Upgrading MB

Hi i have a Compaq Presario P8656U-ABA S6000V NA410 running windows 7. It's really old and it is kinda slow. I've already a gig of RAM and it still occasionally has problems. I was hoping to upgrade the motherboard (the 2.5 GHz P4 should suffice for new MB).
I'm not a gaming freak, i just would like a computer that can handle email, web and music without slowing down too drastically. I can't spend more than $100 right now, so can i please have some recommendations?

I don't need any SATA ports if it helps, but i need at least 2 IDE ports (for at least 4 devices)

Edited by lemon_lime123, 24 December 2009 - 12:25 AM.

You can easily get a motherboard, however, due to licensing restrictions, you would have to buy Windows again. Given the rate at which technology advances (Moore's Law) you not be able to reuse most components from your old motherboard on your new one. The CPU would need to be different since the socket yours uses is no longer current and your RAM would need to be changed. I found very limited information on the net about your current motherboard, other than it is a MICRO-STAR INTERNATIONAL CO., LTD Gamila/Giovani/Neon series. This means that it is probably a micro-ATX motherboard. Frankly, I think swapping out your old motherboard for a new one might not make sense as you would have to replace most of the core components like the board itself, CPU, RAM, and Windows. By the time you're done, you would have spent almost $300 or more.

Considering you are also still using IDE drives along with a very outdated CPU (and I assume DDR rather then DDRII ram) upgrading a motherboard would be a bad idea unless you are looking at an entire system upgrade

However I believe the licensing if you have a retail copy of windows 7 allows you to install it again through an upgrade if the original is deleted. But as a precaution do check with microsoft technet beforehand to see if you are covered in the event of an upgrade

Full retail boxed copies of Windows allow for the operating system to be moved to another PC. A PC, by terms of the license agreement, is defined by the motherboard. So, new motherboard is a new PC. An OEM license may only be installed to a single PC and cannot be transferred. An exception to this is if the motherboard is defective, in which case it must be replaced by an exact model, if available.