Cheap upgrade

[RickH]

I have an old PII 450 machine that I would like to do a cheap upgrade to a AMD XP. I want to keep everything as it is, just swap the MB/CPU to a XP1700. The ECS K7S5A would let me keep my PC133 RAM, and a combo is only about $135 on the net. The question is the powersupply--the current unit is a Sparkel 250watt. I have heard this MB is power hungery and needs a larger powersupply than some other MB with the same CPU to be stable. RRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

 

[Soulkeeper]

yeah a 250 would be pushing it
i got a 300 watter and have my system underclocked till i get a 480
i recommend getting atleast a 350wat name brand model
also you will have to get a heatsink for yur athlon cpu if the combo don't come with one the P2 cooler won't be enough
your choice to go with an sis 735 chipset solution is wise to keep costs down and save yur pc-133
plus it will let you use ddr mem later on down the road if you want (which the kt133a can't offer)
welp have fun

 

[BuddyAtBzboyz]

I have a 300 Watt one working just fine with my k7s5a. However if you wanna find out more check out the forum here :http://pub65.ezboard.com/bk7s5amotherboardforum The best k7s5a forum I found for when I was overclocking my chip.

 

[pitupepito2000]

You can get a cheap motherboard, but the better the power supply the more optical devices you will be able to connect to your pc. I would go for a MSI KT3 Ultra motherboard and a OEM version of the AMD Athlon.

Hope that helps!

 

[Buz2b]

A Sparkle 300 watt will work "OK" with that board, but not many 250 watters do. The best bet is a good quality 350 watt PS.
You could try it and see if you start having difficulties but I would just upgrade and not take the chance.

 

[Boonesmi]

i had 2 different k7s5a boards, neither one would work well with my generic 300w powersupplies that came with the atx cases (when i tested them with a high quality powersupply they both worked great)

personally i would stay away from the k7s5a unless you want to spend about as much on a powersupply as you spend to buy the board

 

[o1die]

I used a sparkle 235 watt on my 1700xp and shuttle ak31a and it worked fine. Try your old power supply. If you don't overclock, and don't see any random reboots or screen freeze-ups, you may be ok. If not, order a sparkle 300 watt from newegg for about $33 shipped.

 

[sasa]

Maybe you should go with kt133a, like ecs k7vza. It is less picky abiut power supply , and it also has 3 sdram slots vs only 2 slots of k7s5a, so you will be able to add some more memory in future (sdram is still twice cheaper than DDR).
And don't buy a new ps before you try the old one.

 

[BuddyAtBzboyz]

personally i would stay away from the k7s5a unless you want to spend about as much on a powersupply as you spend to buy the board

Not true my case and power supply was half the price of the board when I bought it. You just gotta make sure the power supply is good. Try getting a case that your local computer store has the k7s5a in. That's what I did. They had a demo computer running the k7s5a so I bought that case

Maybe you should go with kt133a, like ecs k7vza. It is less picky abiut power supply , and it also has 3 sdram slots vs only 2 slots of k7s5a, so you will be able to add some more memory in future (sdram is still twice cheaper than DDR).

I have 2 arguments with this. 1) k7s5a has 3 sdram slots and 2 ddr slots so it has as much available slots as the k7vza and is more expandable. 2) sdram is not 2x cheaper then ddr.

But yes you are right about the k7s5a being picky.

 

[Buz2b]

k7s5a has 3 sdram slots and 2 ddr slots so it has as much available slots as the k7vza and is more expandable

Uhh, try again. The K7S5A has Two SDRAM slots and Two DDR slots. You're wrong on that one but correct on the other.

 

[jiffylube1024]

Originally posted by: o1die
I used a sparkle 235 watt on my 1700xp and shuttle ak31a and it worked fine. Try your old power supply. If you don't overclock, and don't see any random reboots or screen freeze-ups, you may be ok. If not, order a sparkle 300 watt from newegg for about $33 shipped.

Exactly. Test out the 250W and see if it works. Also, check the +5V rating for that PS; if it's comparable to a 300W PS then you should be fine (+5V I believe is used for AMD CPU's more; +12V is used on P4's).

