Hey Guys,

I need some critical advice. My family system is out. The motherboard failed and I need to replace it. I have three main options.

1. Replace motherboard with another 754 socket motherboard. Pro: Don't have to replace the processor and cheaper. Con: It doesn't leave me with much of a variety to choose from reliable manufacturers.

2. Replace motherboard and processor with a more up-to-date processor. Pro: Won't have to update later. Con: More expensive, and also there is no reliable motherboard I can locate that supports newer processors and DDR400 memory which is slowly becoming outdated.

3. Replace motherboard and processor and memory. Pro: It's getting the works. Con: More expensive.

Which route would you guys take and why?

My second question is this, if you could upgrade to Windows Vista would you (from Windows XP home)?

My third question is about SATA. We're currently using a 3.0Gb/s SATA hard drive and I know that when I would install Windows XP before, it required a floppy drive in order to load the driver so the drive could be recognized so I could install the OS. Well, I'm worried about purchasing a new motherboard because most of the new motherboards do support floppy drives anymore. So if I do wind up purchasing a new motherboard that doesn't support floppy, how can I load the SATA driver so the drive can be recognized?
Also, if I did upgrade to Vista, does vista automatically recognize all SATA hard drives unlike Windows XP?

Please help if you can. Thank you very much.

Go the new build route. Here's a rough guess at a few good parts for you - don't know how much you'd like to spend.

Newegg.com - Intel Pentium E2200 Allendale 2.2GHz 1MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - Retail

Newegg.com - MSI P35 Neo2-FR LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

Newegg.com - A-DATA 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail

It will be much faster and leave you with upgrade room for the next couple of years should you need it.

Don't bother upgrading to Vista. It's more of a downgrade. XP runs applications faster and doesn't saddle you with pointless extra features. As for your SATA driver issue, I suspect that was something to do with your old motherboard. I have loaded XP onto tons of PCs with SATA and never once has one required the driver from a floppy. Even if you do come up against this problem, most modern motherboards still have floppy ports.

Thank you for your advice. I'll definitely take that into consideration. Although, I think your recommendation for the Memory is incompatible with that motherboard.

Quote: Originally Posted by jaggerman Thank you for your advice. I'll definitely take that into consideration. Although, I think your recommendation for the Memory is incompatible with that motherboard.

Really? It's a P35 motherboard with DDR2 1066 support, and that's DDR2 800. Should be fine.

Quote: Originally Posted by reflux Really? It's a P35 motherboard with DDR2 1066 support, and that's DDR2 800. Should be fine.

O right. I'm sorry. Are you a big advocate for Pentiums? Have you ever tried an AMD processor?

There's nothing to be said for the current range of AMD processors, Intels Core 2s are the only viable option at the moment really.

For example, comparing the two processors on HWbot:

hwbot.org - Compare Hardware

The AMD comes out on top, but not by much (4 wins to 3), and considering its $159 compared to the E2200 at $85, AND just look at the average overclock gain, the Intel usually hits a whopping 50% over stock, at which speeds it makes the AMD looks criminally poor.

The Intel CPUs are based on a new architecture...the Pentium name has been shifted to their low-end CPUs, so when you see Pentium it doesn't mean it's anywhere near as shocking as the old chips! I don't know if you intend to overclock, but if not, there is a large range of faster choices - E4300, E6550 etc. You still haven't specified a budget.