Motherboard replacement

[dilloduck]

I've been itchin to upgrade my PIII 450 cpu however I discovered that it's the max that my motherboard will support. How hard is it to replace a motherboard? Do I need special tools etc?

 

[no1tovote4]

I've been itchin to upgrade my PIII 450 cpu however I discovered that it's the max that my motherboard will support. How hard is it to replace a motherboard? Do I need special tools etc?

It isn't so difficult. The only thing that you really need to pay real attention to is not getting the new board all staticy. Make sure you are grounded before playing inside the machine (there are devices that will ground you that you can purchase at the place that you purchase the new board). You would simply remove your cards, your board is attached with screws on the bottom. Replace the board with the new board (CPU should already be attached). Replace your cards and memory, attach the power supply and viola!

 

[dilloduck]

It isn't so difficult. The only thing that you really need to pay real attention to is not getting the new board all staticy. Make sure you are grounded before playing inside the machine (there are devices that will ground you that you can purchase at the place that you purchase the new board). You would simply remove your cards, your board is attached with screws on the bottom. Replace the board with the new board (CPU should already be attached). Replace your cards and memory, attach the power supply and viola!

Thanks--I have replaced stuff in there already so have experience with the static crap. I was hoping to get a maybe a used board and CPU (yes,i'm cheap). All motheroards don't come with attatched CPUs do they?

 

[no1tovote4]

Thanks--I have replaced stuff in there already so have experience with the static crap. I was hoping to get a maybe a used board and CPU (yes,i'm cheap). All motheroards don't come with attatched CPUs do they?

No, but modern boards usually don't require difficult jumper settings. The CPU would need to be attached by yourself. You will also need to purchase a new heat-sink and fan for the CPU, that needs to be new as the old ones can have flaws that are unnoticable to the eye but can wreak havoc in your machine.

 

[eric]

Dillo, that is good advice you have been given, but I would like to go one step futher. If you intent on reusing your other hardware there MIGHT be compatibility issues. The key is to do your research on the type of motherboard you want to purchase. Some have a lot more trouble playing nice than others. Other than compatibility issues, motherboard replacement is quite simple, if you follow the rules above. One final note, check the placement of the screw holes on your current case, to make sure the new board will line up, if you don't want to go putting in new posts. If you require additional help please do not hesitate to PM me. If necessary I can give you directions by phone.

 

[no1tovote4]

Dillo, that is good advice you have been given, but I would like to go one step futher. If you intent on reusing your other hardware there MIGHT be compatibility issues. The key is to do your research on the type of motherboard you want to purchase. Some have a lot more trouble playing nice than others. Other than compatibility issues, motherboard replacement is quite simple, if you follow the rules above. One final note, check the placement of the screw holes on your current case, to make sure the new board will line up, if you don't want to go putting in new posts. If you require additional help please do not hesitate to PM me. If necessary I can give you directions by phone.

Ah yes! True. Make sure you have posts placed correctly. If the board touches the casing you machine can actually catch fire! (Experience is the best teacher ). I forget some of the issues that I dealt with before, it all comes more naturally now.

 

[eric]

After 21 years of engineering and tech support it becomes hard to forget !

 

[NightTrain]

Dillo, I upgraded this machine about 6 months ago or so from a 1200 to a 2500 AMD with a gig of RAM and a new hard drive for about $400... and things are much more expensive up here than they are down there.

You can upgrade yours for probably for under $200 if you don't upgrade RAM and all your other devices are compatible. My CPU came already attached to the motherboard, it was a simple matter of plugging it all in. Win XP detected and installed everything pretty much painlessly.

One bit of advice I was given with my project was to buy Name Brand stuff, the no-name products that are $20 bucks cheaper can give you quite a bit of grief.

I'm sure Eric & No1 can give you some advice on reputable companies to narrow your search down.

 

[eric]

was to buy Name Brand stuff

Could not agree more !!!!

 

[no1tovote4]

Could not agree more !!!!

No kidding. I tried to save before, it only causes pain.

 

[dilloduck]

Great advice all---thanks. You're very generous ! I'll be sure to ask before I start the Great 2004 Austin Fire or blow up the tri-state grid!

 

[007]

Yup... I like nothing more than saving money myself.

I used to have a little 423 or something like that H.P., and it locked up on me for the last time and wouldn't recognize the modem one night, so I took it outside, threw it down, stomped on it, picked up a big rock and smashed it into it repeatedly, until my room mate was thoroughly amused at what I was doing and handed me a "pick", so I finished it off with a huge pick! You couldn't really tell it was a computer after I was through.

I'd heard horror stories about Intel "Celeron" Proccessors before, but after owning one, I'll only say, DON'T own one.

I read once that AMD had won "CPU" of the year awards from computer magazines, and that they usually run faster than their advertised speed. So I went out and bought me another H.P., this time top of the line, at the time, a 725n, with an AMD 2800 Athlon Proccessor, 512 DDR RAM, CD-RW, and DVD-RW. There's more, it came with a 3D graphics accelerator card, 64bit, and other stuff. I love it. It's run FLAWLESS ever since I unpacked it and fired it up. A regular freight train.

With that, I've had such good luck with buying a name brand, "already all put together", that I wouldn't want to fool around putting one together from scratch. I've also enjoyed a warranty and great tech support from Hewlet Packard.

I've got a two year degree in Electrical Engineering, and I love to dabble around with all sorts of stuff. Maybe someday I'll build one, but it won't be my primary user.

 

[Wolfe]

I've been itchin to upgrade my PIII 450 cpu however I discovered that it's the max that my motherboard will support. How hard is it to replace a motherboard? Do I need special tools etc?

dilloduck,
the most difficult part of installing a mobo,imho, is putting the ram into the slots. The rest is easy as pie.