What information do i need to know before i change my motherboard?

I want to take my old motherboard out for a new one and i need to know what kind of information do i need to have before i do that. Please be very detailed, 10pts!!!!What information do i need to know before i change my motherboard?Hi Tiffany, thank you for your question. The main consideration, right off the bat, is of course the form factor of the motherboard. How big is it? The smallest form factor is the micro-ATX motherboard which has the dimensions of 9.6"x9.6" square. Does this fit in your case?



Then there are other form factors of various sizes, AT was the first form factor, then Baby AT, then ATX (which had cooling problems, that might be something to consider), LPX and NLX. You must replace like-for-like. So much for form factors.



The next thing to consider is the processor. Do you buy a new processor or reuse your old processor? You can pull the chip if your new motherboard will receive it. Each processor has pins which fit just so into the Socket designed to receive it.



You need to know what Socket the motherboard uses, and there are quite a few designs. My motherboard on the computer I built is a Socket 478 "Prescott" designed to work with the Pentium 4 chip. More common these days is the Socket 775 LGA, which often times works with the Core Duo series.



Next you need to know about the memory, usually these days is less than 4 gigabytes. Typically, 2 GB is plenty and you'll have room to spare with your applications. You'll be multitasking aplenty. Anyway, the memory is important and you must buy the right kind for the motherboard you choose. It must be pin-compatible, for example, many RAM or SDRAM today is 240-pin. Once you select your motherboard, visit http://www.crucial.com and they'll help you select the exact kind of memory for your needs.



The memory must be design to work with your system bus so that the signals don't get garbled. Each bus is rated at a particular speed of operation, 400 MHz, 667 MHz, 800 MHz, 1033 MHz -- whatever your processor can handle. This is an important consideration. The bus controls the data flow through the computer and is the main communication between the CPU and the memory.



You're going to want to make sure, if you're re-using that hard drive, or even if you're going for a new one, that it fits and that it works with the motherboard. The key terms here are PATA or SATA. Parallel Advanced Technology Architecture has been around for years and is still included on most motherboards. Serial ATA is a newer design and it is considered faster at getting to that data you need to memory.



These are a few of the things you may want to consider when upgrading a motherboard. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to answer.



BHWhat information do i need to know before i change my motherboard?Ohh, wow.

You need to know what RAM you have fitted and get the new motherboard that takes the same RAM (or get new RAM)



Same applies to the Processor, the new motherboard will need to fit the old processor (or get a new processor)



Make sure that your new motherboard has enough IDE/PATA connectors , some now motherboards only come with one, you may need two.



If you have a graphics card, then the new board will need to fit the old card (PCIe or AGP) or get a new gfx card.



If the old motherboard has onboard graphics, you will need a new motherboard with onboard graphics (or buy a graphics card)



You may need to refresh windows setup if you change the motherboard, before the machine will boot.What information do i need to know before i change my motherboard?make a note of your cpu and memory details sound and video card etc

Then look at the motherboards on display check the manuals to make sure that they will take the cpu, ram and other add on devices you have If yours is an old pc it could be you will have to change the cpu and memory If in doubt ask the assistant in the computer store for advice