Mobo Bundles

[J'Pol]

As a direct result of the discussions with you chaps in "Processors", I have found that the BIOS on the MB is more than 2 years old. This means it predates the upgrade which would alow me to use the Athlon XP. I have not opened the box to find out if it is a Rev 5.1 board as I don't particularly want to flash the BIOS if I can avoid it anyway. I am a total coward in that respect.

An alternative would be to buy a MoBo, Processor, Memory bundle and use the one from here in an older still machine. Give it a boost of life and the stuff from here would be more than enough for what it does.

2 Questions.

1. Is is as simple as I think, i.e. disconnect everything install new board, reconnect all cables.

2. Any suggestions for a decent bundle at a reasonable price. Either interweb or Glasgow area for preference. I like Athlon XP, as I see them as good quality at a reasonable price, but other suggestions happily considered.

Again thanks in advance.

[delphin460]

its easy as pie to install mobo's these days, most of it is color coded and it detects the cpu speed ect so no need to alter jumpers

my 8 year old just did an install by himself

[Lamsey]

http://www.worldofcomputers.uk.com

^ I'd recommend going there, it's in Tradeston (just south of Glasgow Central, across the river)

You can get the four components pretty cheaply there (yes I say four, because you'll need a cooler too).

I share a PDF of the Tom's Hardware Guide tutorial on building your own PC, which you can get on SS if you want - it is easy, as I say it's just like building a very expensive jigsaw. Just don't lose a corner piece or you're fucked.

[J'Pol]

Originally posted by Lamsey@9 April 2004 - 13:49
http://www.worldofcomputers.uk.com

^ I'd recommend going there, it's in Tradeston (just south of Glasgow Central, across the river)

You can get the four components pretty cheaply there (yes I say four, because you'll need a cooler too).

I share a PDF of the Tom's Hardware Guide tutorial on building your own PC, which you can get on SS if you want - it is easy, as I say it's just like building a very expensive jigsaw. Just don't lose a corner piece or you're fucked.
I know it well, just round from infiniti, if you ignore the one way sytem obviously.

Do they do a pre-made package at all, processor and fan already installed, I know that is very important and must be done correctly with paste and so forth. Or just the components to do yourself.

I will get the guide when I RE-INSTALL soulseek.

[3RA1N1AC]

Originally posted by J'Pol@9 April 2004 - 04:41
1. Is is as simple as I think, i.e. disconnect everything install new board, reconnect all cables.
almost, but not quite. if you swap in a new motherboard which uses a design from the same company (in your case, going from a VIA-based board to another VIA-based board) your existing motherboard drivers may recognize the new board.

if you switch brands (for instance to a Nvidia-based board) you'll most likely need to repair the Windows installation with your Windows CD. assuming you use Windows, 'course. it'll be clearly listed as "repair" in the installation options. this'll leave your personal files and programs intact, but return the Windows installation to a "newly installed" condition sans any of the updates you've gotten from microsoft.com (so you'll want to go re-download those, straight away).

i own a KT133 (similar to yours) from Abit. it was a fine board for its time and i still use it for multimedia/games actually. but i've found motherboards based on Nvidia's Nforce & Nforce 2 designs to be more stable, reliable, and generally less troublesome than VIA-based products. and "me too" as far as supporting Lamsey's assertion goes: physically assembling a PC isn't too complicated. the difficulty lies more in ironing unexpected wrinkles out of the software.

[ilw]

i know novatech (http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/Components/a2b1c0d0e0x0y1z1p1s0n0m0) do motherboard bundles, and I've never had any problems in my dealings with them.
How much are u looking to spend or what sort of performance?

[J'Pol]

Usefull stuff again guys, particularly didn't realise about the windows re-install. It's probably due one anyway tho' so that's not a problem.

I like the novatech option. I am willing to spend up to a couple of hundred pounds, tho' less if possible.

Tho' I have just seen a system at the site Liam recommended for that price. It may be a better option just to get that.

[Lamsey]

Originally posted by J'Pol@9 April 2004 - 12:43
Usefull stuff again guys, particularly didn't realise about the windows re-install. It's probably due one anyway tho' so that's not a problem.

