# A little help please?



## FirefighterJon (Jul 11, 2009)

I have a question, I'm not at all an expert on building computers, however, I want to upgrade to a different case only, however, I realize since I ordered my computer through Dell, some extras will be required, I need to know what else I need to make this work, and how much it will cost.

This is the case I want
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811156078

However, I noticed it says "Motherboard Compatibility: ATX"

Here are the things I currently have in my computer, yes I know its rather crappy, but I want to upgrade the case first, and then only things that are required to be upgraded, to where it can still run as normally as it does.

I used Belarc Advisor to find everything out about my computer, and here is what it says:

Operating System:
Windows XP Home Edition (build 2600)
Install Language: English (United States)
System Locale: English (United States)

Processor:
1.60 gigahertz Intel Pentium 4
8 kilobyte primary memory cache
256 kilobyte secondary memory cache
Not hyper-threaded

Drives: (I plan to buy a new hard drive if the rest isn't too expensive)
39.99 Gigabytes Usable Hard Drive Capacity
32.22 Gigabytes Hard Drive Free Space

_NEC NR-7900A [CD-ROM drive]
3.5" format removeable media [Floppy drive]

WDC WD400BB-75CAA0 [Hard drive] (40.00 GB) -- drive 0, s/n WD-WMA8H2970122, rev 16.06V16, SMART Status: Healthy

System Model:
Dell Computer Corporation DIM4400
System Service Tag: XXXXXXXXXXX
Chassis Serial Number: XXXXXXXXXX
Enclosure Type: Mini-Tower

Main Circuit Board:
Board: Intel Corporation D845PT AAA67834-304
Serial Number: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Bus Clock: 100 megahertz
BIOS: Intel Corp. A04 02/12/2002

Memory Modules: (If I have to upgrade motherboards, please tell me if I can cheaply upgrade to 1 GB RAM with the motherboard)

256 Megabytes Usable Installed Memory

Slot 'J5G3' is Empty
Slot 'J5G1' has 256 MB

Controllers:
Standard floppy disk controller
Intel(r) 82801BA Ultra ATA Controller
Primary IDE Channel [Controller]
Secondary IDE Channel [Controller]

Bus Adapters:
Intel(r) 82801BA/BAM USB Universal Host Controller - 2442
Intel(r) 82801BA/BAM USB Universal Host Controller - 2444

Display:
NVIDIA GeForce 6200 [Display adapter]
DELL M782 [Monitor] (15.7"vis, s/n 8G157231BNB5, February 2002)

Multimedia:
SoundMAX Integrated Digital Audio

Other Devices:
HID-compliant consumer control device (2x)
USB Human Interface Device (3x)
HID Keyboard Device
Standard 101/102-Key or Microsoft Natural PS/2 Keyboard
HID-compliant mouse
Microsoft PS/2 Mouse
Generic USB Hub
USB Composite Device
USB Root Hub (2x)

I am looking to make an order tonight, to get these as soon as possible, preferably all from newegg.

Thanks ahead of time for all of the support.


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

dell uses a proprietary motherboard and case; sometimes you can transplant a dell board into a standard case and sometimes you cant. its really a hit and miss adventure

you have nothing to lose if you cant mount the dell board into the new case; when its time to build yourself a new computer you will need a case regardless >>>>>> and you are getting VERY due a new system :wink:



because your dell is using an Intel motherboard .........your chances for success are better than the average dell user ......especially the newer dells


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## FirefighterJon (Jul 11, 2009)

What is a cheap motherboard that would support everything I already have, aswell as 1-2 GB of RAM? And would I need a better power supply for that?


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

IMHO (in my humbel opinion) it would be a poor choice to invest any more money on parts that are going "backward" the case is a diff story ......that can be brought forward

there are boards you can get on ebay used but they wont be cheap; they will cost you close to $100.00 .......new modern spec boards are about that ..........see where I am coming from 

you would be better off to buy one new part every two or three weeks ...........by the time late fall is here ........you will be ready to build a SUPER FAR better system



as far as getting 2 gigs of ram for your old board would be usless; youre CPU couldnt use 2ggis of ram with a pistol held to its pins :wink:

a 1.6ghz "might be able to use one gig with the pedal to the metal running apps


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## FirefighterJon (Jul 11, 2009)

I just want to know what motherboard would be compatible with my other stuff, that is also an upgrade, but isn't too terribly expensive, I'm wanting upgrades, but I only want to upgrade the case, the motherboard, and upgrade to 1-2 GB of RAM, at cheapest rate possible.


