Motherboard question for the Tech Priests

[Rogue845]

First, a bit of backstory.

I committed the sin of buying a PC from PC w*%ld. I've been living with the shame and repenting ever since. My penence involves upgrading my PC, which I've been doing. I've got new RAM, PSU, graphics card, sound card and case.

I want to upgrade/replace my motherboard since my current (generic) one will soon be obsolete. It only has two slots for RAM memory and it takes AGP graphics cards.

I realise that if I'm upgrading or replacing it, I may as well go all the way and do a motherboard, processor, heatsink & fan, and graphics card.

My technical knowledge is limited, so my question is this:

Apart from loading up new drivers for the graphics card, is it just a case of swapping out the old for new and it will all work when I turn the PC on?

(my current processor is a P4 3.2E GHz, FSB800, 1M cache. That might be able to cut costs a bit.)

[imported_GR|M|IN]

Re: Motherboard question for the Tech Priests

Ok first thing. Are you sure your computer is on??



Un-install drivers
Run Driver cleaner
Go into Your Device Manager and un-instal the card.
Turn off Computer
Put in new Card Start up
Install New Drivers from ATI or Nvidia website
Restart again then you should be able to go :)

[signa]

Re: Motherboard question for the Tech Priests

If your swapping a mobo, XP will probably want a reinstall of the OS.

[Rogue845]

Re: Motherboard question for the Tech Priests

That might be a problem signa, as it was a store bought PC, it came with the OS pre installed, and a couple of system revovery discs. If XP wants a reinstall of the OS, all I can do is use the recovery disc, and that might make the PC think it's using a different motherboard to the one that's actually present in the case - or will it do some sort of auto detect magic?

GR|M|IN, what? is my computer on? what are you talking about?

As for your response about graphics cards, thanks, but I already figured that out since I've upgraded my graphics card.

Cheers anyway.

[<DV8>mrbucket]

Re: Motherboard question for the Tech Priests

If your os was pre-installed, before you shut it down to take it apart, uninstall the current driversyou have for the existing hardware. Your gonna wanna install the chipset drivers for the new motherboard. Be careful at this point. Once you install the new motherboard drivers, you cannot restart the pc. You must do the switch. When you do the hardware transfer, windows will prompt you to get the "new" activation code. Call Microsoft and tell them you had hardware failure on your motherboard, they will give you a new code. Once it boots to desktop, install the rest of the drivers, and then update all.

[CaptJordus]

Re: Motherboard question for the Tech Priests

If you dont install the new chipset drivers before you replace the motherboard, you will pretty much HAVE to reinstall XP completely.

And in a lot of cases, you will have to if your switching from Intel to AMD, or vice versa. XP gets ****y about that sometimes.

[Rogue845]

Re: Motherboard question for the Tech Priests

Thanks for the responses everyone, I really appreciate it.

(sigh) Looks like it might be a bit too much for me to handle at the moment, seems like an awful lot of faffing around, with the risk of something going wrong being a bit too high.

Still, it looks like I'm off to Iraq (again) soon, so I'll have a bit of money saved up when I come back - gonna build a killer comp from the ground up! (or rather, buy all the bits and get someone elst put it all together)

Anyway, this motherboard swap out idea is essentially the same thing as building a new comp - and it would probably be easier this way.

Thanks again to everyone contributed their expertise.

[Hephaistion]

Re: Motherboard question for the Tech Priests

If your swapping a mobo, XP will probably want a reinstall of the OS.

Maybe not, if his existing board has nforce chipset he can actually install a new board and Windows XP will redect all the hardware.

Mobo reccommendation:

http://www.mwave.com/mwave/viewspec.hmx?scriteria=BA22003

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=240186

http://www.abit-usa.com/products/mb/products.php?categories=2&model=306

Abit KN8 SLI. It is essentially the Fatal1ty board
Killer Heat-pipes! Lots of goodies on-board, no noisy fans
Mine has been running for 3 weeks now and all I can say is: GREAT!!!!

As far as a CPU, it is up to you, I chose the 3700+ San Diego because it has 2x the cache of the 3200, 3500 and 3800, 1mb instead of 512!
Zipzoomfly has them with free second day shipping for like $212! Can't beat it. Total for CPU and MOBO is $329! Pretty not bad!

[Rogue845]

Re: Motherboard question for the Tech Priests

Just for everyones reference, my specs are:

CPU: Intel Pentium 4 3.2E GHz HT (Prescott)
Motherboard: ECS SF2 (?store bought PC?)
RAM: 2GB PC3200 DDR (single channel) Corsair Value Select
Graphics Card: Connect 3D ATI Radeon X800 XL
Sound Card: Creative Labs Soundblaster Live 24-bit
PSU: Antec Smartpower 400W
OS: XP Home SP2

[Hephaistion]

Re: Motherboard question for the Tech Priests

All of the componenets will work fine with this mobo/CPU.

[gogtaylor]

Re: Motherboard question for the Tech Priests

First off, Godspeed, goodluck and thankyou on your way to Iraq. Second, I swapped a new psu, mobo, processor, and graphics card into my sys without doing anything but changing the parts. My xp pro took care of everything.(of course i installed drivers after the initial boot up) I went from a sis chipset to a nforce4 nad from a amd 64 754 to a 939. I also went from a nvidia 5800 to a 7800gt. Nothing hangs up :never have any errors. I say go for it and if something buggers up then it can be fixed.

[Havik89]

Re: Motherboard question for the Tech Priests

So you just want to upgrade your motherboard? Did you just buy the X800XL? PciExpress or Agp?

[Rogue845]

Re: Motherboard question for the Tech Priests

First off, Godspeed, goodluck and thankyou on your way to Iraq.

Thanks mate.:salute:
Can't wait to get out there and get amongst it:guns:

[Rogue845]

Re: Motherboard question for the Tech Priests

Second, I swapped a new psu, mobo, processor, and graphics card into my sys without doing anything but changing the parts. My xp pro took care of everything.(of course i installed drivers after the initial boot up) I went from a sis chipset to a nforce4 nad from a amd 64 754 to a 939. I also went from a nvidia 5800 to a 7800gt. Nothing hangs up :never have any errors. I say go for it and if something buggers up then it can be fixed.

This is what I was thinking - XP is usually so good at auto detecting hardware and making installation of new stuff a doddle. I was hoping I could just make the swap and let XP sort itself out.

As for the X800 XL - I bought it last summer and it's AGP.

[rombaft]

Re: Motherboard question for the Tech Priests

I mount pc's togheter on regular base, I also have replacd mobo's with difirent models .

Not reinstalling XP (or whatever OS you are using) is a risc, sometimes it works (when having same chipset) , but most of the time you encounter serious problems , even with the same chipset .

So I do recomend reinstalling the OS , it's more work, but better have a good start with the new PC.

For all the boso's here saying you need to remove drivers, and use driverclaener , well FYI , drivers for chipsets can't be removed, only upgraded or downgraded by the use of restore points or image .