On Thursday 07 August 2003 12:53 pm, Angela Z Espinoza wrote:
> I have seen this motherboard I want to know if is missing anything, and can
> I use it with my old case and it's an
> AMD ATHLON XP 2000+ PROCESSOR AND ECS MOTHERBOARD
> Bare CPU with Quantispeed
> Architecture
> ECS k7s5a Pro
> Featuring:
> On Board 10/100 NIC
> (Network Interface Card)
> USB 2.0
> What does bare cpu mean, and is it ready to just transfer what I have in my
> old computer meaning the hardware and also does HITACHI 60BG DESKSTAR
> 180GXP ULTRA DMA/100 HARD DRIVE IS THIS A GOOD ONE  8.5ms Seek Time 7200
> RPM  Bare Drive Only
>
>
> Angela Z Espinoza

Angela:
I'm not familiar with the expression "bare CPU", but I'd guess that it means
the package consists of only the motherboard, CPU and CPU heatsink. It may or
may not include the heatsink fan -- be sure to verify that. According to the
ECS specifications at: www.ecs.com.tw/products/pd_spec.asp?product_id=269
the motherboard also has built-in sound and lan cards. You will have to
furnish everything else: video card, RAM, any accessory cards, drives, etc.

As to whether you can successfully install this board in your existing case
depends on whether your current system uses an AT or ATX motherboard. If it
is an AT, you will require a new case and power supply. Even if it is an ATX
case, I'd plan on a new power supply. Athlons require a lot of power. (I've
got a 400W PS in my Athlon 2500XP.) Also, Athlons generate a lot of heat and
therefore require additional cooling. Visit the AMD website for their
recommendations on both power supplies and cooling.

This motherboard uses either DDR (DDR266 or DDR200) or SDRAM (PC133 or PC100);
your old RAM may work just fine, or new chips may be required.

You will also want to verify that your old video card will work. The ECS board
has an AGP 4X slot; this may not work with some older AGP cards. (My last
upgrade forced me to replace my trusty old Matrox Millenium card.) All of
your current PCI cards should work with no problems. However, any ISA cards
that you have will require replacement because the ECS board does not have
any ISA slots.

All of the above is not meant to discourage you from this project. FWIW, I've
done quite a few through the years, and they've all gone well. But I do want
to send the message that motherboard/CPU transplants do require some careful
planning ahead of time.

Sometime early this year, Hitachi had some big problems with their hard
drives; I don't know if this series was one of those involved. Unless this
one is at a very good price, I'd be inclined to go with another brand.

Good luck to you,
Regards,
Carroll Grigsby

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