mobo and case compatability

towly · 08-27-2005, 10:43 PM

i pm'ed geoff about this, but i have another question and he isnt on right now so...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813135153

i have a compaq case, i know from sandrasisoftware that the mobo type is a atx microtower, my cpu is an amd xp 2400+. I know that the cpu will work on that mobo, but my question now is, will that mobo fit inside my case? Again the case is made for a atx microtower, my case has 1 agp slot and 3 pci slots openings, that mobo has 1 agp/ 3 pci slots, the only difference between the mobo on my compaq right now and that mobo is the printer/mouse/keyboard/etc, connecters but if you look at this pic ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/ShowIm...d%20-%20Retail ) you see that it comes with a different cover for all those things, and i know in the compaq case it has a cover for those same things that you can remove.

So will that mobo fit my compaq case? Everything looks to be the same with the mobo that is in my comp right now. I need to know so I can order it on monday and hopefully bring it to my friend to have him install that mobo and reinstall all the components.

redrider773 · 08-28-2005, 12:17 AM

Dude, you dont want that mobo... (2 slots for DDR 333? why? Old ram will still be compatable with new slots, ex. DDR 233 can run it DDR 400 "standard" slots) but it should fit, post a link to the case; most ATX cases are compatable with Micro too.

towly · 08-28-2005, 12:22 AM

http://www.cebit.pl/images/compaqpresario7000t.jpg

basically thats what the case looks like.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157024

im thinking about getting that one, its only a 10 dollars difference, and it has 400/333, so thats all ill ever use.

**Lax** · 08-28-2005, 01:16 AM

Quote:

ex. DDR 233 can run it DDR 400 "standard" slots)

DDR 266?

Quote:

http://www.cebit.pl/images/compaqpresario7000t.jpg

basically thats what the case looks like.

If your tower is a microATX tower a microATX board is what you need. So it looks like it would fit, unless compaq put some wierd ass mounting spots for the mobo (which they prolly did). Exact measurements of the case would be key though, get those and you can see if the board will fit right.

towly · 08-28-2005, 02:23 AM

ill try and get measurements tomorrow.

**Praetor** · 08-28-2005, 04:40 AM

That motherboard is horrible, ECS is a horrible make for (especially so) K7 boards and SiS is an especially poor chipset maker.

Quote:

So will that mobo fit my compaq case?

Physically it might (depending on what you meant with your wording). But whether or not the screwholes line up... cant tell ya.. Compaq, being an OEM, does things wierd

Quote:

im thinking about getting that one, its only a 10 dollars difference, and it has 400/333, so thats all ill ever use.

ASrock is an equally crummy company and again, still the SiS chipset

Supremo · 08-28-2005, 01:38 PM

I had the opportunity of converting IBM and Compaq computers to other motherboards and this is not easy. Around 50% of the screwholes align and to make things worse, some of the mounting backplate for the motherboard has a protruding metal spacer which fits with the original OEM motherboard and not with the new one. I had to cut these off with a rotary tool with a cutting disc and drill new holes to adapt it with the new motherboard.

Second, the power supply for OEMs are mounted on the side of the case and not at the top. There is a possibility of the tall capacitors hitting the power supply, you will have to measure this capacitors.

Third OEM power supplies are particularly low, I've seen them with only 200 watts - this could be a factor if you plan to use power hungry video cards and processors on the new board.

Sure the new motherboard will fit - but to mount it and make it work will be a different story.

If you plan to push through with it, then be prepared to modify the case. Be ready with a drill and rotary tool with cutting disc.

towly · 08-28-2005, 03:58 PM

i decided to drop the idea of sticking with the compaq case. I wanted to get a 400w+ psu, but the 400w+ psu for a microtower case was like 80 bucks, but i found a case for 40 bucks that came with a 420w psu, and 2 80mm fans.

this is definately the last time i buy an oem computer, why pay up the ass when you can build a nice computer for under 1000 bucks

towly · 08-29-2005, 02:55 AM

well i just tried to connect my 1 gb stick that i bought to my compaq mobo, and it said when booting up memory size error. What does that mean, im assuming it means that the mobo wont support a 1 gb stick.

i just want to make sure there isnt something wrong with the stick of ram i bought.

**Praetor** · 08-29-2005, 05:11 AM

Quote:

What does that mean, im assuming it means that the mobo wont support a 1 gb stick.

Quote:

i just want to make sure there isnt something wrong with the stick of ram i bought.

