question about 478 compatibility

[gfx]

ok, new to forums, hi... i feel really stupid asking this because i feel i know a good amount about computers -_- built my own, built em for several friends, got a+ cert... ok well... heres my Q...


my sister bought a dell (instead of letting her brother build her one) ... the specs are: celeron 2.2, 128mb ddr 266... some intel crap mobo... /w onboard 32meg video... yes im aware... it makes me rofl also

ok so shes fed up with it... and shes kinda strapped for cash... so i was thinking about buying her a new case, some 50 dollar 512 pc-3200 stick that will get her by, and an 800mhz 478 mobo for some like 150- 200 dollar price ... what my question is... is can i use a 400mhz(FSB) socket 478 celeron on a mobo that says 533/800mhz(FSB) on it? i was pretty sure i could but i just wanted to make sure... the reason i want to do this is so my sister can keep her celeron untill she has some more cash... thx...

 

[aatf510]

It really depends on the board, but I guess most of them will do 400MHz. Do you have a specific make and model in mind?
I also thinking that spending $150-$200 on a 478 board is kind of a waste today. I would spend $80 max on a 478 board.

 

[gfx]

haha, i meant 150-200 on everything... the case the ram and the mobo ...

and i was thinking something like the asus p4p800-mx or the abit vt7 ... or maybe even step it up a couple of bux and get the epox ep-4pda3I-3 ... i love all 3 brands really... it has to be 800mhz capable... have 4 dual chan ddr-3200 slots and a decent onboard soundcard and sata wouldnt hurt

 

[fuentefan]

I got this board.....it is very stable. It is based on the Dual Channel VIA chipset, just as good as the other boards mentioned above....(865PE)

 

[Green Man]

Just upgrade the RAM. 512MB will do wonders to wake up an older system bogged down with insufficient memory. If she has WinXP on that box, I can feel her pain from here!

If all she does is surf the Web, check email, play elf bowling, etc... then a Celeron, no matter how laughable, should get her by.

Throw a stick of RAM in it and she'll love you for it.

 

[Jiggz]

Personally, I will upgrade one component at a time while at the same time thinking about the end spec of a new system. I'll start with a 1-512 PC3200 stick of DDR ($40.00 on Trade/Sale Section). If she is not satisfied yet, then look into the HDD (Maxtor 200 GB, 7200, 16MB, $90.00). If she is still not satisfied, I will go for an MSI 865PE (400/533/800 Mhz, $80.00). Then lastly I will upgrade the CPU to about P4 3.0 Ghz( even a 2.66 for about $80.00 will also suffice). I'll bet you she will be very happy with the first RAM upgrade alone, unless she does heavy video editing or large database programs.

 

[imported_whatever]

I know the Abit IC7-G (arguably the best OCing 478 mobo) does NOT support 400MHz FSB. It will default to 533 if you put in a 400MHz chip.