I have an old Dell xps R400, running on a P2, ugh! I want to upgrade, can I just put a new motherboard in this sucker and go from there or is there anything specifc that I must do?
2007-02-03 09:21:34 · 5 answers · asked by spinsister3 1 in Computers & Internet ➔ Hardware ➔ Add-ons
You can try putting in a new motherboard, but there may be problems. Most motherboards that you buy commercially are ATX or micro ATX form factor, while Dell and Gateway tend to use BTX form factor. I don't know how long this has been going on or if your computer is this form factor, but what it means is that the holes for mounting the motherboard in the case don't line up if you try to replace a BTX with an ATX. You may also have a problem with RAM since modern motherboards use different memory than many older ones. Again, you'll have to research your motherboard to find out. And naturally you'll need a new CPU.
I'd recommend looking for a barebones system. This is usually a case, power supply, motherboard, cpu, cooling sink/cooling fan and RAM. You can move all of your drives into it and have all of the important parts new and fast. You can get these at places like Tiger Direct (http://www.tigerdirect.com/) or Newegg (http://www.newegg.com/), although I've found that Tiger Direct has slightly better prices. Make sure that the motherboard has at least 2 IDE controllers if you have old drives - most new motherboards have SATA controllers. If you get one that doesn't and you have IDE or ATA drives, you'll need to get a card with IDE controllers on it.
Believe it or not, building your own computer, even partially, can be fun.
You might find some good information at these links:
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_To_Build_A_Computer
http://www.pcmech.com/byopc/
http://www.buildyourowncomputer.net/learntobuild.html
http://www.build-your-own-computer-tips.com/
2007-02-03 09:35:00 · answer #1 · answered by Rose D 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You are going to have a hard time upgrading the computer the components are just too dated to squeeze too much out of them. You are better off getting a new machine or building one from scratch. Adding a new motherboard would require a new processor, having a new processor would require a new power supply and so on.... Pick the amount you want to spend anything you can afford would be way faster then your old dell.
2007-02-03 17:40:03 · answer #2 · answered by Fremen 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Seriously...just buy a new computer. The cheapest, bottom of the line windows machine at wal mart (less than $400) is light years ahaed of your P2 or any upgrades you could do to it.
2007-02-04 01:32:24 · answer #3 · answered by Ritchie B 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Time for a new computer.
A modern motherboard would require a new processor, new RAM & you'll want a new videocard. Not worth dumping all that $$$ on a Pentium 2.
2007-02-03 17:41:00 · answer #4 · answered by C-Man 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
with something that old, it would be cheaper to buy a new computer, or just build a new computer. P2s just suck :)
2007-02-03 17:29:41 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