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mobo swapout for upgrade

F

fjorner

Senior member
I once again invoke the mighty knowledge of anandtech. grace me with knowledge flowing forth from the font of general hardware!

Got a compusa-cheap celeron 2.4ghz. ATX size mobo, PC2100, IDE HD,

Thinking about getting a A64 3200+ on any socket 939 mobo. Just haven't picked out the mobo yet.

This is the approach I'm favoring right now because it involves essentially replacing just the mobo... all the peripherals and box can stay, i think.

having never done this before...

1) Do I need to upgrade my power supply?

2) how will this affect my hard drive/windows? Will it boot up as usual? should i uninstall that chipset drivers for the old mobo before replacing, or will the old chipset drivers not be a problem?

3) ATX mobo's are basically interchangable with ATX cases, right? All the sockets/plugs on the back are in standard locations on any ATX case?

As you can tell, I'm a bit of a noob.


many thanks
 
Originally posted by: fjorner
I once again invoke the mighty knowledge of anandtech. grace me with knowledge flowing forth from the font of general hardware!

Got a compusa-cheap celeron 2.4ghz. ATX size mobo, PC2100, IDE HD,

Thinking about getting a A64 3200+ on any socket 939 mobo. Just haven't picked out the mobo yet.

This is the approach I'm favoring right now because it involves essentially replacing just the mobo... all the peripherals and box can stay, i think.

having never done this before...

1) Do I need to upgrade my power supply? You might, just for more power (although see my cya caution further down). Though it depends on what the original PSU supplies compared to needs of upgraded rig (how many/what other components). Unless the original is really weak I may just try it and see. You can usually see what the original PSU supplies by opening the case and looking at the sticker on the side of the PSU. Note of caution: Prolly not relevant here, but some manufacturers have used "custom" PSU's in the past. That's a big no-go as the wiring is switched around and would cause hardware damage.

2) how will this affect my hard drive/windows? Will it boot up as usual? should i uninstall that chipset drivers for the old mobo before replacing, or will the old chipset drivers not be a problem? Prolly wont boot into windows. The problem will be different mobo/chipset drivers required for the two diff mobo's. I always do a reformat/reinstall. But many here will tell you it's not required for winXP, that a "repair install" will work. In fact Anandtech has an article on it. See HERE, Scroll down and read the "Misc Notes" section for instructions.

3) ATX mobo's are basically interchangable with ATX cases, right? All the sockets/plugs on the back are in standard locations on any ATX case? Yeah, however some of the cheapo/mass markey PCs use a small format ATX. It's best to measure the case (or existing mobo) then look up the spec's (width x length) of the new mobo to ensure room for it to fit. Socket and plugs should be no problem. Your new mobo will come with a backplate that handles the plugs/ports. I.e., you won't reuse the existing one.

As you can tell, I'm a bit of a noob.


many thanks
Click to expand...

See response above in bold.

Fern
 
MANY thanks. I will check out the article.

1) how would I know if I have a custom PSU and cabling setup?

2) not familiar with newer motherboards, as I was last a hardcore PC tech in the Pentium II era. Are all mobo's nowadays jumperless? Will I have to be setting pins in place for multipliers if I stock a A643500+ with PC2100 RAM?

3) Pretty sure I am ATX not microATX, will buy whatever it turns out to be. The PCI slots will match up, no problems? Are there any other size/fitting issues to be aware of?
 
Originally posted by: fjorner
MANY thanks. I will check out the article.

1) how would I know if I have a custom PSU and cabling setup? Two thoughts, get a cheap multimeter and check, or call the tech support for your old pc and tell them you think the PSU is bad and can you just pick up another at a local shop etc. IIRC it was Dell's that did this so may not even be of real concern, I just bring it up out of caution. Oh, might try googleing the PSU id # to see if anything pops up about it.

2) not familiar with newer motherboards, as I was last a hardcore PC tech in the Pentium II era. Are all mobo's nowadays jumperless? Will I have to be setting pins in place for multipliers if I stock a A643500+ with PC2100 RAM? Yeah, pretty much are all jumper-less these days. I expect the mobo's BIOS will handle the divider automatically. When you settle on a mobo you could always check their forums or post here to make sure no manual BIOS adjustments were neccessary

3) Pretty sure I am ATX not microATX, will buy whatever it turns out to be. The PCI slots will match up, no problems? Are there any other size/fitting issues to be aware of? I think only size/room in case for new mobo would be my concern. If it's ATX everything will match up. Only thing that could cause problems is the new nobo is too big for the case. Then PCI wouldn't match up, no room for them
Click to expand...


Fern
 
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