upgrading parts question?

[2bzy4ne1]

At the moment, I am saving up to buy some new parts to upgrade my computer ie. (cpu, mobo, memory, psu). Once I install the new parts, do I have to reinstall the os again? Also, if i had to, would it erase everything on my hard drive?

Separate question: What kind of power supply do I need to run an Athlon XP2400+? That's the processor I plan on buying. I know that the psu that came with my computer won't be enough to handle it so that's why I am asking.

 

[AlphaWolf]

You don't have to reinstall the OS, but its a good idea, especialy if you replace your motherboard, which will at times crash the OS if you have incompatible drivers loaded, which is of course very very likely.

You also wont lose anything if you back it up properly.

 

[Allnatural]

For your PSU I would recommend a minimum of 350 watts. You could probably scrape by on less, but the cost is low and you'll thank yourself later for the added headroom. In fact, more is better, so get as much juice as you can afford.

 

[Eagle]

If you have or are getting an athlon, save yourself the trouble and get a 450+ watt. The chasis fans and such you ned to keep it cool will eat your power. I bought one called ProSource from www.mixpc.com it was 480W, Dual Fans (one on front to blow into PSU and one on back to blow out of PSU), Noise Killer, Over Power Protection, and Pentium 4 ready. It was about $50 which is a nice price for that kind of PSU.

 

[2bzy4ne1]

I just thought of another question. Is a motherboard that is compatible with ATA also backwards compatible with Ultra DMA?

 

[Eagle]

UDMA and ATA are two seperate things actually. My motherboard supports UDMA and ATA at the same time.

 

[2bzy4ne1]

Ok, I have almost all the information I need except for one thing. Would a PSU that is ATX form factor work in a Micro ATX case?

 

[Martin]

Incorrect.

ATA and UDMA are the same thing; they are both measurements of IDE transfer speed.

ATA100 is the same as UDMA-5 - which is a theoretical transfer speed of 100MB/s.

ATA133 = UMDA-6 -> 133MB/s.

 

[2bzy4ne1]

Thanks for clarifying Martin. I understand it now. I don't think that I wll be able to afford the 2400+, so maybe I'll just get the 2200+ instead until the athlons with 333fsb are at an affordable price.

 

[vampireuk]

Yeah its best getting a slightly slower version of the XP when a new one comes out. The price of the others drops a bit while the new one has a bit of a price tag on it

 

[Slougi]

Yep ATA = IDE

UDMA and PIO modes indicate transfer speed.

 

[2bzy4ne1]

I just need to clarify something. Which versions of the Athlon XP's are good for overclocking? I need to figure this out because when I get an even better processor, I can use this one for overclocking without worrying much about it.