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

http://cgi.ebay.com/ASUS-P4P800-E-D...trkparms=65:12|66:2|39:1|72:1234|293:1|294:50



http://cgi.ebay.com/Crucial-2GB-2x1...trkparms=65:12|66:2|39:1|72:1205|293:1|294:50




:wave:


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## FirefighterJon (Jul 11, 2009)

Would buying this one new be a better deal seeing as it will come with warranty?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131381


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

FirefighterJon said:


> Would buying this one new be a better deal seeing as it will come with warranty?
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131381







thats not compatible ............your cpu is an Intel the board you linked uses an AMD cpu


you wont find a board on newegg or any other vendor house that will match your system specs............they have been out of active production for over 6-8 years now probably .............


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## FirefighterJon (Jul 11, 2009)

Well with the links you gave, would I have to upgrade anything else to make those work? Better power supply or anything?


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

power supply .......yes ...........the board I linked will support your cpu (400mhz FSB) and it will support all the way up to 800MHZ FSB 

you would "want" to get Corsair-450-VX

you might snag a good deal for less money on ebay ...........like $50.00 for an antec earthwatts 500


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

http://cgi.ebay.com/Brand-New-Antec...trkparms=65:12|66:2|39:1|72:1205|293:1|294:50


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## FirefighterJon (Jul 11, 2009)

Alright, I bought of all of that, hopefully you're as smart as you appear to me and all of that works togehter. Haha. One more question, for a processor, would I have to get Intel or AMD. 

My current processor is
Intel Pentium 4 CPU 1.60 GHz

I found two, one is Intel, one is AMD, which would work with the few parts I'm still using from my old pc, and the new parts i've bought that you listed.

1)
Intel Pentium E5200 Wolfdale 2.5 GHz 2 MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116072

or 

2)
AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ 3.0 GHz 2 x 1 MB L2 Cache Socket AM2 125W Dual-Core Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103772

Would it be best to spend 70ish on one of these, or just to run what I have, and wait a while to upgrade to a quad core?


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

If you want to also upgrade the CPU a different motherboard would be called for linderman listed components to go with your present CPU, to move to either cpu will require a different motherboard, DDR2 ram (you have DDR) and unless your using integrated video a different video card(PCIe from AGP).


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

both cpu's you have linked are not compatible with your old cpu and the old motherboard linked from ebay / your linked cpu's are for much newer platforms;


with the motherboard I linked for you from ebay ......can use your existing cpu unless you want a faster one ?

*if you do; then my very first suggestion is much wiser ..........*

you see right now you are considering buying a motherboard / ram / power supply / and now possibly a cpu >>>>>>>> why buy so many parts that are OLD technology

you already saw you can get a new platform motherboard for $55.00 / ram for the same price as the old stuff ........upgrading only makes sense when a minimal amount of stuff needs to be purchased for say $100.00 to $150.00 ...........once you get over that price ......its time to think new


like this 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128342 [$55.00]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103235 [$64.00]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231084 [$30.00]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341016 [$60.00]

you can re-use your CD-rom drive / hard drives and floppy drive & network card or modem too

you will spend as much if not more on all old stuff and you will be computing at alot sloooooooowerrrrrr speeds


these are all brand new ........have nice long multi year warranty and will be drastically faster than you existing ??????????


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## FirefighterJon (Jul 11, 2009)

The thing is, thats a ATX micro motherboard, and my tower is only supportive of ATX. Can you find another motherboard that is supportive of the tower and the rest of the things you gave me, I realize it not being micro will make it more expensive, but I don't want to spend a crazy amount for it.


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128376


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

I've used 1 of these it's a decent board> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128382


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

wrench97 said:


> I've used 1 of these it's a decent board> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128382







I've used these as well, better board if you can live with the price tag


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

also; smart to look at other cases


Antec 300 


or 


Coolermaster centurion


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## FirefighterJon (Jul 11, 2009)

Well, ill get the things u guys picked out, but the thing is, the tower is staying, so are you sure everything will work in the tower, because I like the tower I picked. and its here to stay.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

With the stock heat sink it will all fit together.


