> -----Original Message from Robert Zeoli
> Hi
>
> My kids have a AT mid tower sytle pentium 200 that I would like
> to upgrade a little for them.  Are there any options available
> for this style case? I am thinking I would need to replace the
> motherboard, ram, and processor.
> Thank you.

Most, if not all current motherboards are ATX style. Upgrading the case as
well as the motherboar, ram, cpu should not add a significant cost. In
addition, most of the new processors require a 300+ watt power supply and
your power supply may not be up to these specs (I have an old enlight AT
tower/powersupply and at the time could only get 250 watt). If you have a
lot of old ISA cards, you might have a problem finding a newer motherboard
that even supports ISA cards. Most have moved to all PCI (with an AGP for
video). You could get a very reasonable bare bones kit for under $400. Below
is an example I was able to find on the internet for $350.

==============
Package Contents:
- Shuttle AK32A 266MHz DDR Socket A Motherboard
- AMD Athlon XP 1800+* Processor
- Speeze Socket A/370 Cooling Fan
- PNY AGP Geforce2MX 32MB Video Card
- Premium 256MB PC133 SDRAM Memory
- Seagate 20GB 5400RPM Hard Drive
- CD-Rewriteable Drive 40x12x40
- 3.5" 1.44MB Floppy Disk Drive
- Cambridge Soundworks GCS300 Beige Speakers
- Windows 2000 Keyboard with 115 keys
- Compaq PS/2 Scroll Mouse
- Just4PC ATX Mid-Tower Case with 350 Watt Power Supply
==============

Just a random example. Many new motherboards come with many extras built
into the motherboard; sound, lan, video. They are often not as good as
individual cards, but for an inexpensive system, they can cut down on costs.

Another factor to consider: the type of memory. SDRAM is fairly inexpensive,
but many new boards require more expensive DDR ram. A few allow both (but
not simultaneously). At a minimum, you would probably need:

Motherboard: $50 - $150
RAM: almost free with rebate - $200 (DDR)
video card: free (built in) -$30 - $300
ATX Case: $30 - $100

So, you could go with new ATX case, mb, and memory for under $200. But you
might find your hard drive small and slow. It all depends upon how much, or
little, you want to spend. Hope this give you some ideas on how you want to
proceed.

Jim
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