Preparing to Upgrade Your Motherboard
Published: October 25, 2004
I recently upgraded my PC and was quite pleased at how well it went. There are lots of different ways you can upgrade your PC, some easier than others, but probably the ultimate upgrade is to replace the entire motherboard, including a new central processing unit (CPU) and memory.
Do you have an old PC that really isn't up to today's applications? But you don't need or want to buy a new PC? Well, as a wealth of users have talked about in places like the Windows XP General newsgroup and the Windows XP Hardware newsgroup, a motherboard replacement can be a cost-effective way to get a whole new system without a lot of pain. These newsgroups are also a great place to go if things don't go quite as you'd hoped, with lots of helpful and knowledgeable users who can get you back on track.
In this column, I'll cover how to determine what your old system can support, how to choose a new motherboard, and provide guidance on what type of power supply, CPU type, and memory you might also need to purchase. This column is your preparation guide. In an upcoming column, I'll cover how to actually install the new motherboard and configure your Windows XP-based system to accommodate the change.
Before You Buy New Hardware
Before you start looking for a new motherboard to buy, you need to know what your existing case and power supply will support. As you can see in Figure 1, some cases don't have a whole lot of spare room in them.
Figure 1
There are four basic sizes of motherboard generally available today, in order from largest to smallest: ATX, microATX, flexATX, and mini-ITX. (Check Form Factors for more information about motherboard form factors.) Table 1 lists the maximum size of the motherboard for each size. Mini-ITX is a fairly new and quite small form factor, so you probably don't have one of them. And most flexATX cases will also fit a microATX motherboard, although you'll need to do some measuring to be sure. So we basically have two sizes to deal with—ATX and microATX.
|
ATX | 30.5 cm | 24.4 cm |
microATX | 24.4 cm | 24.4 cm |
flexATX | 22.9 mm | 19.1 cm |
Mini-ITX | 17 cm | 17 cm |
The good news is that a microATX motherboard will easily fit and replace a full size ATX motherboard, so if you're not sure, it's best to go with a microATX motherboard. But if you know you have a full-size case, you may find an ATX motherboard is a better fit and value for you, especially if you already have a good video card and don't need one that's integrated into the motherboard. Most microATX motherboards have an integrated video card (though they will generally support an add-on AGP video card as well), so they're not usually the choice of gamers.
If Your Computer Is Really Old
If you have a really old computer you need to upgrade, a Pentium or an even older 386- or 486-based machine, then your current case and motherboard are an older standard, which is the AT form factor. Although it is possible to upgrade one of these machines, you'll need more than just a motherboard, you'll need at least power supply as well, since the older power supplies don't have the same pin outs as the ATX power standard. Plus your video card is pretty out of date, and I'll bet your hard drive is old, small, and slow. Generally, if you've got a computer this old, you're probably better off simply getting a completely new computer.
May Need a New Power Supply
Many older computers' power supplies don't have the special, additional, 12-volt output connector that the newer Pentium 4 motherboards require. This is a square, four-conductor output, as shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2
If your power supply doesn't have one of these, you'll need to make sure that your new motherboard doesn't require one, or else you'll have to factor in a new power supply as well. A new power supply isn't nearly as expensive as a new motherboard, CPU, and memory are, so don't let the need for a new one become a big concern.
First Figure Out What to Buy
Once you know what your power supply and case will support, you are ready to make a decision about which motherboard to buy. There are several decisions to make before you actually pay your money:
| • | What do you really need from a PC? Are you looking for the absolute cutting edge of performance? You can certainly get that, but you'll pay for it. Or are you looking for a solid upgrade that won't have you way behind the curve again in less than a year? |
| • | Do you have a strong preference for a particular brand of CPU? The two main CPU brands are Intel's Pentium 4, and AMD's Athlon XP. Both will work well with Windows XP, and both have their strong adherents. I'm an agnostic on the question—my last two motherboard purchases were one of each. |
| • | What are your I/O needs? Do you need USB 2.0? How many ports do you want or need? What about IEEE 1394 (FireWire)? |
| • | Do you have a strong preference for a particular motherboard manufacturer? There are many motherboard manufacturers out there, but if you have familiarity with a particular brand and you haven't had a problem with them, then by all means stick with them. |
I've been using ASUS motherboards for the last few years, though my latest is a Chaintech because they had a better match for what I needed to fit in the tiny case shown in Figure 1, especially since the power supply I have doesn't have the ATX 12-volt connector shown in Figure 2.
