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I rate myself as only "advanced novice" as
far as computers go, so excuse me if this
is a silly question.I was wondering if it would be possible
to buy a new motherboard and processor,
say a socket A motherboard and a Sempron
2000+ processor, fan, and memory, all for
less than 100.00, and just bolt it into
an older computer, say anthing from a
late 486 or early pentium up to a pentium
III, and have a computer comparable to
a bottom-level new computer. Everything
I've read on this says it should be
possible with only some minor tweaks.
Is this right.Thanks,
Clif
There are two things you need to check in order for it to work. The PSU and RAM. The RAM is mobo specific. You can't use PC100 on a board that uses PC300. The PSU on an older board may not push enough to keep a newer mobo happy. The optical drives and hard drives can always be used in another system. If your current board has an integrated video adaptor, you may need to buy a video card or make sure you buy a mobo with an integrated video. Other then that you can swap everything.
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You can't swap everything if it's too old. You probably won't have nothing to reuse from an 486. Newer systems are (m)ATX compatible and 486 aint. you can't fit an ATX mobo in a 486 case, it simply won't fit and it won't be compatible with the PSU.
Pentium I an up is ATX, so teoretical you could use the parts. Practicaly it's not worh it!
Why pay 100buck on new proc/ram when the system will be slown down by an old and small hard drive??Another think too be carefull is the type of case your older system has. It can be a P III but it doesn't necesarly mean it's ATX.
Just be carefull what you buy. Mesure 10 times, buy once ;)
I suggest you buy new components for a speedy pc. If you are short on money you could use refurbished parts. Personaly i have never used them but i guess they are pretty good quality. Find some with extended waranty :)
GooD LucK
It's nice to be important but it's more important to be nice...
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486 is definitely AT style.
P1 is probably AT, but they did switch over to ATX later in it's life.
P2 & P3 are ATX style, but the PSU is probably not up to the task...you'd have to look at the label. 250 watts will power a low end system, provided there's a reasonable amount of amperage on the +12v.
The RAM from these systems definitely will not work on a new board.
Outpost.com has a Duron 1.6/KT266A board combo for $50 (+ shipping). That leaves you about $45 to play with to find a cheap PSU & RAM?
Asus A7N8X-X
2500+ Sempron @ 2100mhz
10.5 x 200mhz @ 1.80v
512mb PC3200
Ti4200/8X 128mb
WDC 60GB
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Forgive me! I had no idea people were still using systems THAT old. LOL. If you're still using an AT style mobo, I suggest you buy yourself a new VCR and Atari 400 to get a feel for the newest stuff.
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Hey, i still use atari, and vcr's, but not cause i have to.
You can't buy everything you need under 100$ mabye 2-400$. And like everyone said, ram wont fit, powersupply wont work. Good luck mate.
If you dont try, you'll never know..
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You guys are so spoiled by modern high speed PCs that you don't realize what an "old" PC is actually capable of. A 233MMX/64mb system running Win98SE is still a decent machine, as long as you understand it's limitations...it's not gonna run DOOM-3, but it's fine for internet usage, e-mail, word programs, & light-weight games like DOOM-1.
Asus A7N8X-X
2500+ Sempron @ 2100mhz
10.5 x 200mhz @ 1.80v
512mb PC3200
Ti4200/8X 128mb
WDC 60GB
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DooM I would run on a good 386.
Yeah - I've yet to see a P1 with an ATX PSU (but I suppose there must be some)
Over 20 years of desktops, just now becoming more or less 'standardized' - - so, sure - the board has to fit, and the Power must be compatible. You can reuse the old drives, but not much else.
I'm not saying there should be a capital punishment for stupidity, but why don't we just take the safety labels off of everything and let the problem solve itself?
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Am not sure what you are going to do with the hard drive salvaged from that system, but one thing is sure you are not putting XP on it.
B4 you criticize a bigger man, walk a mile in his shoes. That way, you're a mile away, and you have his shoes.
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You can hook up the various drives - unlike the other parts - but for sure, there's little point to plunking a 200Mb drive into a P4
I'm not saying there should be a capital punishment for stupidity, but why don't we just take the safety labels off of everything and let the problem solve itself?
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i agree with jam. even an old system is fine for basic stuff and light-wheight games. i have dozens of old games that will run on an "old" system (even a few that work fine on a 486) and i still play them, but not because i have to, i have a better system. but they are still useful
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I have a rare Dell 486 motherboard that has ATX power supply
There are two types of people in this world: lazy people and stupid people.
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