Considering an upgrade my computer. Any suggestions?

[mommaj]

I have a Elite group K7s5a pro motherboard, 512mb ram, 120 gig HD. I don't know much about my video card.  It says PNY technologies...  Since I am having to replace the power supply, I started wondering if there was more that I should consider.
Mostly I use my computer for surfing, quick books &  digital photography.

[killerb255]

First question you need to ask yourself is what type of gain are you hoping to get out of upgrading your existing PC? 

Are you trying to play a new game that has higher minimum requirements?

Is the computer just slow overall?

An ECS K7S5A only supports Athlon XP processors and DDR1 RAM. 

You won't find Athlon XP processors brand new anymore.

DDR1 RAM is still available, but is currently being phased out.  It also costs twice as much as DDR2 RAM (you can get 4 GB of DDR2 for under $100--you can get 2 GB at most of DDR1 RAM for that price).  In fact, in a year or two, DDR3 RAM will probably go down in price, phasing out DDR2!

So...if you just need your PC to work and that's it, switch out the power supply and call it done.  If you really need something faster, then don't waste your money (even on the power supply).  It's time for a new computer.

[mommaj]

Thanks for the practical advice.  It gives me some things to think about.

The computer is running a little slower than it use to.  I don't do much gaming, but I do use it to edit and save.  I am considering storing my digital photos on an external hard drive.