I'm seriously thinking about upgrading to a p3

[surferpop]

500 or 550 and trying o/c'ing.I currently have a dell p2 450 so I'm going to have to
get a new motherboard and case.I want to
use my current h/d(with current programs,etc., if possible), sound card, ram and modem,etc.As I am new to this I want to make it as simple as possible and need some expert advice.For example:
1)What's a g400max compatible motherboard that's easy to overclock and has minimal problems?
2)What's a good case that has adequate cooling out of the box and space for expansion?
3)Is there a web site with a walkthru
for what I want to do.

Is this a major project or relatively simple?
Any advice would be appreciated.

[Ant]

I have an ABit BX6 r2 and a PIII 500 which I've been very happy with. I run the CPU overclocked to 585 and it has proved to be 100% stable running both the normal and MAX G400. The ABit motherboard is nice for overclocking as the CPU speed can be set via the BIOS software so no fiddling around with jumpers on the motherboard.

As for cases I always go with a large tower case for the extra space and ventilation. I think what you want to do is easy enough, but then again I've been doing all of this since I was knee high to a grass hopper

[ALBPM]

It's not too difficult, I managed with a little sideline coaching from a few Forum members

I recommend ABIT motherboards their Bios and Soft Menu II make it easy to overclock. Either the BX6 rev 2 or the BE6 are great for the P3's.
The case, either mid or full tower but get at least a 250-300 watt powersupply.

For cooling your P3, get either an ALHPA P3125 or the Vantec P3-5030. 2CoolTek has good prices on these.
www.2cooltek.com/index.html

Paul

[surferpop]

Thanks Ant and ALBPM.Now I've got a start.
Can I use my existing hard drive with it's programs and drivers, etc. or do I have to re-format? Is assigning irq's difficult?

[ALBPM]

If your using WN98 you can just use your existing Hard Drive without reformating. I did that until I upgraded that too. I kept the old HD in long enough to transfer some files over to the new one.

Paul

[Ant]

While your "should" be able to swap the HD in with installed OS etc and Windows "should" detect everything and set it all up I've found swapping in a new motherboard to cause major problems with Windows. Everytime I've done it everything seems to have gone fine but Windows just wasn't right, slow and unstable (sorry slower and more unstable). I've always resorted to a fresh install of Windows with a new motherboard, but see how things work out for you first.

[agallag]

Ant's right. If after you do the swap, windows seem more flakey than usual, what you could do is just blow away the windows directory, and install a fresh copy. You'll then have to reinstall all your apps over the old copies to restore registry settings, but you wont have to worry about backing up data. Of course, the idea way would be to partition your drive with, say, partition magic, and back up your stuff on the new partition, then do full format on c:. After you re-install, you can move your backed up stuff back to c: and get rid of the second partition. This assumes you've got plenty of space free though.

I'm kind of spoiled, since I have 4 HDs and a CD-RW, plenty of space to backup

[surferpop]

Ok,I'm going to be overly optimistic and
assume I won't have any problems(LOL)with win98.
Do I just install my dvd,hard drive,video
and sound cards, etc. and just turn it on
and hope for the best or do I do one install at a time and in any special sequence?
Also, does the bx6-r2 let you assign irqs'?

[bobby2]

I did nearly exactly the same thing. Had a Dell PII450, and just removed the disks/ bits I needed and put them in a new case with an ABIT-BE6 etc. The system will go through a few reboots as it finds the new stuff, but mine is fine after the trauma. You would probably be better off with a clean 98 install, but I couldnt do that for various reasons.
bert

------------------
G400 32 D/H, PIII450@560, ABIT-BE6, MX300

[surferpop]

bobby2,
Just to confirm...
You put all drives, etc. in the new case all at once and just turned on the power.
Any irq conflicts? Did the new mobo assign the same irqs'that were assigned on your
dell?
Thanks

[ALBPM]

The best thing would be to install all your drives and the Graphics card first. Then install the remainder of your cards one at a time. Since the drivers are already on your hard drive you merely need to direct Windows to the correct driver for your PCI and ISA devices.

Paul

[Wombat]

I recommend reinstalling windows. However, if you don't want to do that, I recommend that you at LEAST:
1) Boot into Safe Mode
2) Delete all of your system devices in the System Manager.
3) Turn computer off.
4) Change motherboards. Add only basic hardware to system.
5) Do a few reboots until Windows stops detecting stuff.
6) Install other hardware.

Good luck,
Wombat

[RAB]

Surferpop,
I'm a bit late to this conversation, but why go to all the trouble of getting a new mobo and case. Wouldn't it be much simpler to just install a new P550 on your existing mobo in your existing case? Same for the video, just swap.

Sorry if I missed something about the PII 450 and PIII 550, but can't they use the same motherboards and just upgrade the bios so SSE works? If your Dell mobo has an LX or BX chipset and a 100 mhz FSB, swapping parts should work just fine and it would be a whole lot easier.

Just a dumb SS7 user.
RAB

[surferpop]

RAB,
Unfotunately,the intel motherboard that came with the dell will not support anything higher than a 450..p2 or p3.