Help w/ Upgrading Motherboard & CPU

[Pekoe]

Hi. Right now I have a AMD K6 processor and I'm not sure about the motherboard (ALi?).

Anyway, I'm thinking about buying a 750-900 mHz Athlon with a Soyo motherboard, and 128 mg of SDRAM. How do I know if this will be compatible with the power supply, and other things I already have? What is a heat stick and will I need to replace that too? Is the Soyo a good motherboard?

I use the computer mainly for home, with some graphic design work, and a few games.

TIA,
P.

[Bateluer]

I think u are looking at a pretty extensive overhaul here.
Since you have a K6 processor, you likely have an AT style case. AT is an older standard by which cases and PSUs and mobos were manufactored. To confirm that it is an AT PSU and MOBO: Open the case, there should be 2 cables that come from the PSU that plub into the mobo somewhere. They should be a little different than the 3 or 4 prong connector used for floppies, Hdds, and CD-ROMS. If there are two plugs plugging in side by side into the mobo, thats an AT mobo, if their is one, its an ATX.
IF it is an AT PSU, Case and mobo, you will have to replace all three. Almost all ATX cases come with PSUs already installed. You did not mention your budget so I will steer you to the same case I got, the Tornado 1000 w/ 300watt PSU from 3dcool.com. That case ran me about $190, but its worth every penny.
AThlons can run a 250 watts psu, but 300 is highly reccomended.
As for the rest of your set up, your should al right, cept for the 3 components i discussed above. You will need to get a new heat sink for you Tbird, the K6 Heatsink will not even fit the Tbird.
I have heard little about the soyo myself, i'm sure others have. I plan on building my own Athlon rig by the end of the week and have spent many months researching every component that I will have in my system. I finally decided on a KT7-RAID mbo, from abit. But i have not done as much research into lesser known mobo vendors like Soyo.

One final note, you sound like a newbie. You should a little more research. The AThlon buidling FAQs at AMD's website are a good place to start. Sharky also has a few guides up which recommend good components as well.
good luck to you


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Boo Points, I punch! Well, actually, Boo just kinda runs, but I still punch, Yessir!

[RLX7]

Check out the cases here for a good deal and a very good case. www.pcbroker.com make sure you get a 300w Power supply if you plan on getting an Athlon (especially for Thunderbird. Also take a look at the MSI K7T Pro 2A motherboard. It has nice features and has a very nice price ($105). Try looking for parts on www.Pricewatch.com. That's where i buy all my stuff, best prices and very reliable dealers. Hope this helps!

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I'm a biped, you're a biped, we are bipeds all!

[Pekoe]

Thanks guys,
You're right, I am very much a newby. I plan to try this myself and call in the Marines if needed.

I'm not sure, but ATX sounds familier and I think that may be the case I have. My box is 2 1/2 years old. It's a CyberMax and they have gone bankrupt in the last couple of months, but I asked them before I bought it if it was proprietary and they said "no". It's a large box. I have a floppy drive (of course), a cd drive and I have installed cd writer and a second hard drive and still have one bay left. But I will check it out. I've been in there enough times you'd think I'd have the way it looks stamped on my brain! (Come to think of it, it may be a BioStar motherboard. I'm not at home where my machine is or I'd look up the particulars.)

The reason I'm thinking of the Athalon and the Soho is because TigerDirect sent an e-mail about a year-end blow out on them. My current machine is beeping four times after it's been on for about 30-45 min. (I know, System Timer Failure) so I figure I'm gonna have to replace something anyhow.

Thanks much for your help. Sorry for the lengthy message.

P.