Upgrading to a new motherboard

[cedric]

Ok, Im looking to buy a new motherboard. The reason why is mainly because of graphics cards. I only have 2 PCI slots, which isnt great if your a gamer:). My question to you guys is, how do I go about upgrading. Do I need any extra hardware, reinstall windows, etc. I have absolutly NO clue on what type of board I need. Im looking for a board that has at least 1 PCI-E slot and is fast. What are the steps to upgrading a board?

Dell Dimension E310/3100
Intel
Pentium 4 CPU 2.80GHz
2.79 GHz, 1.24 GB of RAM

[rdamurphy]

Tomshardware.com

That's all you need to know!

Robert

[cedric]

Tomshardware.com

That's all you need to know!

Robert

Thanks, but its soo much to read, I don't know where to go:)

[djt1]

Thanks, but its soo much to read, I don't know where to go:)

I assume that you are trying to replace the motherboard in the Dell that you posted specs of –

Dell Dimension E310/3100
Intel
Pentium 4 CPU 2.80GHz
2.79 GHz, 1.24 GB of RAM

Dell like many large OEM manufacturer’s use proprietary designs for their machines which greatly limits any upgrades. I’ve even seen some of them use cheap plastic clips for mounting the motherboard. I doubt that you would even be able to get a standard ATX motherboard in that case. Then there are the weak power supplies that Dell and other OEM manufacturers put in their machines which will further limit any upgrades.

At this point you are going have to do some research and decide for yourself if it’s even worth putting any money into that machine.

[BNSF4723]

As already posted, replacing the motherboard in a Dell system is nearly impossible and not really recommended for such an old CPU (you'll have trouble finding a Socket 478 motherboard for that CPU).

[cedric]

As already posted, replacing the motherboard in a Dell system is nearly impossible and not really recommended for such an old CPU (you'll have trouble finding a Socket 478 motherboard for that CPU).

Thank you! Thanks guys. I thought about your comments for a while, and I think I've made a decision. NOT to upgrade. Im gonna just get a new computer, for gaming of course;). Question though, what "company" makes the best gaming computers besides Alienware?(did I spell that right?)

[djt1]

Question though, what "company" makes the best gaming computers besides Alienware?(did I spell that right?)

Your best bet is to build it yourself. Building your first machine will be a valuable experience and will allow you to become computer-self sufficient.


ASUS RAMPAGE FORMULA (Intel X48 chipset) BIOS 403
Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 w/Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme
OCZ Titanium XTC 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)
EVGA GTX 280 FTW
Creative X-Fi Fatal1ty
2x Western Digital Raptor 74GB (RAID 0) - Vista Ultimate 64 Bit/SP1
2x Western Digital Raptor 74GB (RAID 0) – XP Pro/SP3
SILVERSTONE OP1000 1000W
SILVERSTONE TJ09-B

[cedric]

Thanks. Never thought about doing that, but hey, you get exactly what YOU want!:)How much does it cost to build an average computer for gaming?

[djt1]

Thanks. Never thought about doing that, but hey, you get exactly what YOU want!:)How much does it cost to build an average computer for gaming?

You could easily build something for less than a grand.

One other thing to keep in mind, Intel’s new Nehalem CPU is right around the corner (supposedly during Q4). I recommend you build something with decent performance to get you through until sometime next year when you can upgrade to a Nehalem based system.


ASUS RAMPAGE FORMULA (Intel X48 chipset) BIOS 403
Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 w/Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme
OCZ Titanium XTC 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)
EVGA GTX 280 FTW
Creative X-Fi Fatal1ty
2x Western Digital Raptor 74GB (RAID 0) - Vista Ultimate 64 Bit/SP1
2x Western Digital Raptor 74GB (RAID 0) – XP Pro/SP3
SILVERSTONE OP1000 1000W
SILVERSTONE TJ09-B

[rdamurphy]

And if you're going to build one yourself, you'll need:

Tomshardware.com!

Robert

[djt1]

And if you're going to build one yourself, you'll need:

Tomshardware.com!

Robert

LOL,

He’s going to have to do more research than just visiting Tomshardware.com if he wants to learn about building his own machine with the right components. Not to mention Tom’s hardware lost a lot of credibility a long time ago, it’s far from being anyone’s “end-all” information stop.

Here are some links to other sites with good information, again, don’t rely on just one hardware site as your only source.

http://www.anandtech.com/

http://forums.anandtech.com/

http://www.hardforum.com/

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/index.php

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=59

http://www.ocforums.com/



ASUS RAMPAGE FORMULA (Intel X48 chipset) BIOS 403
Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 w/Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme
OCZ Titanium XTC 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)
EVGA GTX 280 FTW
Creative X-Fi Fatal1ty
2x Western Digital Raptor 74GB (RAID 0) - Vista Ultimate 64 Bit/SP1
2x Western Digital Raptor 74GB (RAID 0) – XP Pro/SP3
SILVERSTONE OP1000 1000W
SILVERSTONE TJ09-B

[bnsf1959]

http://www.maximumpc.com/article/we_can_rebuild_it

You can probably rebuild your pc but it might cost you a lot. So why waste your time? You're better off building a new one from scratch. I spent around $400 in the past few months upgrading my Hal-9000 homemade PC (built in Sept. 2006). It cost me $1,500 then when I had it built. The reason for the upgrade was I got a new motherboard, CPU, and New Ram sticks to go with it. I had a socket 939 which I don't think they make anymore and I upgraded to AM2 with dual core Althon 64 at 6400x2. My pc is much faster now. :rolleyes:

[rdamurphy]

HAL-9000! ROFL! Is that an "IBM" clone???

Robert

[bnsf1959]

HAL-9000! ROFL! Is that an "IBM" clone???

Robert

Actually, I didn't name it after some IBM clone or whatever. I decided to name it from this movie; http://kubrickfilms.warnerbros.com/video_detail/2001/

And my Hal does have a mind of his own, sometimes.....:p