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| Kaepora
159th Post
 
Regular Customer
   
|  "Re(3):Q: Upgrading PC"
, posted Mon 26 May 23:04
Upgrading the motherboard and CPU usually means you need to buy new RAM as well. Just as your current motherboard can't handle anything over a PII-300, a newer motherboard won't be able to use the old RAM you are using right now.
in addition to that, you will most likely need to buy a new power supply. Pentium 4 motherboards (and newer Athlons, I think) require an additional power plug on the inside of the case that older power supplies don't have. If you are thinking of getting a different case, now is the time to make a decision.
Other than those things, anything that is built into your current motherboard can't be transferred over to the new one. The important things here are networking, sound, and video (video being the most important, in my opinion). Today's motherboards almost always have onboard networking, most have onboard sound, and a few have onboard video. It really depends on how your current system was put together, and whether the stuff on the motherboard will be better than what you have.
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| Gojira 972th Post
Red Carpet Regular Member++
    
    
| "Re(4):Q: Upgrading PC" , posted Tue 27 May 00:40
quote:
Upgrading the motherboard and CPU usually means you need to buy new RAM as well. Just as your current motherboard can't handle anything over a PII-300, a newer motherboard won't be able to use the old RAM you are using right now.
in addition to that, you will most likely need to buy a new power supply. Pentium 4 motherboards (and newer Athlons, I think) require an additional power plug on the inside of the case that older power supplies don't have. If you are thinking of getting a different case, now is the time to make a decision.
Other than those things, anything that is built into your current motherboard can't be transferred over to the new one. The important things here are networking, sound, and video (video being the most important, in my opinion). Today's motherboards almost always have onboard networking, most have onboard sound, and a few have onboard video. It really depends on how your current system was put together, and whether the stuff on the motherboard will be better than what you have.
I'm pretty sure my motherboard doesn't have anything fancy built-in. I've replaced the video card, sound card, modem and every CD/disk drive over the past 5 years I've had it, so if there's supposed to be something built-in, I'm probably not using it.
Arghn... doesn't look like there's gonna be a cheap way to do this. I was hoping for something less than $200, but I'm thinking all this will add up to at least that much, even if I'm not picky about what I get.
Oh well, at least I know what I'll need now. Thanks.
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| Gojira 974th Post
Red Carpet Regular Member++
| "Re(7):Q: Upgrading PC" , posted Tue 27 May 11:07
quote:
PCI is still standard.
Why the reccomandations to buy new ram? Has the standards suddenly changed that SDRAM is no longer supported? I'd doubt that a PII box is using anything older than that...
Just get the new board and processor, plug everything in. Though if you're getting an athlon or amd based processor, its reccommanded to get a new case, in case the ventilation isn't enough to provide for the master of heat.
You don't have to format, or do anything wild. Just take and plug, though there's a slight chance the OS might not accept the new mobo and needs a reinstall, but I've personally never come across or heard of the problem actually happening.
Well now, that's the answer I was hoping for... maybe I'll give it a shot after all, if I don't need new RAM. I finally found the manual for my current motherboard, so at least I can tell what it's supporting right now. Checking it should be simple enough.
I may as well ask now: can anyone recommend what processor I should get? In terms of price range and reliability, that is. Like I said, I'm not picky; it can be anywhere between what's current and my P2-300. Or if you know what I SHOULDN'T get, that would help too.
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| Mog
161th Post
Regular Customer
| "Re(8):Q: Upgrading PC" , posted Tue 27 May 19:23
quote:
I may as well ask now: can anyone recommend what processor I should get? In terms of price range and reliability, that is. Like I said, I'm not picky; it can be anywhere between what's current and my P2-300. Or if you know what I SHOULDN'T get, that would help too.
Both Intel and AMD chips have their strengths and weaknesses, but come out about even in the end from my personal experiences. As such, they're both good choices. I would probably recommend an Intel since you're 1) looking to keep costs down and 2) Windows prefers Intel chipsets.
As for which P4 or Atholon you should get, that really intends on what you're looking to get of this computer. If you just want something faster than what you've got, a new Celeron might be enough for you. If you're looking for something that'll run say Doom III and Half-Life 2, I would suggest waiting until later in the year (with a bit more money saved up... those two will more than likely have hefty video card requirements). Again, it depends on your needs.
Other random suggestions/reminders:
-Don't get an A-bit motherboard. They're nowhere near as good as they use to be.
-MSI MB's are good, and relatively inexpensive.
-Make sure you get a MB that has support for PC100/PC133 SDRAM and not DDR or Rambus (unless you want to buy new RAM).
-(Again) Be sure to check the watt output of you power supply. You'll want at least a 300W for either a P4 or an Atholon.
-Be sure to get a heat sink for the processor, you don't want it burning up.
-Find someone near you who has put together a computer before. Having someone walk you through it in person makes it much, much easier.
*Whew* Long post... Be sure to ask other people too if you can, as I am not the 'definitive' authority on computers. Hope this is at least some help.
GameStop customer quote of the moment: "A friend of mine is a professional assassin so I'm sure I would be good at Hitman 2."
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| Gen 1607th Post
Red Carpet V.I.P- Platinum Member
    
| "Re(8):Q: Upgrading PC" , posted Fri 30 May 17:42
quote:
PCI is still standard.
Why the reccomandations to buy new ram? Has the standards suddenly changed that SDRAM is no longer supported? I'd doubt that a PII box is using anything older than that...
Just get the new board and processor, plug everything in. Though if you're getting an athlon or amd based processor, its reccommanded to get a new case, in case the ventilation isn't enough to provide for the master of heat.
You don't have to format, or do anything wild. Just take and plug, though there's a slight chance the OS might not accept the new mobo and needs a reinstall, but I've personally never come across or heard of the problem actually happening.
Well now, that's the answer I was hoping for... maybe I'll give it a shot after all, if I don't need new RAM. I finally found the manual for my current motherboard, so at least I can tell what it's supporting right now. Checking it should be simple enough.
I may as well ask now: can anyone recommend what processor I should get? In terms of price range and reliability, that is. Like I said, I'm not picky; it can be anywhere between what's current and my P2-300. Or if you know what I SHOULDN'T get, that would help too.
I recommend getting an AMD, it's more bang for the buck. You can get a relatively cheeper chip, and it will be vastly better than your current one. There's no magic number but I'd say you should shoot for at least a 1.5 ghz equivilant.
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"Re(6):Q: Upgrading PC" 
"Re(9):Q: Upgrading PC" 
