Just bought a tower off a guy who didn't want to fix the motherboard- I have basic knowledge about computers but know practically nothing when it comes to motherboards , i figured someone on this forum could answer a simple question- i've done a little research with no solutions yet :[ I have an ABIT - IS7 - E2 motherboard and from what I have found these motherboards are quite outdated and extremely fragile and seem to fry within no time. My question--- > Is there a modern motherboard that can directly replace the ABIT MB with no fitment issues? I plan on putting windows 7 or 8 on it- I really just want to use the tower I bought to make it a computer with optimal performance, but also stay in a relatively low budget -
OK--this is ancient! Many people still use Pentium 4, though--it proved hugely popular in its day. Many here would agree--what do you mean by "low budget?" Really, performance depends heavily on how much you wish to spend. ABit doesn't exists anymore, either. This is an ATX motherboard. You may check out the case to be certain--it likely supports micro-ATX, too--value boards generally are micro-ATX. Computer architecture has changed drastically--at the bare minimum to get this up to date, you need a new motherboard, DDR3 memory sticks, and CPU--these integrate together--no way around that. What's is your power supply like? Find it's make and model. Do you feel confident that it can cut the mustard--at least for awhile? Does it offer SATA power connectors? Generally, newer boards don't directly support EIDE/ATA--they don't offer the connectors necessary, anymore. This likely applies to both the hard drive(s) and optical drive(s). To use these--which you don't really want--you'd need adapter cards that feed signal through the correct cabling to such peripherals. For "optimal performance," you'll need a good PCI-E video card. Such cards require power directly from the power supply--does the power supply offer the correct PCI-E power connectors? (6-pin, 8-pin, and 6+2-pin connectors are available these days.) If the connectors don't exist or are of the wrong kind, adapters are needed to supply the video card's and SATA drive's power connectors. Adapters add complexity and impede airflow somewhat. The tower itself likely isn't that modern--convenient front access to eSATA, HDMI, and certainly USB3.0, etc. likely won't exist, either. You wanted a full-tower--that's the main reason that you purchased this, right? A major problem with full-towers is that certain cables may not reach certain places on the board or in the tower--given the choices of power supplies, boards, peripherals, and cables. Purchasing a micro-ATX board likely exacerbates such problems.) The questions of how much you are willing to give up (in functionality and convenience)--or to give ($)--keep raising their ugly heads! I suspect that's why no one answered. You can't simply replace the board to move forward with this--you must purchase other upgraded items, as well--perhaps, some items will facilitate using legacy peripherals--that's never the "optimal" solution, though.... You may need to reconsider the type of sys and functionality you desire, yet may still afford. What are the extras you must have? Consider this build (Offers some potential for later expansion): Case: COOLER MASTER HAF 912 RC-912-KKN1 Black SECC/ ABS Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case, or try to use your full-tower case. Power Supply: ENERMAX NAXN 82+ ENP650AWT B 650W ATX12V 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Quality Power Supply brand, has two 6+2pin PCI-E connectors--more versatile and future-proof, efficient. CPU: AMD Sempron 145 Sargas 2.8GHz Socket AM3 45W Single-Core Desktop Processor SDX145HBGMBOX; Low-power consumption. Hopefully, you may get a gratis dual-core--courtesy of MSI--this is a cost-cutter step for now. May be upgraded to Phenom II, later on--or, now. Motherboard: MSI 760GM-P34(FX) AM3+ AMD 760G Micro ATX AMD Motherboard; Inexpensive, but spartan--may get a dual-core for a Sargas through BIOS setting--can work with Phenom II, too. Gigabit Lan. Con: Only two memory slots--limited to 16GB. Memory: G.SKILL Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) Desktop Memory Model F3-14900CL9D-8GBSR; 1866 is somewhat more "future-proof" than 1600 or 1333. Hard Drive:Seagate Barracuda ST500DM002 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive; 500GB is the minimum desirable for conventional SATA 7200: Who knows when SSD takes over? To "stripe" and speed-up, simply repurchase, install, and then configure RAID. Video Card: PowerColor AX7850 1GBD5-DH Radeon HD 7850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card: 256-bit cards or higher-bandwidth cards simply are a big step above the rest. Better performance and connections. GDDR5. Still under $200. You may use onboard video--again, courtesy of MSI--until purchasing later on, too. This isn't the "Ultimate System": I hope it's a good step forward to where you wish to be in the "now." Cut wisely now, and spend when and where it counts!
Mobo suggestions I'm in the same boat as ydnar. But I want to replace my board with one that accepts SATA drives (160gb) and is (I guess) a dual core. I'd probably want 4 gbs of ram and don't mind buying a new power supply etc. .I want to be able to put 2 hard drives in the case. The second one is for storage. I've changed out motherboards before, but some of the terms / specs you've mentioned above don't make any sense to me because I don't understand them. If I changed out a mobo every week, I'd start to get a better understanding of it all. If you had to fix something different on your car every week, you would learn all about your car. Doesn't sound like fun though. It's sort of like the front bus speeds. They'll give you 3 numbers and that confuses me. I'm not a gamer so I don't need a rocketship mobo. Would a socket 775 do ? I see a lot of good boards on evilbay for about $50. Some (they claim) are old stock, never used. Just pick a seller with really good rating and a lot of transactions. In any case the board will be a few years old. I would appreciate some BASIC suggestions as to what to buy. A little different: Do you like the MSI boards ? What would be your second or third choices ? I have a single core, socket A, AMD (old 2004) rated bus speed 333. A snail would go faster than that. ) Thanks very much for your time .......Alan
