P3 Motherboard Replacement

[seismik]

I've got a NetVista PC I'm fixing for a friend that is freezing. I've isolated it down to a motherboard problem, so I've got to find a replacement motherboard for him. I can't find any brand info or model numbers on the board, so I'm just going to try to find something similiar to put in. The size of the board has me a little confused though, it's about 8" by 9". Is that Micro-ATX size? Or is there something else it could be that's a simliar size? Just want to make sure I buy something that fits...

 

[todpod]

I am kinda speculating, but i think IBM has propritary size for there M/Bs, they call them Flex atx, It may be hard finding a motherbaord to match those specs and fit in the the case. Your best bet would be to find a M/B and case and shift everything else to the new case. You should be able to get a reasonable combo from computer geeks pretty cheap ($75+-).

Good Luck

 

[seismik]

Thanks for the help todpod, proprietary sizing was EXACTLY what I was worried about. I'll rip the whole motherboard out and maybe take that with me when I go motherboard shopping. Searching the web has turned up absolutely nothing for sources for Aptiva replacement motherboards, which may send me into a new case as you suggest.

 

[MasterFlash]

If you have a few extra bucks, now's probably the right time to upgrade to a new system. You're not going to get a lot of life out of a P3 system, and it seams a shame to invest in a new mobo for an old CPU. If you kept all your hard drive, optical drives, fans, etc, you could probably put an Athlon XP 2500+ system (cpu, mobo, ram, case) together for about $300. Just something to think about.

 

[bozo1]

That system likely uses a proprietary power supply, front case connections, etc. If it's old enough, it may have proprietary RAM as well but I think IBM started getting away from that with the P2's.

 

[seismik]

I bought a used P3 board, it's a Micro-ATX sized that fits inside the case. The power supply and RAM are both ok, they could transfer to a new case, but I wasn't able to get the board to post with the P3 CPU. So I've got the shop checking the board out again to make sure they CAN get it to POST (I kinda doubt it) and if not they're going to cut me a deal on an upgrade to:

Intel Celeron 1.7GHz CPU
New Socket 478 Mainboard
17" Case with 300W Power Supply
256MB DDR RAM
32MB 4x AGP Video Card
1 Year Parts Warranty

And move the harddrive and CDROM over to the new case for $230USD. The old system only has 128MB of RAM, and onboard video and audio, so I think it would be a pretty solid upgrade for the price. This is a friend's system I've been working on, so I'm trying to set it up for him as cheaply as possible -- he basically only surfs the Net and uses MS Office for simple home documents. I think you guys are right to consider an upgrade instead of a 'fix' here as a new motherboard, case and power supply for this thing wouldn't cost that much less, plus he'll get something with a bit of a future.

 

[lycurgus]

I don't believe a 1.7MHz Celeron is the best way to go (along with a bunch of other outdated components). I would recommend either an 865 and a low-end P4 (NOT a Celeron) or look at AMD.

 

[MasterFlash]

Mmm, Celerons are old school. You can get 'em cheap, but they're slow. The Athlon XP 1700+ is about $10 less than the Celeron 1.7, and is much faster. Check out prices on www.pricewatch.com. I did a quick search on Newegg.com and found the following bundled deal. It might fit your needs for mobo & cpu for $100.

 

[seismik]

Maybe I'll have to visit the dark side and finally build an AMD rig. Hehe. Those do look like pretty solid bang for the buck.