Can I even upgrade?

Bumpcopter.StealthPlatypus

you can use a pci gpu but theyre all crap....

Basically what they're saying is you need to build a new computer. Essentially the only parts you can carry over from your old one might be the mouse, keyboard, and monitor. Of course, if you're going to spend several hundred or more building a new computer, you might as well shell out the extra $10-50 for a new mouse and keyboard too. And you'll want a bigger flatscreen monitor.

Aim for building around a motherboard that supports DDR2 or DDR3 memory, and has 1-2 PCI-Ex16 or PCI-E 2.0 slots for the graphics card. You'll want a more robust graphics card than an 8500 as well. At least an 8800GT, or if money's tight a 9600GT

So in conclusion:

I'm drowning in the water right now due to compatibility issues, and I'll be dead in the water come June when XP loses support. Everything I'm running right now, save the mouse, keyboard, speakers and hardly even the hard drive and monitor is competely outdated with no hope of return except on the absolutely bare bones minimum settings which could at the most run WoW, yet not even the expansion that is coming out in November.

The moral of the story is to never buy a Dell computer ever again, I suppose. The notion of "LOLWOWZACOPTER TOTALLY CUSTOMIZABLE AND DELIVERED TO YOUR DOOR" sounded awesome from what I overheard back then, but not so much when they block your most vital upgrade ports and give you a power supply that doesn't fit in other shells.

And I'm broke with no job. End thread.

StealthPlatypus

Well it´s not just Dell´s fault, the whole Computer is old and hardware evolves, old goes out and new goes in.

It always been so, and always will. Soon the nahalem processor comes with a new socket, all current mobos will be usless for the new nahalem.

You could save up a few buck if you save the chassie to.

You´d need new:

PSU

Motherboard

CPU

Ram

GPU

Hardware is cheap nowday´s, save a few $ per week and you´ll soon have a new rig.

...

And I'm broke with no job. End thread.

StealthPlatypus

I've seen plenty of placing offering up to $5000 signing bonuses because they're desperate for employees. Granted you need some sort of experience/skill for those jobs. But that's one way to get some cash quick.

But once you've paid off any overdue bills from being jobless just start saving up. Or if you build youself you have the advantage of buying one part a paycheck so that you're still paying your bills and eating and such. Just buy the parts with the least chance of something new replacing them and minimal price fluctuation first, and the graphics card last.

I had that same computer like years ago, I brought an old FX5200 normal PCI GFX Card, and 1gb of stig ram and I was able to run WoW on minimum settings but it was still poor FPS like 15fps, but I put up with it for like a year, then decided 1 month that i'll buy a new computer, I don't play warcraft anymore but I checked it out and it was running at 70fps which is like an insane difference, what I suggest you do is save some money, get a job or even wait till a birthday or christmas and buy a mid range computer for like £600 which is not really alot of money.

With £450 I bought 8800GT/E8400/DS3L/Case/2x1gb OCZ 800mhz DDR2 RAM/DVD drive/PSU.

Then I just ripped out my old HDD and wiped it and installed windows i borrowed off a friend (He had retail). I know that old HDD might sound like crap when you see 500gb ones. But the way I see it is with my current (160gb) one I didn't run out of space in the 3 years I had it. So I don't see it happeneing now.