Upgrade or Rebuild?

[goinundercover]

So my desktop is slowly becoming outdated with a c2d.

Specs(off the top of my head):
Intel Core2Duo Wolfdale e8600 @3.33ghz
4gb ddr2
ATI 7850 1gb
550w psu
Gigabyte GA-EP43-UD3L
(rev. 1.0)
Intel® P43 + ICH10 Chipset

I was debating whether to buy an aftermarket cooler and more ddr2 ram, or just wait and save up for something more recent. New mobo, new cpu, new ram is a lotta $ :/.

[soulharvester]

Upgrading really depends on how much you're willing to spend, would you happen to know what model PSU you have, as well?

[goinundercover]

Still figuring out my budget.

PSU? I think it's some off brand thing. It has a "Tunia" logo on the side of it.

[preston]

I think soul wants the Wattage of it. It is probably somewhere inbetween 250 and 550.
Edit- I didn't see that in your original post.... Derp...

[Skibur]

With the current specs you have, I say it's better off with a upgrade. Get a new processor + mobo + ram. The rest you can reuse.
If you can wait a little bit longer, you can get the DDR4 rams. They're impressively good with performances (Min clock speed is 2100 Mhz on 1.2v)

[soulharvester]

I'd agree with the above for the most part, though what you get still depends vastly on your budget.

[goinundercover]

Probably gonna get a gaming laptop and slap some ddr2 along with an aftermarket cooler as I'm going to college soon and am not too sure on what to do with my desktop. Or sell my desktop and just roll with a laptop.

Any recommendations on aftermarket coolers?

[TechieGee]

Probably gonna get a gaming laptop and slap some ddr2 along with an aftermarket cooler as I'm going to college soon and am not too sure on what to do with my desktop. Or sell my desktop and just roll with a laptop.

Any recommendations on aftermarket coolers?

A gaming laptop is gonna cost you a great deal more than upgrading. Plus, if you don't have a lot to spend, the laptop will be weak (in terms of power) anyway.

[Skibur]

Not only that, Laptop doesn't accepts Desktop rams. They only accept certain laptop rams. I think they're classified under SDDR2-SDDR3 rams?

[goinundercover]

My parents would support a laptop for college use(~$1k). I know that laptops don't use desktop ram. If I'd like to upgrade my desktop, I'm on my own.

If I were to rebuild, any idea where I could help the budget via selling the old electronics?