mobo change

[Boyho1]

Hi guys

I am proposing to upgrade my mobo & cpu soon.

I am going for an ABIT KR7A-RAID and AMD Athlon 1800+ (or 2000+ if the price is right) together with 512mb PC2100 ram.

I have changed graphics cards, processors, memory and added a CDRW drive before but not all at the same time. Are there any pitfalls to be aware of or is the process quite straightforward. For instance, can I expect the system to boot up readily without avoidable hangups?

Operating system is Windows 98 SE, power supply is 250 watts (do I need to bring this up to 300 watts.

Any suggestions will be much appreciated.

Best wishes

Frank

 

[powerMarkymark]

I have basically the same setup as you are planning to get and I love it. I was advised to go for a 430W PSU though and that's what I did. I installed WinXP pro and I prefer that to Win98SE. Just my two cents worth.

Good luck.

 

[Mavrick007]

I would go with at least a 300-350watt psu if you are going to make an AMD XP system. If you can, go with an AMD approved psu and don't skimp, get either an Enermax, Antec, or Sparkle at least.

 

[Boyho1]

Thanks guys.............that covers the power supply. Now what about the mobo change

Frank

 

[Mavrick007]

The Abit Kr7a-raid is a nice board, but still a bit pricey. Do you need a raid mobo?

The 1800+ is a good deal, and so is the 1900+ right now, but it just depends on how long you want to wait. The 2000+ cpu should be down to under $150 in the next month or so I should expect.

I might consider a KT333 board now or else a mobo w/o raid if I were you(unless you have to have raid). It's not going to be a sure thing, but as long as you set up the system correctly (check out a building guide), then you shouldn't have any problems. Tweaking drivers or settings will be your biggest problem. Get the Via 4-in-1 drivers that are up to date and all the other current drivers. Win98SE is good, but with that power you might as well go with Win2000 or XP.

 

[zzzz]

what was your old mobo?
win98 usually survives a mobo change without you having to do anything special. But I belive this question has been covered in the FAQ. read it.

 

[Boyho1]

My existing mobo is a Chaintech CT-6BTA3 running a P3 @ 450hz.

I have now found and read the article in the FAQ section and it looks a bit daunting. Might decide to back up all my data etc and do a clean install.

I don't think that I necessarily need raid but I am choosing the board based on the leading board from the review of k266 boards on this site some months ago. Any alternative mobo suggestions would be welcome but don't confuse me too much

tx for all your help guys

Frank

 

[WhoDeeny]

<< Might decide to back up all my data etc and do a clean install. >>



Yes, yes, yes, YES!!!!!

Do that, you'll save yourself many hours or headaches

 

[Boyho1]

Before it disappears.......................bump

Frank