Computer Hardware help (tw techies to the rescue!)

G

Getao

Veteran XV
I'm thinking about buying a new motherboard/processor (I've upgraded virtually everything else... hard drive, vid card, ram, sound card is fine, different moniter, about the only htings the same are the case, processor, and motherboard.)


questions tho:

How much different is this from say changing the video card? I mean I know I'll have to take everything out of my computer and get it fitted in, buyt what else do I have to worry about?

Should I just scrap the case and get a new case?

What else would I need to buy if I do that?

What motherboard / processor combo is good for now? I'm looking at either higher end or the top if I can... how much would they cost?

Anything else to help w/ it (case suggestions...?)


ty techies
 
Bill-nye.jpg
 
you can't say motherboard because it's politically incorrect, you have to say "system board"


(guess a lot of mothers were offended by having the important piece of equipment that holds the computer together and keeps everything running named after them?)
 
By replacing the mother board, you're going to have to remove EVERYTHING, and put it all back together. It's mostly just cards, IDE cables and power cables, but there's also the ram, CPU and your case interface, which is really the only part that's at all "difficult."

I'd go with ABIT mobo/Athlon CPU, but that's just me. ASUS is also good, but their prices tend to be 10-30 more than ABIT.

The hardest part is cooling on your CPU. Make sure you don't screw that up or you'll be looking at buying a new CPU and/or mobo.

If you don't already have a full tower, it's a nice thing to have when building your computer, as you have a lot of space to work with. As long as the form factors of your mobo and case are the same (almost all mobos/cases are ATX form factor), then you're fine there.

You may also need to replace your ram if you buy a new mobo. If you do get new ram, I'd suggest crucial/micron chipsets.

The little connections for things like reset/power/HDD light can be annoying, but as long as your power/reset button interfaces are hooked up properly, I don't think you can break anything by screwing the rest of it up. It's actually pretty hard to screw up anything but floppy drive bus cables and case interfaces. Just put stuff where it looks like they'll fit.
 
here's my personal preferance.

Abit IC7 and a P4 2.4

In my rig i've got the IC7-G and a P4 2.6 (at 3.2)

I've build 7 computers w/ these components, you can't go wrong.

The IC7 is very fast and very stable, and has planty of bells and whistles. Not to mention one hell of an OC'er. And it has plenty of room for expansion. The 2.4 can hit 3.0 easy on air cooling. P4's are just nicer. Very stable, don't run nearly as hot, etc. Hyprethreading is neato as well.

What case do you have?

Also what are the other components in your computer machine?
 
Getao said:
questions tho:

How much different is this from say changing the video card? I mean I know I'll have to take everything out of my computer and get it fitted in, buyt what else do I have to worry about?
Click to expand...
It's a pain in the ass. Expect to move one or more mounting risers (the things you screw it down onto). Replacing the heatsink is always fun...

Should I just scrap the case and get a new case?
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If it's a shitty case, then yeah (duh). Don't expect a new motherboard to fit in any manufactured PC cases (Dell, HP, Gateway, etc.)

What else would I need to buy if I do that?
Click to expand...
A power supply.

What motherboard / processor combo is good for now? I'm looking at either higher end or the top if I can... how much would they cost?
Click to expand...
The Intel P4 2.8C is an awesome deal. I'd get that with a good Abit or Asus motherboard.

Anything else to help w/ it (case suggestions...?)
Click to expand...
You can't go wrong with a Lian Li...

ty techies
Click to expand...
Welcome.
 
Data's not lying, the Lian Li's are sweet. They are a lil' costly though. Check out these sites for nice cases

www.frozencpu.com
www.xoxide.com
www.newegg.com

Yuh, a new PSU wouldn't be bad, get Antec's True480 (100$'s or so, but one hella good PSU).

If you need new ram, i recommend corsair xms 3200 (get the ones w/ the platinum heatspreaders).

Changing out all your parts shouldn't be too bad, just your hsf will be annoying. You should be able to do it in an hour, maybe an hour 1/2 if you are switching cases.
 
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