Choose the Right Socket Type
There are several different CPU socket types in common use today. If for some reason you need to buy your CPU and your motherboard from different vendors, then you need to make sure that you choose a motherboard that has the right socket type for the CPU you get. However, I'd strongly recommend getting your CPU and motherboard from the same vendor. This lets you have the vendor plug in the CPU and attach the cooling fan. Neither are particularly hard tasks, but doing them right is critical and they are the professionals.
Rules for Selecting CPU Type and Speed
Whether you choose an Intel or an AMD processor, you'll have to make a choice about how fast a processor to buy and what bus speed to go for. The general rule here is to choose the fastest Front Side Bus (FSB) available, but choose a processor somewhat slower than the fastest available. You'll pay a really hefty premium for the absolutely fastest processor available, but not usually a big premium for a faster bus speed, though that will be less true if the latest bus speed has just been introduced.
Choose the Right Memory Type
Unfortunately, your old random access memory (RAM) probably won't work with your new motherboard and CPU, so you're going to have to buy new memory. You need to match your memory type and speed to the motherboard and CPU you've chosen, so don't even worry about it until you've made that decision.
Although it's easy enough to install memory, I like the security of having my vendor do it at the same time they're installing the CPU and CPU cooler. And I always pay the extra money to have them test all three together. The peace of mind is worth it to me.
How much memory should you buy? As much as you can afford! Seriously, if you're going to all the trouble and expense of upgrading your motherboard, the last thing you want to do is throttle all that speed down because you don't have enough memory. I find that 256 MB of RAM is just about the minimum for Windows XP. And 512 MB is a more reasonable level. All my computers are running at 1 GB of RAM or more, but not everyone needs that much memory.
Good places for figuring out exactly which RAM is right for your motherboard and CPU combination are your motherboard manufacturer's Web site, the motherboard dealer you're using, or the RAM manufacturer's Web site. I particularly like the Crucial Web site. It always seems to have exactly the combination I need and it's easy to navigate.
Note: When choosing RAM for your new motherboard, try to use the fewest number of pieces of RAM possible. So if you want to have 512 MB of RAM, buy a single piece of 512 MB RAM that is the right type for your motherboard and CPU. This way, if you decide you really need or want more RAM later, there's still a slot to add memory to. This is why 1 x 512 MB is better than 2 x 256 MB, but don't get carried away, however. When higher density RAM is first introduced, it tends to sell at a substantial premium, often 100% or more. If there's a really large difference in price between using two pieces of memory as compared to one at the same total amount, just say no.
Where to Buy
Check Windows Marketplace: Motherboards for a list of products that work with Windows XP. They come with customer reviews and ratings, itemized specs, as well as links to shop online. There are nearly as many places to buy motherboards as there are places to buy computers, so the choices are pretty hard to narrow down sometimes. If you already have a computer vendor that you've worked with before and like, by all means start there. If your vendor is a local computer shop, you may be able to take your computer in and have them do the whole thing for a small fee. If you're comfortable buying over the Internet and can navigate through the choices on your own, you can probably save a little bit. I've had good experiences with Directron.com and J & N Computer Services. Unfortunately neither ships to Canada, so I'm going to have to find a new vendor.
Coming Next: Replacing the Motherboard
In a future column, I'll cover how to prepare your current computer before you make the change, how to perform the motherboard replacement, how to configure Windows XP after you've made the change, and troubleshooting steps to take if you have problems.
Contact Me
If you use Windows XP Professional or Windows XP Tablet PC Edition, and you have a topic you'd like to see me cover in one of my columns, or just want to tell me about how the Tablet PC has changed computing for you, feel free to write me at Charlie@mvps.org. I want to hear what you think about your Tablet PC and what interesting ways you've found that a Tablet PC makes your work better. I can't answer individual e-mail messages nor provide individual technical support via e-mail. I do regularly participate in the Windows XP Tablet PC Edition newsgroup and look forward to seeing you there.
