Getting a new cpu/motherboard or getting a new computer?

[Lockndrop]

Hey guys so currently im running on a amd athlon II x3 440 and im looking at getting either an i5 or an i7 bundle. so i have a few questions.

1) do you think there will be any good black friday/cyber monday sales on either of those bundles.
2) how much will it cost for installation be? including reinstalling windows 7 and drivers. I have a copy of 7
3) would buying a new computer overall be worth it. note my current harddrive gpu and power supply are only about a year old.
4) how hard is it to install a new motherboard/cpu for someone whos never done it before and has little to no experience working on a computer?

thanks for the answers in advance

[Sorphius]

1) do you think there will be any good black friday/cyber monday sales on either of those bundles.

Most likely. Although if you live near a Microcenter you may look to see what kind of bundles they have right now... they've been running some insane cpu/mobo combos the past few days.

2) how much will it cost for installation be? including reinstalling windows 7 and drivers. I have a copy of 7

Free if you do it yourself. Geek Squad would probably charge you $100 or more. In other words, do it yourself.

3) would buying a new computer overall be worth it. note my current harddrive gpu and power supply are only about a year old.

Really depends on what your current parts are and what you're willing to spend. Are they truly a year old? Or were they already old tech when you bought them? That processor is a VERY old model. Assuming your GPU, etc are of similar vintage, you're probably better off not throwing good money after bad.

4) how hard is it to install a new motherboard/cpu for someone whos never done it before and has little to no experience working on a computer?

Ever play with LEGOs when you were a kid? It's pretty much the same thing except more expensive. Make sure you have a static-free environment (work on a hard, non-plastic surface and not on carpet), and always be sure to ground yourself by touching the metal part of the case to discharge static before reaching inside the case. You take out each of the components inside the case and put them off to the side. Next you unscrew the MoBo (usually done from the back side) and take it out. Plug the new CPU into the new MoBo, screw the new MoBo into the case, and put everything into the right slots. The most confusing thing is connecting all the wires from the PSU to the MoBo, but most of them can only go one place anyway so it's pretty tough to mess up.

thanks for the answers in advance

You're welcome.

**Edit: Couple of other things to consider: 1) What is your case's form factor? If you've got a mini case you won't be able to fit just any old MoBo. Also, RAM isn't universal. Depending on your current MoBo, you may need to also replace your RAM to get it to work with a newer system. In other words, depending on your budget and what components you have (which you haven't listed, btw) I'd probably consider looking into just replacing the whole thing.