computer components & hardware

On Sun, 27 Jun 2004 13:17:39 GMT, "Mibe"
wrote:

Hope someone can help me!
I am sorry if this is not the right forum, I am new at this.

I have a Compaq presario (5138EA, not the best comp.) and the motherboard on
the computer only support 384MB memory.
I want to upgrade the memory size and need to buy a new motherboard, its a
AMD Athlon 1,2GHz T-bird processor.
Can anybody give me som hints on what to think about when changing
moterboards, and what motherboard i should get?
I dont use the computer for games.

Thank´s

Mike.

I will assume you want to reuse the Athlon 1.2GHz CPU?

You do not mention whether you wanted to keep, reuse your current
memory and supplement that with more of the same, or buy all new
memory. Is it PC133 or PC1600, PC2100 ?

Your case appears to be mATX, so the replacement board would also
need be mATX. If the following picture looks like your system,
and further, that the power supply is the short PS3 size (not the
regular ATX which is 5.5" deep front to back) then that power
supply may have lesser wattage, be somewhat of a limitation.
Hopefully it will suffice but it could be borderline if you've
also added or upgraded other components.

An Athlon 1.2 will run on any of the newest Socket A boards, and
with the newer boards offering more efficient operation, that is,
same CPU will have less of a bottleneck, in addition to other
newer features, you should probably get a modern board. Then
again you may have to consider the video card, if it is the old
AGP 1X/2X 3.3V type it would not work in a current-generation
motherboard, but the odds are that whichever video card did come
with that system, did support 4X AGP, 1.5V operation. If you
have doubts it would be good to confirm that before choosing a
motherboard.

SInce you need mATX you're pretty limited, can narrow the choices
a bit more but I'd be reluctant to recommend anything other than
a name-brand. Many mATX boards have integrated video, but if you
don't need/want to use the integrated video, then choosing such a
board that also has the AGP slot will allow you to simply ignore
the integrated video. The best chipset for an Athlon is nForce2,
I'll link a few possible boards, but note how wide your present
board is, and how much wider the repacement could be since your
case might be fairly cramped towards the right, forward side of
the motherboard tray.

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...131-483&depa=0

The above linked board is relatively expensive but likely your
best bet for an nForce2 motherboard.

Check your power supply to see if it's ATX12V, that is, if it has
the 4-pin square motherboard connector most often used on Intel
P4 motherboards. If it doesn't have the connector then you'd
need buy an adapter or a board like the one above, that doesn't
need the 4-pin plug. The following board does need that plug:

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...131-483&depa=0

You can see more boards at Newegg.com's product search page,
where the "Form Factor" box would have "mATX" selected for the
search. Better brands include Asus, MSI, Gigabyte and Abit.

http://www.newegg.com/app/manufact.a...alog=22&DEPA=0

Also check your case's rear I/O port shield, I'm assuming it does
pop out so it can be replaced with one that comes with the
motherboard you choose (providing you get one that's retail
packaged, not OEM).

You'll likely have to figure out the Compaq wiring harness to the
front panel LEDs and power switch, if the new motherboard needs a
different pin position for those functions.

As for memory, the Athlon 1.2 results in your being able to use
PC2100, but given the minor (if any) price difference in getting
PC2700, that would have more future viability, or even better to
get PC3200 if the price difference isn't too great.