So my computer of 4 years seems to have died. I spent a month trying to figure out what was wrong and it seems to be the motherboard. Here are the specs:

Athlon 64 3200 S754
ECS 755-A2 (I think)
2x 1GB DDR1 RAM
AGP Nvidia 6800 GT

I'm trying to search for a used motherboard to continue to chug on, but I'm having trouble finding one and I'm itching to upgrade since I do photo-editing and could use more speed. I can't wait forever to find a mobo and I do need a desktop, so I'm starting to think about parts. I imagine I'll be able to find an S754 mobo eventually and then I'll build a word processing machine for a relative out of the old parts. I've mostly been looking at anandtech fs/ft forums. Any other suggestions on places to look would also be appreciated.

I can re-use my dvd burner, hard drives, and power supply. I need a new motherboard, cpu, RAM, and possibly video card.

I don't have a huge budget, but it's looking like something like this:

I've mostly settled on a 45nm Intel quad core like the Q8200. I'd prefer quad core because I do photo-editing and I'll likely get CS4 sometime in the future. While I'd prefer to get AMD to help the little guys, it seems like Intel CPU's are much faster and also have better power consumption numbers. I'm willing to change my mind though.

I'm not sure what mobo to get as I'm not even sure what CPU to get. I'll probably go for a cheap one that has good power numbers (if I can find one). I don't plan on over/under-clocking, though some flexibility would certainly be nice.

I'm a bit conflicted with what video card to get because I game a little but not thaaaat much and graphics cards don't matter much for photo-editing. But then if I had a new video card I'd likely play games a bit more. Generally I play Half-Life 2, TF2, and CS:S. I was settled on a Radeon HD4670 because of its cheap price, low power consumption, and pretty good gaming performance.

But now I've been reading that it's etter to buy higher quality components that last longer, so I wonder if I should buy a better graphics card. I'm afraid that I'll want to upgrade the graphics card later if I get the 4670.

I really would like to try to be have more environmentally friendly computing practices. I'd like to go through less components and buy things that last for several years, but it's often hard to project what my needs will be in the future.

Do you guys have any suggestions on CPU's and vid cards? Thanks.

Yes it is definitely better to buy higher quality, but I think you actually mean higher performance, in this context, and I would disagree with that sentiment. A new generation of vid cards comes out every year, if not every six months, and what costs nearly $200 is eclipsed by something that costs < $100 at that time. Now, you can argue that it is better for the environment to spend the money upfront and keep the card twice as long, but you mentioned that you only game occasionally. So, I think your problem will not be so much that your card will be underpowered in a few years but that there will be something really cool that you wish you had instead. And that's the point I'm addressing -- there will always be something new and really cool coming out, but you will have no real need of it. I don't see why a HD4670 won't serve you well for at least 3 years and a that point even today's higher end cards won't be looking very impressive. Of course, to get more input on what video card you need, you should tell us what resolution your monitor supports and if you plan on upgrading it any time soon.