Okay, heres the situation. After taking my computer to a store, they told me i had a broken CPU and a motherboard. However, after a week of bad information from the store (including the technician telling me on one day that the computer parts i wanted were delivered to him, and that he was going to get it ready by tommorow, and then when i went the next day, i was hit by the technician "so what parts do you want to replace your damaged CPU and Motherboard?) naturally i decided to stop trusting them and take my computer home to fix it myself

When i arrived home, i realized that CPU looked like as if it hasnt even been taken out of the socket from the motherboard. This, combined by the series of bad information i've been recieving from them, led me to conlude that the motherboard is definitely broken, and that the CPU could be working as people have been saying Pentium 4 CPUs are extremely hard to break. Here is my Old computer specs

Pentium 4 3.0 ghz s478
Foxconn 661fx4mr - es
512 DDR SDRAM 266mhz
Radeon 9600 pro 256mb
40 gb hard drive

Now, here are my options to fix it, and the Pros and Cons

Option #1
Buy a socket 478 Asus Motherboard -AU$105
Try and see if the old CPU is working or is dead
Buy a Intel Pentium 4 3.00ghz CPU - AU$285

Total - AU$390
Pros
Can Use Old Gfx Card
Cheaper
Can try old CPU

Cons
Unflexible for future upgrades
Things are hard to get due to oldness

Option #2
Buy a Gigabyte k8n-SLIsocket939 motherboard (integrated gfx) AU$159
Buy a AMD Athlon 64 3200+ "Venice Core" AU$245
I think i might have to get a new case because the computer guy said the board wont fit my current HP Desk top tower - AU$60
AU$450 total

Pros
From what i heard, the integrated gfx card is actually better than my AGP gfx card
More flexible for future upgrades
Things are shipped fast as they are in more demand

Cons
More Expensive
I dont get to see if my old CPU still works
I heard AMD processors are more easily broken than intel ones

Some Questions I Would Like Answered
1. Do i need to get a new case?
2. What does the "Venice Core" on the AMD CPU mean?
3. Whats a AMD Athlon 64 3200 equivalent to in Intel Roughly
4. Is the integrated gfx chipset NVIDIA nForce4 SLI MCPs better than the Radeon 9600 Pro 256m?
5. Anything thats extremely different between AMD and intel CPUs?

I know this has been a long read, and i thank you for your comments.

If your current mobo is kaput, you might as well upgrade. But, what you upgrading to is also important. i.e. "what do you use your PC for?" If you're a gamer, (particularly of the twitch or RTS varity) and AMD FX-55,-57, or the shiny new -60, is the way to go (dependant on your funds however). The big difference between intel and AMD is definatly up to opinion, but again, AMD's FX series are the best gaming processors. You shouldn't need a new case, but check how many risers (the little screw in things that keep the mobo from touching the case.) you have, and how many the new board needs. Hope I've answered most of your questions.