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

FirefighterJon said:


> Well, ill get the things u guys picked out, but the thing is, the tower is staying, so are you sure everything will work in the tower, because I like the tower I picked. and its here to stay.




I respect a fella that knows what he wants ray: YES everything is guaranteed to be compatible


when all the parts get delivered to your house; then do this

http://www.techsupportforum.com/f255/how-to-bench-test-your-system-171424.html


dont make the mistake right off the bat of stuffing it into the case!


if you plan on re-using your hard drive with operating system ? you will have to perform a repair install to clear the old system drivers out of the windows install, then you can install all your new drivers, all this is done without losing your programs or data on the drive simply by following this guide:

http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm#RI


also check your pm's


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## FirefighterJon (Jul 11, 2009)

I don't know if you can help, but i'm running into a problem, I have everything aforementioned, and everything is running, except when I transferred my wireless network adapter from my old computer, to my new one, it's not working properly. It installed and drivers installed perfectly, and it runs good, and I have pretty good download/upload speeds at speed tests. However, when I run a game, I lag out a lot, and in counter-strike in particular, I get high choke/loss. I believe it has to do with my display (video card), any advice to offer to make it run at optimal settings, or anything to try for my network?


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

What brand and model card?
Your using XP or ?


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

after installing the new motherboard; did you install the motherboard chipset driverts?

try uninstalling your video card drivers (use drivesweeper) then download and install the latest ones

http://www.guru3d.com/category/driversweeper/


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

also please give us your full system specs with power supply make and model; we have "discussed" alot of stuff


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## AceAngler (Jul 8, 2009)

linderman said:


> http://cgi.ebay.com/ASUS-P4P800-E-D...trkparms=65:12|66:2|39:1|72:1234|293:1|294:50
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Linderman is right on target, FFJon...going backwards is no way to go . Mobo's are like anything else..you get what you pay for. I have had very good luck with Asus boards and the low end ones aren't too expensive. Good luck
http://www.aa1consulting.com


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## FirefighterJon (Jul 11, 2009)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128382

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103235

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231084

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341016

The motherboard has an onboard video card and I uninstalled all previous drivers, completely reformatted my hard drive, and installed WinXP, then went to the website and downloaded all of the latest drivers, because the stupid motherboard manufacturer made their driver disc a DVD instead of CD, and I don't have a dvd drive. I am also hard wired to my internet now, so I know for a fact that the internet has nothing to do with this as I am getting 10,000 / 2,500 Download rates at www.speakeasy.net/speedtest


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## FirefighterJon (Jul 11, 2009)

Also, I am running Windows XP SP3


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Is it a PCI or a PCIe wireless card?
Have you tried a different slot?


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## FirefighterJon (Jul 11, 2009)

I figured the wireless was the problem, and recently put the other netgear adapter in with the rj45 slot on it, and hardwired a connection, and my internet is stronger than it was, not cutting off and on, bt im still getting lag spikes in games, especially counter-strike, I seem to be getting something they call Choke, which is when the server isn't sending packets my computer is sending, or that my computer isn't sending. Like its saying my pc isn't sending out as much as is coming in, and it causes choke (lag)


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## FirefighterJon (Jul 11, 2009)

-Bump-


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Do you use any other pc"s on the same connection to game?


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## FirefighterJon (Jul 11, 2009)

No, none of the other computers game at all.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

I'm just wondering if it's a connection problem with the router or modem or even your internet connection to the house.


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## FirefighterJon (Jul 11, 2009)

Check this out
http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=925487

States the overall problem, has a link of a line quality test I took, 0% packet loss, has a link for the speedtest which brought back 25.~ mbps down/2.~ mbps up with great signal, everything else loads perfectly fine.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Nothing stresses a modem and router like gaming, it may be in the PC but could be just as well outside the PC. But you have a 0% packet loss so it may not be a Connection problem at all, As stated on the other forum it could be the CPU is tied up handling the video demands and not handling the network connection.


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## FirefighterJon (Jul 11, 2009)

But its counter-strike: condition zero.. it has 2 cpus (dual core), my old pc managed to handle it perfectly, and this one wont?


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

What was your old system?
Most likely this has better graphics which use more CPU.


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## FirefighterJon (Jul 11, 2009)

the old graphics were nVidia GeForce 6200, this vid card isn't too much better..


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