Could be either of those issues. If you can run MemTest you can rule out the latter

08-27-2005, 10:43 PM	#1 (permalink)
towly Gold Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Austin, Tx Age: 21 Posts: 338	mobo and case compatability i pm'ed geoff about this, but i have another question and he isnt on right now so... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813135153 i have a compaq case, i know from sandrasisoftware that the mobo type is a atx microtower, my cpu is an amd xp 2400+. I know that the cpu will work on that mobo, but my question now is, will that mobo fit inside my case? Again the case is made for a atx microtower, my case has 1 agp slot and 3 pci slots openings, that mobo has 1 agp/ 3 pci slots, the only difference between the mobo on my compaq right now and that mobo is the printer/mouse/keyboard/etc, connecters but if you look at this pic ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/ShowIm...d%20-%20Retail ) you see that it comes with a different cover for all those things, and i know in the compaq case it has a cover for those same things that you can remove. So will that mobo fit my compaq case? Everything looks to be the same with the mobo that is in my comp right now. I need to know so I can order it on monday and hopefully bring it to my friend to have him install that mobo and reinstall all the components.

08-28-2005, 12:17 AM	#2 (permalink)
redrider773 Platinum Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: New Hampshire USA Age: 19 Posts: 510	Dude, you dont want that mobo... (2 slots for DDR 333? why? Old ram will still be compatable with new slots, ex. DDR 233 can run it DDR 400 "standard" slots) but it should fit, post a link to the case; most ATX cases are compatable with Micro too. __________________ CPU.......................AMD 64 San Diego 4000+ 2.4 Ghz → 2.8 Ghz Video Card............ATi X1800XT 512Mb 625 Mhz/1500 Mhz → 690 Mhz/1600 Mhz Memory.................4 x 512Mb OCZ Gold Motheboard..........ASUS A8R-MVP Crossfire Drives....................250 Gb SATA 150 & 120 Gb & DVD-RW & DVD OS..........................Windows XP Media Center '05 & Ubuntu Case.......................X-Navigator 500Watts 3DMark.................'03 = 17644....'05 = 9492....'06 = 4054

08-28-2005, 12:22 AM	#3 (permalink)
towly Gold Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Austin, Tx Age: 21 Posts: 338	http://www.cebit.pl/images/compaqpresario7000t.jpg basically thats what the case looks like. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157024 im thinking about getting that one, its only a 10 dollars difference, and it has 400/333, so thats all ill ever use. Last edited by towly; 08-28-2005 at 12:24 AM.

08-28-2005, 01:38 PM	#7 (permalink)
Supremo Bronze Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 71	I had the opportunity of converting IBM and Compaq computers to other motherboards and this is not easy. Around 50% of the screwholes align and to make things worse, some of the mounting backplate for the motherboard has a protruding metal spacer which fits with the original OEM motherboard and not with the new one. I had to cut these off with a rotary tool with a cutting disc and drill new holes to adapt it with the new motherboard. Second, the power supply for OEMs are mounted on the side of the case and not at the top. There is a possibility of the tall capacitors hitting the power supply, you will have to measure this capacitors. Third OEM power supplies are particularly low, I've seen them with only 200 watts - this could be a factor if you plan to use power hungry video cards and processors on the new board. Sure the new motherboard will fit - but to mount it and make it work will be a different story. If you plan to push through with it, then be prepared to modify the case. Be ready with a drill and rotary tool with cutting disc. Last edited by Supremo; 08-28-2005 at 05:10 PM.

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08-28-2005, 02:23 AM	#5 (permalink)
towly Gold Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Austin, Tx Age: 21 Posts: 338	ill try and get measurements tomorrow.

08-28-2005, 03:58 PM	#8 (permalink)
towly Gold Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Austin, Tx Age: 21 Posts: 338	i decided to drop the idea of sticking with the compaq case. I wanted to get a 400w+ psu, but the 400w+ psu for a microtower case was like 80 bucks, but i found a case for 40 bucks that came with a 420w psu, and 2 80mm fans. this is definately the last time i buy an oem computer, why pay up the ass when you can build a nice computer for under 1000 bucks

08-29-2005, 02:55 AM	#9 (permalink)
towly Gold Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Austin, Tx Age: 21 Posts: 338	well i just tried to connect my 1 gb stick that i bought to my compaq mobo, and it said when booting up memory size error. What does that mean, im assuming it means that the mobo wont support a 1 gb stick. i just want to make sure there isnt something wrong with the stick of ram i bought.