[Madic74]

hey everyone, I'm looking into buying a new mobo for my computer because it's only AGP compatible and want to change it to PCL-E. Any suggestions are welcome.

My Specs are:

Manufacturer : Acer Incorporated
Mainboard : Acer E661GXM
Chipset : SiS 661FX/GX
Processor : Intel Pentium 4 524 @ 3066 MHz
Physical Memory : 1536 MB DDR-SDRAM
Video Card : ATI Technologies Inc Radeon 9600 XT (V350)
Hard Disk : ST3160023AS (160 GB)
Monitor Type : Acer AL1916W - 19 inches
Network Card : Silicon Integrated Systems (SiS) SiS900 10/100 Ethernet Adapter
Operating System : Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition 5.01.2600 Service Pack 3
DirectX : Version 9.0c (July 2008)

Thanks in Advance.

[Madic74]

wow, seriously no one?

Theres some other guy asking for help with a moboand he got like 100 replies, and I dont even get one?

[Noyb]

Well .. if you insist
Not sure about Acer ... but in most OEM computers .. The software is married to the motherboard.
In other words .. You'll also have to purchase a new operating system
Is this in your plan also ??

[Madic74]

Oh well, not really, I like Windows.

So your saying the CPU is inbuilt to the mobo?

Which means I wont be able to change it unless I change both?

[Noyb]

In the HPs I'm familiar with ...
If you change the mobo and don't use a replacement from HP .. The restore DVDs will not work.

HP calls this "tattooing" the mother board.
The HP software then knows if it belongs in this computer .. or not

I think you can tell .. if you install the software and it doesn't ask for the product number .. It will not work in a new Mobo.
The CPU doesn't matter in this situation.

[Madic74]

Wait, when you mean the restore DVD's do you men the backup Disc, or the Windows XP disc?

[Noyb]

I'd assume the Windows XP disc that came from Acer
Whatever Acer supplied to restore you computer back to factory new.

With Dells, HP's .. etc ... you have to burn your own recovery DVDs.
This will also include any OEM supplied applications such as CD/DVD burning software.

Sorry, I'm not a hardware wizard ... But I thought there might be an additional problem changing the mobo.

[Madic74]

Yeh, well actually, I don't have a copy of the Windows disc.
I've actually misplaced it.
Umm, should I go out and buy another copy of it, or should I get Vista?

Or should i just buy a whole new computer altogether.

[Noyb]

I'd backup my computer using Acronis True Image to an External Hard Drive.
I do this even though I have my recovery DVDs.

I wouldn't buy Vista .. It's soon to be replaced with Windows 7.
Then .. It might not be a good idea to get Windows 7 while it's new .. for about a year.

Actually ... I just got a new Vista computer then bought a copy of XP (while I could) .. to fix Vista.

I'm playing with Windows 7 right now .. It looks just as bad as Vista...
But this depends if you'll miss the tools XP has .. or not ..

You're asking a tough question now.

[Madic74]

Ok, so I'll grab Acronis and back up my computer.

I wont grab Vista because like you said, I've heard bad things and the soon to be released Windows 7 is coming.

I've actually heard that Windows 7 was quite good, nice and fast, and similar to XP?

I actually might aswell ditch this comp, and get the new i7 Extreme processor from Intel. That will set me out for the next half decade.

Do you know anything about the i7, and if it's any good?

Thanks for your help

[Noyb]

Originally Posted by Madic74

I've actually heard that Windows 7 was quite good, nice and fast, and similar to XP?

Similar to XP .. NO WAY.
From a users point of view .. It looks like Vista.
It should be a Vista Service pack .. But then M$ couldn't charge for it.

[Madic74]

Originally Posted by Noyb

Similar to XP .. NO WAY.
From a users point of view .. It looks like Vista.
It should be a Vista Service pack .. But then M$ couldn't charge for it.

Sorry, i didnt word that properly.
When I said similar to XP I meant speed wise and efficiency.
Not the interface, which is similar to Vista.

So what would you recommend me doing?

[Noyb]

If you have a spare HDD and want to play ...
here's Windows 7 ... http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/e.../dd353205.aspx

[Madic74]

Thanks for that, but I wouldn't want to risk it.

If I don't like it I wouldnt know how to revert back to XP without using the windows xp disc (which I lost).

[Noyb]

I just recover from my external HDD .. but my W7 is in a different (play) HDD

OK .. Glad you clarified that
Yes .. W7 is made to run on any computer .. so I've heard.

There are two tools I use in XP several times a day.
These are missing in Vista ... and W7

I got my new computer then installed XP so I wouldn't have to worry about M$ for several years.

It all depends if you've been spoiled by XP ... or not.