How Do I know the motherboard will fit in my Tower -ULTRA NOOB

[fuggles]

I'm ultra noob at home building PCs

but I have before upgraded my PSU, ram and graphics card


My problem is, I want to keep my existing tower
replace my weak pentium 4 CPU,
and I think I would have to replace the motherboard too ??


So what do I need ??

A new motherboard ??
A new CPU ??
SHould I get a bundle that comes with ram too ?? Do they come with the heatsink already on ??

DO I have to reset my pc when installing a new motherboard and CPU ??
How do I know which ones will fit ??
This is my tower now.
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/product?cc=uk&lc=en&dlc=en&product=435902
http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c00251966.pdf

Also, do I need drivers with it ?
A sound card too ??
Or not ??

 

[WR2]

My problem is, I want to keep my existing tower

What cooling options does that tower have?

 

[WR2]

From what I can tell from pictures and the manual it's only the single 92mm rear fan for cooling. No other options.
Are you positive you want to keep that case?

The basics. What do you want to do with your upgraded PC?
Gaming? What graphics card do you own and/or which one do you plan to get.
What power supply will you be using?

You will need a CPU/RAM/Motherboard. The CPU comes with a heat sink that you attach after you install the CPU into the motherboard.

You will not need a sound card or drivers (they come with the motherboard)

 

[mouse24]

Hmmm, i guess the easiest way would be to take off the 2ndary side panel (the one where you cant see your motherboard/ram/cpu/etc and just measure the distance to the holes then compare them to this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MicroATX

The dell website is giving no information -.- ... you can also try calling them I guess

Oh, and ram heatsinks are largely for show and are kinda useless

 

[WR2]

(MB) How do I know which ones will fit ??
This is my tower now.
Compaq Presario SR1230UK

This can be dicey. Another reason for a replacement case. There it's much easier to confirm a MB/Case match, and you'd get better cooling options.

If you run CPU-Z the Mainboard tab will have the information on the motherboard installed in your tower and we should be able to look up some specifics online to figure out what form factor it is.
CPU-Z: list the motherboard details.

 

[WR2]

You can skip running CPU-z. Google found the motherboard:
HP model name: Grouper-UL8E
MFGR/model name: ASUS PTGD1-LA

It's a standard Micro-ATX form factor.
9.6 inches x 9.6 inches (24.5 cm x 24.5 cm)

 

[fuggles]

i already have a 9800gt and sufficient PSU, they are not a problem

the problem is I have a pentium 4, which isn't powerful enough these days

also,

do the bundles for the CPU, motherboard include ram ?? I hope so

 

[fuggles]

who mentioned ram heatsinks ???

I meant

does the CPU / Motherboard I buy come with a cooling fan, whatever its called

 

[WR2]

sufficient PSU

sufficient for powerful new PSU?
List the make and model for us.

 

[WR2]

Q. do the bundles for the CPU, motherboard include ram ??
A. Not usually
Q. does the CPU / Motherboard I buy come with a cooling fan
A. A basic CPU cooler comes with the CPU. Do you want to try overclocking?

 

[fuggles]

okay, thanks, yes, the only cooling options are

a fan at the back of the tower

or to add another fan onto a PCI slot
like

Zalman ZM-SC100 PCI Slot System Cooling



How would I remove my current Motherboard from this tower ???
step by step


Yes, I want to keep this tower, it has sentimental value.

 

[fuggles]

I meant

does the cpu come with a cpu heatsink ?? you know the fan/thing on the actual CPU

 

[fuggles]

No, I meant,

I already have a good PSU and good graphics card.

Would I need to upgrade my PSU to power the new CPU do you think ?

 

[WR2]

You can keep the tower - and you can still do the build in another case.
You can just about buy a whole new case for the price of that ZM-SC100 PCI slot cooler.

 

[WR2]

You want me to make a guess? Not a good idea.
List your PSU make and model.

 

[fuggles]

look at this on ebay

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AMD-Athlon-X2-250-3-0GHz-8GB-DDR3-RAM-ASUS-M5A78L-M-LX-Motherboard-Bundle-A49-/180740549250?pt=UK_Motherboards_CPUs&hash=item2a14f9ea82


it has
a cpu
a motherboard
ram

but does it come with a heatsink/cooler/thing for the CPU ? should I just ring and ask ?

 

[mouse24]

who mentioned ram heatsinks ???

I meant

does the CPU / Motherboard I buy come with a cooling fan, whatever its called

in your first post "SHould I get a bundle that comes with ram too ?? Do they come with the heatsink already on ??"

I thought that meant ram heatsinks.... anywho...

Whats your budget?

I would grab something like this:

Mobo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131728 $65
Ram: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104231 $40 (You can also go with a cheaper set of ram if you like, just make sure its DDR3)
CPU: (options)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103903 $62
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103872 $75
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103808 $125

 

[fuggles]

psu is arctic power, 700w

24 amps on the 14v rail, i have the box in front of me

 

[WR2]

How would I remove my current Motherboard from this tower ???
step by step

It's the reverse of the new MB install.
You'll need to pay STRICT attention to the MB header connections and label them carefully.

Here is a Step-by-Step Guide to Building a PC

Look over the forum's "System won't boot" checklist to see some of the common build errors and how to avoid them.

 

[fuggles]

oops, i meant 12v rail

 

[WR2]

24 amps on the 14v rail, i have the box in front of me

That CAN'T be right.
What's the model of that arctic power?

OK 12V is right - but 24 is wayyyyyy too low for a 700W model.

 

[WR2]

@ mouse24;
I get the impression NewEgg listings won't help the OP, except by example.

 

[WR2]

Is it the eBuyer model Arctic 700??
The sticker reads:
+3.3v = 30A
+5v = 38A
+12v1 = 22A
+12v2 = 22A
-12v = 0.6A
+5Vsb = 3A

edit;
See it's NOT the same model - no 24A listed.

 

[mouse24]

woopsies, i messed up in my posting saying that the 125w x4 would work on that board... it won't that mobo is only designed for 95w cpus. So if you think you can find a 95w quad core then... lol sorry

and yeah it was mainly for suggestions WR2 as i don't know of any places to shop for pc parts in Europe

 

[fuggles]

Is it the eBuyer model Arctic 700??
The sticker reads:
+3.3v = 30A
+5v = 38A
+12v1 = 22A
+12v2 = 22A
-12v = 0.6A
+5Vsb = 3A

edit;
See it's NOT the same model - no 24A listed.

yes, it's very similar, mine says 24 A though