upgrading or off the shelf

[earl_1]

I am not a gamer. I just need to upgrade a little. I am a little scared of these proprietary machines that use different cables and plugs so as you have to go through them to get anything done. I have a old machine that I put together but it is time to upgrade.
AMD k-6 350
18 g HD
256 mem
enlite case 4 bay
300w PSU
memorex cdrw/4x

So you see I don't need a fast one

I am considering Northgate Tower

AMD Athlon XP 2600 (2.08 Hz)
256 DDR SDRAM
40 g Ultra ATA HD
DVD-ROM drive
CDRW/DVD Combo Drive
6 in 1 Memory card Reader
Intergraded S3 Graphics ProSavage 3D
intergrated 10/100 LAN card
Intergrated AC97 Audio Codec V2.2
2 Stero Speakers
5 USB 2.0
Win XP Home Edition
$ 500

[Fruss Tray Ted]

And the question is... What's the motherboard that the Savage and AC-97 are integrated with?

Suggestions for starters:
Powerwise you're slightly on the light side. 350 or 400 watts would be better for that list of peripherals.
Get the RAM in one stick so you can add more later.
The 6-in-1 reader will not do xD cards and one other so if you have a SONY digicam you'll need a better reader.

Don't forget cables, standoffs, CPU fan if not going retail, etc...
Are you planning on reusing the case and power supply? If so make sure it is not an AT case because AMD K6's are AT formfactor usually but K6-2's might not be, not sure without looking it up. If you have a K6-2 you might be all set if it's an ATX case.

[earl_1]

Thanks a lot for your help. I can it in making my decision as to "off thr shelf" or upgrading

[classicsoftware]

I would personally get XP Pro and 512MB RAM. I really think you need 512 MB of RAM to make XP sing and dance. And the home edition sucks, INMO. The pro version is awesome.