I used an Enlight 300W PS to power way more than many people claim 300W should be capable of: a P4, 4 HD's, DVD drive, CDRW, Zip drive, etc and it worked fine for years ... It just goes to show you that some claims of needing a super-high watt PS are bogus. Anyone who says an overclocked P4 or AMD XP needs "at least 400W" or whatever is on drugs.

 

[Buz2b]

Anyone who says an overclocked P4 or AMD XP needs "at least 400W" or whatever is on drugs

Try as I might to agree with you on some things, I think you are a bit off the mark here. No, they DON'T necessarily need a 400 watt but wouldn't you agree that in order to overclock either one (but especially the XP), you would need a good quality PS? And isn't there a big difference between a "good quality" 300-350 watt PS and a "generic" 400-450 watt? In concession to you I guess you could say that you need at least a "generic" 400-450 watt PS, OR a good quality 300-350 watt one. Even that can be a bit shakey; I have seen some 400 watt PS's that have bogus outputs vs. say, an Enermax or TruePower PS.

 

[Soulkeeper]

If you want your PSU to last a long time i would get atleast a 350watt quality psu whether you are oc'n or not
infact you couldn't make me (an oc'r) get anything under a 400
if things keep going the way they have been over the years some day we'll prob need a 600watt psu
lets hope that don't happen but there was a time when people used 90watt psu's
ohhh well

 

[AndrewPaulNet]

Wow....400 Watts. Thats 5x75 watt bulbs. That's 3 floodlights.

Thats more than some refrigerators use.

My systems good with a cheap 300w. MSI KT3 Ultra with 2200+.

Good Luck with the Power Bill

 

[jiffylube1024]

Originally posted by: Buz2b

Anyone who says an overclocked P4 or AMD XP needs "at least 400W" or whatever is on drugs

Try as I might to agree with you on some things, I think you are a bit off the mark here. No, they DON'T necessarily need a 400 watt but wouldn't you agree that in order to overclock either one (but especially the XP), you would need a good quality PS? And isn't there a big difference between a "good quality" 300-350 watt PS and a "generic" 400-450 watt? In concession to you I guess you could say that you need at least a "generic" 400-450 watt PS, OR a good quality 300-350 watt one. Even that can be a bit shakey; I have seen some 400 watt PS's that have bogus outputs vs. say, an Enermax or TruePower PS.

I think I may have skewed my point a bit: I was trying to say (in as few words as possible ) that more watts isn't always "better". I agree 100% with the statement that a higher quality PS is better than a high watt one, I was just being lazy and said more doesn't always mean better. Personally I think that a 350 W Enermax/Antec/etc is all you'd really need, or if you're really hardcore about overclocking get a quality 400W one. Many of these so-called 500W power supplies are junk and actually have lower current ratings then quality ones at 350+ ...

 

[Buz2b]

I agree 100% with the statement that a higher quality PS is better than a high watt one

Gee, you take away all my fun. J/K Seriously, thanks for the clarification.

My systems good with a cheap 300w.

I guess the operative word here is "cheap". Some of us value our investment and don't like taking chances with "cheap" or inadequate parts. If yours is working "fine", then great. I'm happy for you. But that is the exception, not the rule.

 

[BuddyAtBzboyz]

Well dag nabbit you are right ther are only 2 I had to see it with my own eyes go I looked under the desk and low and behold 2. Didn't even have to remove the case pannel since it has been off all summer.

 

[RickH]

Thanks for the input. When I said I wanted to do a "cheap" upgrade it must be stable, etc. Everything else in box is good stuff--only P450 era--slow. As I see it if I need to replace the powersupply with a 400 watt $75-100 unit it is not a cheap upgrade. The main reason for using the ECS board was the cost and the ability to use the old memory. RRRRRRRRRR

 

[Buz2b]

The main reason for using the ECS board was the cost and the ability to use the old memory.

It can still be an "inexpensive" upgrade. You don't need a 400 watt @ $75-100. Just get a Sparkle 300 watt for under $35 shipped at NewEgg (if they are back in stock) or some other location. Heck, I suppose you could try that Sparkle 250 watt and see what happens. What is the combined 3.3 and 5 volt rating (should say so on the side)?