Motherboard upgrage - does size matter?

P

Powerchordpunk

Guest
I want to buy this motherboard/cpu combo and it says it's dimensions are 304x220mm. Do I need to worry about the size of my old mobo and where all the ports go? There are differences like 6 usb ports compared to 2. thx. btw i have a gateway essential 550.
 
that board is ATX form factor. as long as that's the form factor of your case, it will fit. if your case is micro-ATX (mATX), then it won't fit.

btw, that mobo isn't very good. not only does it lack in performance, but there are lots of problems with ECS and especially the K7S5A. just a heads up. i'll look for a good deal around the same price for you.
 
you probably won't be able to put a new mobo in that same computer case, as most oem manufactures are weird about stuff like that and make their parts so they don't conform to standards. as far as mobo size goes, ATX is ATX, anything atx will fit in an atx case.

you probably don't want that mobo though, I have had nothing but problems with SiS chipsets

the USB ports are 2 on back probably and then headers for more on the board that will attach to the front of your case or something.

anyways, I don't think you need to worry about stuff fitting, IF your case is an ATX, it will all have it's place.
 
Sorry to change the subject abit.. well.. hmm i dunno if its changing the subject really but anyways...

Hey Taurus.. im intregged what you said about problems with the K7S5A. May i ask what problems there are with them? ive had my motherboard for 6months now which is K7S5A and i havent really spotted any problems with it. Are there anything i should look out for with them? I would be greatful for your say about them

Thank you for your time

Sincerley Alex :huh:
 
yeah, a few things have given them a bad rap with me. first was i built a computer with a board by them about 2 years ago. it wouldn't post. i tried everything imagineable. i eventually rma'd it and 3 weeks later they send it back saying nothing was wrong with it. so i installed it and it post'ed. (?) i installed win2k but got a couple bsod's in the process. but once the os was installed, it seemed stable for the next day or two until i turned it over to the people. i didn't get a chance to fully test it and they couldn't get a hold of me if they tried. it was through a friend and he didn't want to deal with them after that was done. but, anyway..

at fry's (local giant computer store), they sell the k7s5a's by the dozen all the time because every week they feature it bundled with some athlon xp for like $120 (see 1st post).. and every time i walk in, you can see stacks of those yellow/blue ecs boxes in the corner of the return dept. shoulin would be able to confirm this as he goes to the same store.

also, i've read more than a thread or two about someone having problems with the ide channels, onboard, lan, etc with that board.

lastly, it's an SiS chipset. simply not an enthusiasts brand of chipset. doesn't offer the same features or performance as comparable Via chipsets.
 
thank you for the info Taurus :D .. by the looks of things, i must be the lucky one in a thousandth owner of the K7S5A :p. Ive had all windows on this board.. ranging from ME, 2000 and XP Home and Pro and i managed to get it posted up as soon as i got the motherboard.. :huh:

K7S5A must like me :D *touch wood*

So long as this motherboard see's me through till Xmas, then im happy (by that time, ill be upgrading to AGP 8x ;)

Thank you again for your info about the K7S5A taurus. Ill keep you posted if ive spotted anything with mine

Sincerly Alex :cool:
 
yeah, no problem, Alex. i'm sure there are a good number of those boards out there that are working fine. or else ecs simply wouldn't exist. :)
 
i had that mobo ...IT SUX ...not only that but it burned out in under a year no overlcoking ....dont get it. ECS means E.vil C.rappy S.hit
 
lol yea i guess so..

lol, they should make ECS boards limited editions :p

Im off to bed now considering its nearly 2am.. goodnight everyone

:cool:
 
ok thanks for all your help so far. Now on the Albatron board taurus posted, does that support SDRAM? I have three sticks of SDRAM (2 are pc100, 1 is pc133 -- they all run at 100) and I want to use them on the board I buy. The ECS board supports SDRAM. Can I still use my SDRAM on the Albatron board? (nice find by the way)

Also, I have 1 ultra ATA/100 80gig HDD and 1 ultra ATA/66 20gig HDD. Will these work on the Albatron board if it says it has ATA/133 channels?

Thanks.
 
the sdr memory won't work on the albatron board. :huh: sorry. it's a ddr board.

all the drives will work fine, though. :)

[edit] actually, before you buy any new motherboard, make sure your power supply and case are ATX. otherwise, you'll end up having to fork over more money on new ones (only about $60 total). and if you do that, you might as well buy new memory so you can leave your old mobo in your old case with your old memory, etc. and have a seperate new (very fast) comp. :p
 
Originally posted by dubstar
nice choice on the mobo, but you can get a 2400+ for like ~95 bucks (only 25 more)
yeah, i know. :) i was trying to price products at the same walk-in store he was already shopping at, to make it easy. and since he's obviously trying to save money, i think a 2000+ for $70 is a good buy.
 
is there another amd board from outpost.com that supports SDRAM? A board that won't fry in one week? Preferably supporting the Athalon XP 2000+ Socket A processor. Thanks.
 
no, i looked earlier. didn't see any. it's pretty hard to find motherboards that support high-end processors but use old sdram memory. why? because you're cutting the processor short if you're going to be using pc133 memory (especially pc100 like you have). so i advise against going that route.

you can get 512mb pc3200 memory for $59.99 at the same place..?
 
How about this Premium 512MB PC2100 DDR for use with the Albatron board (crucial.com says PC2700 and PC2100 will work)? I've never heard of premium before; one year warranty though.
 
sure, 2100 will work... but the faster the better. and the $7 upgrade to pc3200 is VERY worth it. silly thing to skimp on.

and you're welcome. :)
 

Members online

No members online now.

Latest profile posts

Also Hi EP and people. I found this place again while looking through a oooollllllldddd backup. I have filled over 10TB and was looking at my collection of antiques. Any bids on the 500Mhz Win 95 fix?
Any of the SP crew still out there?
Xie wrote on Electronic Punk's profile.
Impressed you have kept this alive this long EP! So many sites have come and gone. :(

Just did some crude math and I apparently joined almost 18yrs ago, how is that possible???
hello peeps... is been some time since i last came here.
Electronic Punk wrote on Sazar's profile.
Rest in peace my friend, been trying to find you and finally did in the worst way imaginable.

Forum statistics

Threads
62,015
Messages
673,494
Members
5,621
Latest member
naeemsafi
Back