System Upgrade: Please Advise :)

[spwango]

Hey All,

Great forum--good to know there is this kind of community out there for hardware. Anyway, I'm looking into getting rid of my current Slot1 PIII 450 rig, and I would like to upgrade to a 1Ghz TBird (Probably with a 266 FSB on that ASUS KT133A mobo)...It has been quiet a while since I built a machine (the last one I did was a 486 without a heatsink or fan🙂 And as such, I was hoping to get some advice on a few questions:

1) Anyone know of any problems running Linux (esp Mandrake) on the T-Bird?

2) I am a little frightened of the idea of installing a fragile T-bird myself. How easy is it to trash the die on these things? Is there a good 'beginners' heatsink that will install easily and reduce the risk of this problem?

3) I noticed that Monarch Computers sells pre-built mobo+cpu+fan combos...is this a good way to upgrade? The ResellerRatings user comments make me a bit weary about ordering from Monarch--has anyone had any experience with them or know of other reliable companies with similar offers?

4) Is a 300W power supply enough for this? I'm having problems finding anything greater than that locally and don't want to incurr the shipping charges for case too.--

Thanks!

 

[JorgeElPrimero]

there are some concerns with installing a thunderbird but be careful and don't use too much force. If you do those things you will be fine.

 

[SiliconVandal]

1) Not that I've heard of.

2) Unless you are a boarish ape, you should be able to install it without side loading the chip. (If your name is Kyle and you own HardOCP, I wouldn't try it 🙂).

3) This is a good way to upgrade if the price is right. I don't know the price, so I can't advise you here.

4) I have a 300W and a lot of components, and I havn't had any problems. Im going to upgrade for a 400W Enermax Whisper soon though.

Hope I helped...

SV

 

[spwango]

Monarch wanted $408 for the Asus board, CPU, and heatsink.

Thanks,

spwango.