(Help) I want a new CPU and motherboard

[OKeijiDragon]

Hi THIA.

I'm building a PC. What I'm looking for is a new MoBo and a CPU, and I'm a noob in that department.

My goal is improve video playback, recording, capturing, production, and rendering. I also want a faster, more efficient computer overall. From what I understand, for that I need to replace the MoBo and CPU. With a newer, more recent MoBo I can also finally install that XFX Radeon HD 5670 PCI Express 1GB GDDR5 Graphics Card I bought in the summer. I also have replaced the PSU with a Corsair CX500.

If I'm searching for a CPU and a MoBo, what do I look for to tell that it's better than what I have (if that makes any sense)? Where do I start?

I'm willing to spend $100-220 on those combo deals I see at newegg.com, which these two seem to be good upgrades.
AMD Athlon II X3 455 Rana 3.3GHz Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Desktop Processor ADX455WFGMBOX
AMD Phenom II X2 555 Black Edition Callisto 3.2GHz Socket AM3 80W Dual-Core Desktop Processor - C3 Revision HDZ555WFGMBOX

For reference, here are my current PC, & MotherBoard.
Spoiler:

show spoiler

CPU-Z TXT Report
Processors
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of processors 1
Number of threads 2

APICs
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Processor 0
-- Core 0
-- Thread 0 0
-- Thread 1 1

Processors Information
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Processor 1 ID = 0
Number of cores 1 (max 1)
Number of threads 2 (max 2)
Name Intel Pentium 4 631
Codename Cedar Mill
Specification Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 3.00GHz
Package (platform ID) Socket 775 LGA (0x2)

Core Stepping B1
Technology 65 nm
Core Speed 2992.7 MHz
Multiplier x FSB 15.0 x 199.5 MHz
Rated Bus speed 798.0 MHz
Stock frequency 3000 MHz
Instructions sets MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, EM64T
L1 Data cache 16 KBytes, 8-way set associative, 64-byte line size
Trace cache 12 Kuops, 8-way set associative
L2 cache 2048 KBytes, 8-way set associative, 64-byte line size
FID/VID Control no

Chipset
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Northbridge ATI RS400/RC400/RC410 rev. 01
Southbridge ATI SB600 rev. 00
Graphic Interface PCI-Express
PCI-E Link Width x16
PCI-E Max Link Width x16
Memory Type DDR2
Memory Size 2048 MBytes
Channels Single
Memory Frequency 332.9 MHz ()
CAS# latency (CL) 5.0
RAS# to CAS# delay (tRCD) 5
RAS# Precharge (tRP) 5
Cycle Time (tRAS) 15

Memory SPD
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
DIMM # 1
Memory type DDR2
Module format Regular UDIMM
Size 1024 MBytes
Max bandwidth PC2-5300 (333 MHz)
Number of banks 1
Data width 64 bits
Correction None
Nominal Voltage 1.80 Volts
EPP no
xmp no
JEDEC timings table CL-tRCD-tRP-tRAS-tRC @ frequency
JEDEC #1 3.0-3-3-9-12 @ 200 MHz
JEDEC #2 4.0-4-4-12-16 @ 266 MHz
JEDEC #3 5.0-5-5-15-20 @ 333 MHz

DIMM # 2
Memory type DDR2
Module format Regular UDIMM

Size 1024 MBytes
Max bandwidth PC2-5300 (333 MHz)
Part number V01D2LF1GB18418467
Number of banks 1
Data width 64 bits
Correction None
Nominal Voltage 1.80 Volts

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mainboard Model Alhena5
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
DMI BIOS
vendor American Megatrends Inc.
version 5.14
date 04/11/2007

DMI System Information
manufacturer Compaq-Presario

DMI Baseboard
vendor ECS
model Alhena5
revision 1.0

DMI System Enclosure
manufacturer Hewlett-Packard
chassis type Desktop

DMI Processor
manufacturer Intel
model Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 3.00GHz
clock speed 3000.0 MHz
FSB speed 200.0 MHz
multiplier 15.0x

DMI Physical Memory Array
location Motherboard
usage System Memory
correction None
max capacity 1024 MBytes
max# of devices 2

Graphics
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of adapters 1

Graphic APIs
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
API NVIDIA I/O
API NVIDIA NVAPI

Display Adapters
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Display adapter 0
Name NVIDIA GeForce 7300 LE
Revision A3
Codename G72
Technology 90 nm
Memory size 128 MB

Performance Level 0
Core clock 450.0 MHz
Memory clock 648.0 MHz

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Windows Version Microsoft Windows 7 (6.1) Home Premium Edition Service Pack 1 (Build 7601)
DirectX Version 11.0

Any useful help I get from here will be very appreciative. Thank you for reading this request.

[Branden_Lucero]

your motherboard is going to be more important than your processor, because what you place on that board is going to affect your every day use performance. therefore, it is wise to get a board that is going to benefit the CPU, GPU, RAM, etc.

for instance, my motherboard doesn't support DX11, nor does my CPU, yet my GPU does. a motherboard, CPU, and GPU all supporting DX11 will greatly increase performance as a whole.