Mobo Upgrade

Do I really need to keep the northbridge chipset the same as the motherboard that I have now if I am going to upgrade to another board as long as I keep the southbridge ICH5, the DIMM slots of 2.5v at 400 MHz PC3200, the socket 478 and the 800 MHz front side bus the same?

 

No, you don't need the same northbridge chipset. If you tell us your processor, and the motherboard you're thinking about getting, we can tell you if it will work.

 

http://www.ecsusa.com/products/865g-m.html
I think that they would be considered the same since I have an 865GV and this one is an 865G, But other that, the board I have is almost identicle to this one... I have an Intel P4 HT 3.0GHz Processor at 800 MHz FSB Dimension 3000... the reason I am upgrading to this model it becuase of the lack of an Accelerated Graphics Port...

 

Yuck. Here's a word of advice. Stay away from ECS motherboards. Go with a brand name such as Asus, Abit, MSI, or Gigabyte. They don't cost much more, are more stable, and perform better. Maybe something like this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813130443

 

Okay... Thank you for your opinion... I am goint to find one of the names you recommended... I basically need something with a ICH5, a socket 478, same ram specs and keep the board the same size as a mATX or an uATX, right?

 

Can I use this motherboard with my given specs? http://www.giga-byte.com/MotherBoard/Products/Products_Spec_GA-8KNXP%20Ultra-64.htm

 

No, that board is an ATX board. Not a Micro ATX. I think all motherboards with an Intel northbridge have the ICH5 chipset. Or at least the ones that I would recommend do. Try this one:

Micro ATX, and has pretty much the same specs as the ECS motherboard.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813130471