I like the novatech option. I am willing to spend up to a couple of hundred pounds, tho' less if possible.

Tho' I have just seen a system at the site Liam recommended for that price. It may be a better option just to get that.
If you're willing to spend a couple of hundred you could probably get (off the top of my head) an Asus A7N8X Deluxe motherboard, an Athlon XP 2500+, a decent cooler and a 512MB stick of DDR333 RAM to match - that would make an excellent machine for the price IMO.

I would NOT recommend getting the RAM from World Of Computers, they don't stock reliable brands. I'd highly recommend http://www.crucial.com - excellent memory, reasonable prices and free delivery :)

Here's the link for the RAM stick I mentioned: http://www.crucial.com/uk/store/PartSpecs....464Z335&cat=RAM (http://www.crucial.com/uk/store/PartSpecs.asp?imodule=CT6464Z335&cat=RAM)

[DarthInsinuate]

Originally posted by Lamsey@9 April 2004 - 14:02
Here's the link for the RAM stick I mentioned: http://www.crucial.com/uk/store/PartSpecs....464Z335&cat=RAM (http://www.crucial.com/uk/store/PartSpecs.asp?imodule=CT6464Z335&cat=RAM)
Sheesh, RAM is pretty expensive right now. Back in the old days (January) that would have cost £48

[4th gen]

Originally posted by DarthInsinuate+9 April 2004 - 13:24--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (DarthInsinuate @ 9 April 2004 - 13:24)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-Lamsey@9 April 2004 - 14:02
Here&#39;s the link for the RAM stick I mentioned: http://www.crucial.com/uk/store/PartSpecs....464Z335&cat=RAM (http://www.crucial.com/uk/store/PartSpecs.asp?imodule=CT6464Z335&cat=RAM)
Sheesh, RAM is pretty expensive right now. Back in the old days (January) that would have cost £48 [/b][/quote]
:lol:

My ram was just a little over £150 last February. 512MB Corsair XMS3500. Not really worth it, but top quality ram nonetheless.

[tesco]

Originally posted by Lamsey+9 April 2004 - 09:02--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Lamsey @ 9 April 2004 - 09:02)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-J&#39;Pol@9 April 2004 - 12:43
Usefull stuff again guys, particularly didn&#39;t realise about the windows re-install. It&#39;s probably due one anyway tho&#39; so that&#39;s not a problem.

I like the novatech option. I am willing to spend up to a couple of hundred pounds, tho&#39; less if possible.

Tho&#39; I have just seen a system at the site Liam recommended for that price. It may be a better option just to get that.
If you&#39;re willing to spend a couple of hundred you could probably get (off the top of my head) an Asus A7N8X Deluxe motherboard, an Athlon XP 2500+, a decent cooler and a 512MB stick of DDR333 RAM to match - that would make an excellent machine for the price IMO.

I would NOT recommend getting the RAM from World Of Computers, they don&#39;t stock reliable brands. I&#39;d highly recommend http://www.crucial.com - excellent memory, reasonable prices and free delivery :)

Here&#39;s the link for the RAM stick I mentioned: http://www.crucial.com/uk/store/PartSpecs....464Z335&cat=RAM (http://www.crucial.com/uk/store/PartSpecs.asp?imodule=CT6464Z335&cat=RAM) [/b][/quote]
or he could go with two sitcks of 256 instead of 512 because the a7n8x board supports dualchannel memory. And he could get pc3200 instead of pc2700 ram and that will leave open the oppurtunity for overclocking later on, if he wants to...

[3RA1N1AC]

Originally posted by J&#39;Pol@9 April 2004 - 05:43
Usefull stuff again guys, particularly didn&#39;t realise about the windows re-install. It&#39;s probably due one anyway tho&#39; so that&#39;s not a problem.
yeh... with a lot of upgrades such as CPU, memory, graphics card, sound card, etc etc, Windows is able to boot in normal fashion and detect the new component. but installing a new motherboard can be a bit too much for it to handle. you may be lucky and find it starting up perfectly well. but if it doesn&#39;t, a Windows repair (also called a "partial reinstall," to distinguish it from a reformat) should set it straight.