For a start, for optimal performance, I'd completely forget about '98 - It can't handle over 512mb of RAM and is generally as stable as a house of cards.....

If your GeForce 4 is an "MX" then you'll gain far more by keeping what you've got and get a Geforce FX or 6800 series or the equivalent ATI card in its place.

If you need to ask how easy it is, I'd advise you find somebody who's got at least some basic pc know how to help you. $350 worth of dead kit is no fun, believe me, I've been there.....   

Buying your RAM first may well limit your choice of Motherboard & consequently, your CPU (both of which you'll need)

$350 will get you a reasonable box of goodies, but saving an extra $100 or so will be the differance between a fair pc and a pretty good one.


Don't forget a decent PSU & case....

Hi Triple_7,

You seem headed for disaster from what I've read, so here's the low-down.........

You need to take certain steps to avoid disappointment and wasting your money. I know you are on a tight budget, but if you screw this up, you may as well flush the cash down the drain. Don't be tempted to go with what you have and buy components to suit your current hardware. It's a big mistake.

Select your components based on careful research or informed advice, and then see if you have anything on hand that will be compatible with it.


PRIORITY ONE :

Select a suitable chipset ........ ie....this is your mainboard. You have many choices within two main groups, INTEL or AMD compatible. With your budget, AMD compatible is indicated as it is somewhat cheaper.

The mainboard will determine what components (CPU, RAM, HDD's, USB, Firewire, Sound, Video, etc....) will be compatible, the PC's POTENTIAL capabilities, and it's useful lifespan.

The more recent the chipset release, the longer it will be useful in the future, and it will have more features and support more modern hardware.

On your budget, you may as well go with an "nForce2 - Ultra400" chipset. There are bargain boards around with that chipset. Get a quality board like an ASUS or GIGABYTE, they both have excellent manuals.

DON'T GET ONE WITH ONBOARD VIDEO  if you plan on using it for gaming or simulations!

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PRIORITY TWO :

Decide which CPU to use, ther are 2 relevant choices for that chipset. The cheaper AMD XP+ CPU's use a 333mhz FRONT SIDE BUS SPEED..... (FSB)... The more expensive ones use a 400mhz FSB. The PC will perform faster with the latter, but it's basically a budget choice for you, and you can always upgrade later.

Don't be tempted by the cheap price of the XP2400+ or lower, they run a 266mhz FSB speed, not what you want in a new rig. Barton XP2500+ at 333mhz FSB minimum, preferably XP2800+ or above.

Buy a CPU only if it comes in a sealed package with a factory fan.

The CPU and FSB speed normally determine the RAM specification, but in this case, it would be wise to buy PC3200 (400mhz) DDR SDRAM, in a quality 512mb module. (Kingston Value Ram is a budget brand that works quite well, and even overclocks moderately in my experience). PC3200 is about the same price as the lower spec stuff, so get it anyway.

If you currently have PC2100 or PC2700 RAM, it can be used, but ALL RAM fitted will run at the speed of the slowest module onboard. So if you get the new PC3200 512mb, don't bother fitting a stick of PC2100 (DDR 266) because it will slow your new rig down considerably.

AMD based systems like to run with the CPU, FSB and RAM speeds syncronised. So, if you choose a 333mhz CPU, Choose a RAM speed of 333mhz, (underclock the PC3200 DDR 400 and overclock it's latency timings (it may do it automatically if the BIOS configures the RAM by SPD).

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PRIORITY THREE :

Get a decent Power Supply Unit (PSU) of at least 400watts Peak output (if you buy a cheap one, it's nominal output will be much less than peak rating. This is important if you don't want things blowing up!)

The PSU is usually bought as part of the case. You want a 450Watt MIDI ATX Tower Case ideally. Look for a cheapy if you aren't concerned with looks..... (there are good looking cheap cases)

Get a decent Hard Drive, 80 - 120 gigabytes, 80's are cheap, however, get one with a 7200 rpm spin speed and at least ATA100 or ATA133 data speed....... Seagate, Maxtor and Western Digital drives are popular, but the spec is more important. The mainboard comes with a special IDE cable for the HDD, it has more (finer) wires in the ribbon. Don't damage it.

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FREE ADVICE:  (for what it's worth)

READ the CPU and MAINBOARD installation manuals. Become familiar with the procedure before you start.
Give yourself a full day to do the build, don't rush, don't improvise.

Install the CPU once, but before you do, get a magnifier and write down every microscopic CPU ID number into the mainboard manual for later reference. Once you remove the heatsink off of the CPU, it will never cool as well again.

Assemble with the care of a master modeller.
Don't FORCE anything, take great care installing the CPU (make sure you connect the fan wire!), RAM, addon cards, etc.

Use cable ties to clean up the wiring into a neat loom AFTER everthing checks out and is running. Keep the fans clear of obstructions and wiring.

Heat rises, so input air into the bottom of the tower and extract from the top. Use an extra case fan to supply the CPU region with fresh cool air.

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You asked how easy it is build and program a computer. I have built 3 in the last couple years.  2 Pentiums and my recent AMD. I never had any previous experience with it. I am not mechanically inclined in any way. In fact, when I put anything together, I always have a pile of "spare parts" left over for some reason.
I honestly never thought I could do it, but with some encouragement from  co-workers I decided to give it a try.  I couldnt believe how easy it really was. Basically, you just plug stuff in.  Everything you buy comes with some sort of instruction. The motherboard comes with a large diagram that shows where everything plugs in. All you reallt need to know is whats required to make it go. ie: motherboard, ram, cdrom, harddrive, video card ect. A visit to the local parts store, and the clerk can help out lots.
Now, I cant even fathom spending 2000 bucks on a up to date system. I can build one for half the cost and completely upgradable without buying a whole new system every 2 ot 3 years. And knowing I put it together with my own hands makes it all worthwhile.

Good luck

Speedbird_1961