Old Computer......New Motherboard?

[NonTechi]

I have an old Gateway 2000 PII (233 mhz) and I'm interested in possibly replacing the current motherboard. I have some experience in replacing hard drives and Simms, but none in this topic. Can I get some sort of bundle, say with an Athlon processor (700-800 mhz or more) and 128 SDRAM?
This is the link to my current motherboard:
Gateway Motherboard

My current setup: _Storm Platinum PCI Audio
_Ethernet Card
_Promise Ultra33 IDE Controller
_Intel 82371SB PCI Bus Master IDE Controller.

Any info and/or suggestions would be greatly appreciated....

 

[ddeder]

Check the form factor on your old motherboard. If it is not an ATX form factor, you will probably need a new case as well as a new motherboard. I believe all of the Duron and Athlon chips (as well as the newer Intel chips) only work on ATX form factor motherboards. Someone correct me if I am wrong...

 

[NonTechi]

Form Factor is ATX........any suggestions, someone mentioned MSI K7T Pro2a?

 

[salman327]

Really depends on how fast you want your processor. Remember, the higher the speed, the more heat it creates. And with a case that has no airflow, you're either gonna have to mod it so that you can insert a few fans, or buy a new case, or perhaps buy a slower processor (Don't know exactly how low you can go, w/out needing air ventilation, although you should have it no matter what). If you're looking for a good, stable mb, try the epox 8k7a, or the gigabyte 7dx, or some other boards.

 

[ddeder]

I just built my first computer and used an EPOX 8K7A. This board was easy to work with and I had no problems. I installed a 1.2 GHz Athlon 266 FSB but it will work for the slower Athlons as well and leave room for upgrading. The reviews for this board are great, I don't think I have seen a bad one yet. newegg.com has this board for $120. Also, this mobo supports DDRDRAM and has onboard audio.

 

[NonTechi]

Ventilation is definitely an issue, although there does appear to be a fan in the back, possibly for the power supply. 1 GHz would be the max, with 950 MHz about right. Some of these bundles seem to include fans (saw some at AccessMicro.....), and if there is already one fan, maybe that would suffice? Can you recommend a case? Thanks again for your advice.......

 

[ddeder]

Enlight Medium ATX Tower Case Model EN-72370X3 with 300Watts Power Supply, 4 5.25" Bays, 2 3.5" Bays & 1 Hidden 3.5" Bay recommended by AMD.

$50 at newegg.

 

[salman327]

Heard alot about that enlight, but I also heard that it doesn't have great case cooling. If you're on a budget, you could try the Fong Kai cases (Again, I'm not 100% sure on their case ventilation, might wanna ask around). Also if you can loosen up your wallet just a bit more, you might wanna try Antec's sx series. The sx830 can be had at emscomputing for around $90 shipped to you. You can also try other places for it, just go to pricewatch and type in sx830. You can also try the sx1030, but I think it costs a lil more