Questions are below in bold if you wanna skip to them.
Basically my current pc is an AMD AthlonXP 1600+ with 256Mb (DDR 266Mhz?) RAM and GeForce3 Ti200 with 128Mb DDR RAM which I've had for a few years and want to upgrade it. I'm not going for an uber-pc, just all round good value better specs. This'll be my 4th AMD cpu, and I'm not bothered for 64bit yet. As I already have harddrives, monitor, etc., I just need barebones system/mobo combo. So I'm thinking the following are good deals:

Barebones system: £194.80 Inc VAT
http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/s...tml?BB-SP30BUB
Processor: AMD Sempron 3000
Memory: 512MB DDR PC3200 400MHz
Chassis: Black ATX Midi Tower Case with 300W PSU

Mobo combo: £119.04 Inc VAT
http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/s...html?MBB-SP26F
Processor: AMD Sempron 2600
Memory: 256MB DDR PC3200 400MHz

Mobo combo: £143.44 Inc VAT
http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/s...tml?MBB-SP26F5
Processor: AMD Sempron 2600
Memory: 512MB DDR PC3200 400MHz (2 x 256MB)

All come with:
Heatsink and Fan: Novatech H/S & Fan
Motherboard: 600A01-6LRS
Memory Slots: 3 x 184-pin DIMM sockets
Chipset: VIA KT600 + VT8237
AGP Slots: 1
PCI Slots: 5
CNR Slots: 0
Onboard Sound: 5.1 channel AC97
LAN: Integrated Fast Ethernet (10/100) MAC + PHY (VIA)
Modem: No
Onboard Graphics: No
USB Ports: 4 x USB2
Parallel Ports: 1
Serial Ports: 0
Firewire Ports: No
Form Factor: ATX
MoBo: 600A01-6LRS

Novatech do other barebone and bundle deals, so if I've missed a better value setup, please say so.

According to Tom's Hardware Guide, these Sempron systems are still all round better than my AthlonXP, and better value than the newer Athlon systems at Novatech.

Ok, the questions:
As I already have a full sized (ATX?) pc case with power supply (300W iirc), I should be able to simply remove all the contents of it and pop in the new mobo, etc, right?
If not, my best deal is something like the mobo bundle+this, no?

Might as well get the 512Mb mobo combo + new case, as it's still cheaper than the 3000 barebones system, as well as newer and 350W.

I have a Creative SoundBlaster 4.1 Digital sound card and am considering a 5.1 speaker system too. I know some can use 4.1, but has anyone had any problems with mixing a 4.1 card and 5.1 speaker system, or with the 5.1 onboard sound of these system's mobo?

All that's left to update then is my graphics card... probably an nVidia 5x00. There's the 5500 with 256Mb here (£56.40 Inc VAT) and here (£60.01 inc VAT), or the 5700 with 128Mb here (£87.25 inc VAT). I think the first is the best deal.

Bump.
The surround sound is not an issue now, I'm not bothered about getting it. So it's just the ATX mobo into current pc case question, and any suggestions about good/bad DVD reader drives, as well as reccommendations on the linked products&prices.

The different form factors should absolutely conform to the the same dimensions, and therefore, if you're already using an ATX mobo in your case and plan to replace it with another ATX mobo, you should not have any difficulty whatsoever. Same goes for the PSU. Although I haven't transplanted all that many mobos from one case to another, I've never had any problems doing it.

As for DVD's, I really like Lite-On models, and all the systems you've listed seem pretty nice to me. My only real suggestion would be to go with the max amount of RAM, but no matter what you pick I think you'll be happy with the results. Good luck with it -- J.W.

Ok cool, thanks. I reccon I'll go with the 512MB mobo combo, new case, a dvd rom drive and wait on the graphics card-student budget