asdf said:
Trying to upgrade my aging computer on the cheap.
Obviously I'm going to keep the case, psu, hard drives and
dvdroms but other stuff like mobo, ram and cpu needs to get upgraded.
Following are the products I've decided upon to upgrade my system.
Please let me know if there is something better that i should purchase,
if any of these parts will cause bottleneck in the system etc.
I have a few questions already:
1. AMD processor below says that its HT is 3600Mhz but the motherboard
is only supporting 1000Mhz, will that cause a great deal of slowness,
because I can't find any mobos with HT bus faster than 2600Mhz.
OK, HT or hyper transport is a bus technology. The "bus" is a data bus that
is used to transfer data from one component of a computer to another. BUT,
the bus or data bus can also be used to transfer data internally between
different areas of the same chip.
The components you are researching, the motherboard uses HT, and the CPU
also uses HT, internally. It's similar technology, but not cooperative.
So, the faster HT inside the CPU is not going to be slowed down by the
slower HT of the motherboard.
Many people are still confused by FSB speed, thinking (incorrectly) that FSB
needs to be matched with a certain processor or a certain RAM speed. Old
computers (the type old enough to have been obsolete decades ago) needed
these speeds matched, as they were all timed with the same clock chip. In
any machine you build TODAY, you do not need to match processor with RAM or
processor with FSB of mainboard.
Your question about HT is just another way of asking if the FSB needs to be
matched to the processor speed. The simple answer is no. Any CPU that your
motherboard will support will work just fine. You don't need to "match" the
CPU to the FSB of the mainboard, and you don't need to "match" the HT spec
of the CPU with the HT spec of the mainboard.
2. My current PSU is only 350W. Will it be able to handle products below
as well as 2 hard drives and a DVD drive? I also have 480 true power if
350W PSU is too weak.
That is the wrong question to ask. The right question is...is it smart to
use an old power supply to power new components? The answer is no. The
power supply is THE single component in the computer system that is most
prone to failure. Probably 90% or more of computer hardware problems are
caused by failing power supplies. Even good power supplies can fail BADLY,
causing damage to other components. Using an old power supply (even one
that's a year old) to power a new system build is not worth the risk. The
tighter your build budget, the MORE IMPORTANT it is to use a good, NEW power
supply for your build. Think of it this way... you think you can't scrape
up $50 for a new power supply...how are you going to feel about having to
fork out hundreds of bucks in a few weeks when the recycled power supply
fails and takes your mainboard, CPU, RAM and hard drive with it????
But if you insist on doing it anyway, it's likely that your 350W will be too
weak. I've run similar systems on 380W power supplies, but those 380W units
were high-end... not antecs or no-names.
3. Motherboard page says that it will only handle 1066mhz ram if am2+ proc
is used. So it looks like I'm good there. But any word on how difficult
it is to make this happen or is it all automatic.
It should be automatic. Most mainboards have the memory controller chip on
the mainboard. But, some AMD systems have a memory controller in the CPU.
I'm not sure about your build, but suspect that your AM2+ processor probably
has the memory controller in the CPU. Otherwise, it makes no sense that it
would require a certain processor type to run a certain type of RAM.
But, regardless of where the memory controller is, it should recognize and
use the RAM at the proper speed. Without help from the end user.
4. My current motherboard is ATX standard. the foxconn is microatx. Will
I be able to fit it into my current computer case?
Not a problem at all. There are just two things you will need to be aware
of. Not a problem, really...just something you need to do to prepare the
case for the new motherboard.
First, CHECK THE STANDOFFS!!! The full-size ATX motherboard will require a
certain number of screws to mount it to the case. Each of these screws will
screw into a metal standoff of some kind that is attached TO the case. The
problem with changing the motherboard, even if you DON'T change the
motherboard size from standard to micro, is that the standoffs for the old
motherboard might not be located where they need to be to mount the new
motherboard. This means you will need to move the standoffs. REMOVE any
extra standoffs. At the same time, make sure there is a standoff located to
match all the mounting holes in the new mainboard. You don't want any extra
(very important) but you don't want to be missing any, and they MUST be
installed in the CORRECT locations. Otherwise, they might short electrical
paths to ground, with really bad results...
Moving the standoffs is as simple as unscrewing them and screwing them back
in. Or some are just held in place with a spring clip. Some really cheap
case designs just use plastic friction couplers as standoffs. Hopefully you
don't have those. Regardless, your case should already have mounting
positions for ALL the possible locations that you will need standoffs. You
won't need to "modify" the case, in other words... just move the standoffs
to wherever they need to be.
Also, the ATX case will have rectangular holes in the back to allow the
installation of roughly 7 or 8 expansion cards (video cards, sound cards,
network cards, TV tuner cards, etc.) onto a full-size ATX motherboard.
Depending on how many expansion cards you were using, you might have extra
"holes" in the back of your case after you install the micro-ATX
motherboard. This is not a problem, really...except that it can mess up
airflow through the case, which might mean that the case isn't being cooled
as well as it could be. At worst, if you can't find some extra blank panel
thingies to plug the holes, you could always cover them with duct tape or
electrical tape. If you only have one, you could just leave it open, too.
It's up to you. Just be aware that you might have some extra holes to fill
back there.
But the case will work, and work well. -Dave
