I've had my Compaq Presario for almost 5 yrs now and I think it's on its last legs. The maximum RAM it'll take is 1GB and forget about upgrading the video card as it doesn't support PCI EXpress either. ( I do have an older nVidia card installed, but it's only 128mb). I also have a SounBlaster Music Xtreme card (forget the exact model).
All I want is a good CPU that allows me to expand somewhat in the years to come. I have a great monitor (Acer Ferrari F20) that's 3yrs old, but works fabulously.
I want to stay with a PC, not a Mac, as I have a significant amount of software and don't want to buy anymore for now (extra expenditures are going towards the purchase of Blu-ray's and Vinyl.

).
I don't play games and/or watch movies on my PC...it's mostly for browsing, email, messenger and business software. So I don't need a top of the line computer.
My budget is around $500-$750 CDN and I do not want to go beyond that.
What suggestions do you guys have for me
John
PS: I'm not in a hurry and would like to buy it closer to Xmas, as I think there may be better deals around at that time. I have a Laptop, so if my PC dies, I'm not stuck.