New motherboard

Hi,

I am having difficulty picking out a motherboard. I have never done anything like this before so I think it would be wise to get some assistance from the people that know PC's the best.
I want to upgrade my PC. It currently is 1.8 GHZ and the motherboard is ASUS Intel PGA478, Chipset is Intel 845. I hope I have that correct. I want to upgrade to 3.0GHZ or so. Do I need to upgrade my motherboard too? Does it matter what type of motherboard I use or do I need to use the same kind. And finally, how hard is it to do all this?

Thanks for all of the help!!!

Ken

 

I believe you would be better off if you bought a motherboard and cpu combo, there are quite a few that offer this, this will get you more up to date.

Ed

 

If you're looking to get your processor up to date you'll have to upgrade your motherboard as well.

Upgrading your motherboard may mean you should also upgrade your memory and you may also have to upgrade your video card (if needed and not on the motherboard). Doing all of this will also change all of your drivers and you'll probably want to reinstall your operating system as well.

Changing your motherboard essentially involves building the computer all over again from scratch. It can be confusing to pick compatible boards/processors, but if you give us a budget and what you intend to use the computer for we can help you out.

A quick question also, what size is your case? We need to determine if you have a microATX or ATX compatible case. If it's a prefab computer knowing the brand and model will help us figure that out for you.

 

I have a HP 760n I believe that it is an ATX. I would like to do this for under $500.00 if that would be possible, not including RAM. My video card is not integrated if that helps. I do agree, I am really confused about all this, but I don't want to buy a new computer. I am looking forward to upgrading, but I am just lost. Thanks for all of your help. I do appreciate it greatly!

Ken

 

Your video card is so old it might as well be integrated. If you're not looking for an upgrade on video settings you can get away with current on board video.

You have a microATX case. You might be able to get away with: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116215
and another 512MB of RAM. Doing that and a fresh install of Windows might actually speed things up fast enough to make you happy. I would contact HP and make sure that processor is compatible.

Another option might be going with a MicroATX motherboard that is core 2 duo ready from a manufacturer like Asus or Intel LGA775 that has on board video. You can get one from newegg for under $75. Then you can pick up an LGA775 socket P4 for another $75+ (Make sure to get a retail version so you get the heatsink/fan bundled). Then you can pick up 1GB of memory to match your video card (possibly DDR533 or 667... 512MB x2 1GB Dual Channel pack) for under $65. You may need a new power supply depending on how you upgrade which could cost you another $50. All said and done you should be able to get everything for around $250 and be happy I would think. Might even have some money left over in your budget to pay someone to put it together for you.

You may be able to get away from the power supply depending on the wattage and if you can pick up a power adapter for your motherboard $5-10.

 

I made a correction in my above post about on board video rather than memory, it was a typo, sorry.

Also check to make sure your HP CDs that came with your computer allow you to reinstall windows without all the drivers for you computer or if it's just a backup/reinstall CD. Otherwise you may want to borrow a friend's Windows XP CD and just enter your Serial at the installation. Make sure it's the version Home vs Professional.

 

Ken
these links will give you an idea of what is available for a 478 mobo

http://support.intel.com/support/processors/pentium4/sb/CS-011987.htm


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...+50001157+40000343+1051707443&name=Socket+478