boards but not bad for entry level. Also these boards appear to be in the sub-$100 range as well and you should be able to use your existing stick of memory...

So i think im going to get these, http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=618629&sku=C13-5302. And also if anyone could tell me if i actually need a new motherboard my computer is only a little over a year old now and the chipset is i845G, is that board to old and time to upgrade or should i wait a few months or years? Thanks

Most 845 chipset boards will take FSB533 CPU's up to 2.8 and some will even take the 3.06 with a BIOS update and support the HT mode of this particular CPU as well. Check your motherboard manufacturers website for the latest BIOS update and what it fixes/adds support for.
 
The memory you link to is a matched pair of PC3700/DDR366 and would be ideal for a dual channel motherboard.
 
Something like this motherboard would work just great

Allright thanks for that information i think i will get a new mother board, possibly the IC7-Max3 once i find a candain online distributor and then i will get a P4 2.8HT or 3.06 HT. Then i am wondering about the cost of selling my old products, will anyone want to buy them? how much would be a ideal amount for:
-intel motherboard w/ intel emtreme graphics chip, chipset 845G
-i guess im going to sell the extra 256DDR-SDRAM PC2100 or should i keep it?
-if i get the new processor i will sell my old one which is a P4 2.0Ghz
If anyone couild tell me some reasonably prices for each or any one that would be extremely helpful thanks.

Here's the thing to watch for when it comes to HyperThreading CPU's, the only 533FSB CPU that has HT is the 3.06GHz, when you look into the 800FSB CPU's you have a wider range of support here, starting at the 2.4GHz~3.2GHz and of course the 3.2GHz EE CPU
 
Be sure you get the correct CPU for the motherboard, if moving up to an 800FSB motherboard then look at the 2.4~2.8C revision CPU's as they do have a lot of overclockability to them without the extra cost...

OK so i think i have a plan for the upgrades, buy a:
-intel Pentium4 processor 3.0Ghz HyperThreading
http://www.intel.com/products/desktop/processors/pentium4/index.htm
 
-IC7-Max3 motherboard, by ABIT
http://www.abit-usa.com/products/mb/techspec.php?categories=1&model=130
 
-ATI Radeon 9600 XT
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=4500&sku=A177-3029
 
-Kingston HyperX 1024MB PC3700 466MHz Dual Channel DDR Memory
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/S...&CatId=1075
 
 
Now those are just some early plans, are those good ideas or are tehre better add ons? any input is helpful.

These should work out just fine

Ok thank you very much jmmijo your input has halped alot, thanks.
Taylor,

Antoher note, i wont be purchasing these items for at least a month or 2 but i will bet getting the memory and the graphics card for my current comptuer. My only question is if those products will be compatible with my computer, mainobard. Are there updates for mainboards and chipsets? Also how do i find out if my mainboard or shipset can support dual channel memory? Thanks for any input, Talyor.

A little clarification is in order here:
 
Dual-Channel memory just happens to be a matched pair, pre-tested DIMM modules for many new/high end motherboards. The memory is no different then DDR266/333(PC2100/2700) except that it has a faster clock and usually a lower latency, look for the CL or CAS Latency number to tell. Most general purpose modules run at CL3, the mid-range memory runs at CL2.5 and the high-end, more expensive modules run at CL2.
 
Now then, you should be able to run this faster memory in an older chipset board in that these motherboards will clock down, or underclock if you will the memory speed to run at what the max is for that motherboard, usually PC2100 or PC2700 speeds. This should be fine, however you can check the motherboard manufacturers website to see if there are any known issues with DDR400/PC3200 memory however this is usually not an issue unless you want to overclock the CPU/Memory to something faster then what it's rated for
 
As for the graphics card, this is the same thing, an AGP 8x card will clock down to AGP4x speed. However you wouldn't want to run it on any motherboard that's rated for only AGP2x !!!!

Thanks for that clarification it has helped alot.

if you buying that motherboard - get a p4 2.4 and u can easily overclock it to over 3ghz with stock cooling and fan! simply by increase something in the bios - FSB.
 
if your NOT going to overclock - thet motherboard is COMPLETE overkill for you.

Well im back to choosing a motherboard. Are gigabyte boards good or is Abit the better quality company ;( ? For a motherboard all i want is a good, higher end one and is good quality . THe 2 companies i was looking at ealrier was ABIT and Asus, but i saw a pretty good gigabyte one ;( . Im kind of stumped on which one to look into buying. The price range i am looking at is roughly 200 to 300 possibly a bit more but that is approxamite spending 8) . Thanks, Taylor J.

any input is helpful

Well, I know for a fact that Abit's IS7 series boards have a PAT function enabled that normally is only on the more expesive i875P boards like their IC7 series. Asus, Abit, Epox, and MSI all have them, but I'm not sure about Gigabyte.
 
If you want alot of IDE ports, Gigabyte is the way to go. Same if overclocking is not a concern. They do have an i875P board with IDE and SATA RAID, and Ultra 320SCSI. That may be overkill, but if you want disk controllers up the wazoo, that would be one to go for.