Tom's Guide | Tom's Hardware | Tom's Games
 |
 |
 |
I am planning to buy some computer parts to make my computer a little faster, but my budget (just for now, i am getting more money later) is $200.
I am planning getting an Athlon Venice 3200+ Chipset
which is $128 at newegg.
Now that means I have just over $70 dollars left. Is there any recommended
AMD-compatible motherboards I should consider that are $72 or less?I am adding this to my Compaq S4010CL computer. Everything is the same, except the Ram, which is Kingston 1GB PC2700. Would everything else be compatible?
I am also wondering How I can overclock the ram to PC3200?
I think I got everything I needed to ask, if I forgot please tell me.
Any help would be appreciated.
Here's one deal.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813130484R
compare to:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.asp?DEPA=0&type=&Description=MSI+K8N+Neo4+Platinum+&Submit=ENE&Ntk=all&N=0&minPrice=&maxPrice=&Go.x=17&Go.y=34
0 
Keep in mind that replacing the motherboard will stop your Compaq restore software from working.
You can't overclock the RAM.
Do yourself a favor BACKUP!
Sorry, I do not check for private messages
0
lots of bad possiblities here:
- the board *may* not fit in the case
- the PSU *may* be proprietary, meaning that the wiring would not be compatible, even the the ATX plug is the same...when connected & switched on, it will fry the board, or CPU, or both
- the PC2700 will not overclock to PC3200 speed, but you maybe able to settle for something in between
- Windows definitely will not boot after the board swap. You'd have to do a "repair install". And as ham30 pointed out, your Compaq software (if that's what you were planning to use) will not work with a non-Compaq board
0
"what use would the compaq restore software have?"
None, because once you change the motherboard, it will be completely useless to you. But normally it's used to reinstall Windows on the Compaq system that it came with.
0
A Compaq is not worth trying to upgrade, they are sold as is without a XP CD, and if you drastically change major components you will need to buy an XP CD!
Sell the Compaq and build yourself an upgradeable PC............
0
Compaq seems to have started using 'regular' motherboards and then branding the bios. In some cases you can force a bios upgrade from the motherboard manufacturer. I imagine the compaq restore disks would reject the new bios, as would an existing XP installation.
But a different motherboard should fit as long as the rear panel configuration is the same. With a new one you'd probably get the corresponding back panel plate to fit the case so you wouldn't have to worry about that. You may need to upgrade the power supply. The one in the compaq is probably only 250 or 300 watts.
0
Read jam's post again.
If you're still up for it, I really like this Epox board for vanilla 939 rigs. It doesn't have firewire or SATAII, but it's affordable and very stable.
"If it ain't broke, upgrade anyway."
0
If you are looking for a MOBO/CPU combo for $200, you should watch Outpost's weekly specials. They don't have one right now but they often have Athlon64/MOBO combos in the $200 or less range.
But I don't know if you can replace your Compaq MOBO/CPU wihtout replacing your case/PSU/OS as was posted above.
0
Ok now my budget as of now is $300, heh.
I know that I will probably have to get a new OS, I have XP Pro, with an invalid Cd key, But i really don't care.
What are the benefits of SATAII, firewire, and SLI. Because some of the boards I have looked up don't have those. And I found this
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817148027
Would 500 watts be good enough?
I will measure the dimentions of my case to get the proper sized motherboard, and if all the things in the back don't fit, I will just rip the back off :)
Just until I get a good casePS: thanks for all the help everyone
0
"I have XP Pro, with an invalid Cd key"
Google will help you with that problem ;-)
"Would 500 watts be good enough?"
You can't base a PSU's worth on wattage alone. Better to get a good 350W unit than a crappy 500W one. Stay away from Aspire. The ThermalTake PSU is OK, but it depends on what other components you're gonna install. Generally speaking, you're not gonna get a decent PSU for $30.
"I will measure the dimentions of my case to get the proper sized motherboard"
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/product?cc=br&lc=en&dlc=pt&product=339956
It's not the size of the board that's necessarily the problem, but looking at the HP/Compaq site above, it looks like you're gonna need a microATX board, so that's gonna limit your choices. But their are other possible conflicts within the case to be concerned about..."ripping the back off" is not an option.
Personally, I think you're making a big mistake trying to "upgrade" this PC.
0  |
 |
 |
This post is quite old and has been locked from receiving new replies. Please create a new posting instead.
| Ads by Google |
