I am buying a new computer piece by piece, and I already have a Pentium 4 2.8 Ghz that I will put in it. I don’t know how to tell if the new mobo is going to be compatible. Any of you know? From what I could tell, the Socket 775 is standard (whatever that is :D) but I don’t want to risk a lot of money using only my little information. So, what numbers need I look at?
why buy a new one?
i’ve got a 500 MHZ pc that works fine with blender
only little slow
Yup, that’s a standard socket.
You should be able to put that CPU in most mobo’s out there.
Things you should look at.
L2 Cache memory: nowadays you can get as much as 2MB -> Good!
FSB (the connection between CPU + RAM and the rest of the machine):
Don’t let this one bottleneck ya. Go for at least 800 Mhz.
USB2: Of course…
Firewire (if possible)
About graphics cards.
You can choose between an AGP card or a PCI-E card.
If you have an AGP card buy a mobo with AGP x8 connection.
If you don’t have one yet, maybe it’s best to check out those PCI-E cards.
PCI-E is not standard on mobo’s but it’s changing.
P
what do you mean pcie isnt the standard? i havent seen a 7800gt in agp. i do believe its already changed.
lga775 is the standard, but how old is the processor you have? you could have a socket 478. download a program called cpu-z and show us a screenshot, or look at the socket number.
show me a screenshot of the main cpu-z screen and i will tell you all you need to know. 
In my experience manufacturer is the most important factor. A cheap m/b will cause you no end of trouble. Stick with Asus and Gigabyte and you can’t go far wrong. There are a few other manufacturers in there as well, but I don’t have personal experience with them.
Alex
Thanks, I’ll search for that cpu-z right now, I’ll let you know. But I’m guessing it has to be 775, because I only got it 2 X-mass’s ago, and on tiger direct, all the P4’s are 775.
Another family member is getting my computer. I’m taking my P4, my Gfx card, and some RAM. The rest, I’m getting new. I’ve never done it before, so any other help on building PC’s is appreciated as well.
buy a dfi. best thing out there, but youll fry your proc if you oh i dont know, ‘tweak’ something the wrong way. i have an asus board and its working fine.
worse mobos just really show when your overclocking. IMO get an asrock (cheaper asus brand)
the p4’s nowadays are 775’s they came out like that in end of 2004 i think. there are socket 478 and socket 421 (dont think you have)
you probably should buy a nvidia chipset (better and more reliable). they use dual channel ram, which you do not have (768mb is 256 and 512). buy a set of matched valu ram sticks from corsair ($70) better preformance.
pci-e is replacing agp. your card will be agp, which is not the standard anymore. buying old technology is never a good idea. you may want to save up and buy a 7300gs and a motherboard that supports pci-e.
i myself am waiting on a 7800 gt co to put in my asus a8n sli board.
"buy a dfi. best thing out there, but youll fry your proc if you oh i dont know, ‘tweak’ something the wrong way. i have an asus board and its working fine. "
What?!?!? What’s a dfi?
dfi is a motherboard brand.
they are known for their voltage and overclocking. my asus can pump 2.9v to a dimm. the dfi can pump 4v iirc.
my asus can pump 1.65-1.7v to the cpu core. dfi could probably do 2v.
dont get one unless you intend to oc it a lot (doesnt seem like you will be doing). gigabyte are cheap quality things and would serve you well.
BTW what happened to the cpu-z screenshot we were proimised?
Patience is a virtue, my friend. I had to GET HOME before I could use the program. 
But, here is the screen shot.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131566
Would that one work? I want to stay under $70.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16837102059
Is that legal? The box shot says “For distribution only with a new PC”
no
you got very lucky.
you have a northwood socket 478 my friend. on a 533mhz bus. you selected a lga 775 on a 800mhz bus.
you need something like
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813128232
tis an agp board. you will be hard pressed to find a pci-e board for under $70, but that one there will serve you well.
- make sure your case takes a standard atx board, or you will be SOL with your big board *
yes that is legal. its an oem version of windows. i would just dl it tho…
I have had 3 Gigabyte Mobos, and a Gigabyte GFX card.
always seemed really good to me, although they have “Zero” active support for linux. They just leave the support up to the chipset manufacturers.
Alltaken
DFI will waste all those brands, Get a DFI, they rock.
he would probably fry everything possible with a dfi board.
plus, they are INCREDABLY expensive. a sli board from asus cost me 140. from dfi it would be 250-300
Sorry Al, on NewEgg, there seems to be NO DFI mobo for 478 socket. Besides, I don’t overclock. I’m too scared I’ll break something… Oh well…
By the way, if I want to upgrade the CPU in the future, how far could I get with a socket 478?
you would be able to get about this far
lga 775 replaced 478 a few years back. i thikn lga775 is being replaced in a few months too.
so,
GO AMD
Yes, they are pricey, but they run extreamly well and I mean without overclocking. They got a faster chipset on there mainboard.
This is a huge dilemma for me… I’m confused %| And don’t know what to do…
See, the Pentium 4 I have (with the socket 478, according to you (how can you tell from that shot? I’m curious.)) was a 2004 Christmas gift from a family member. So I didn’t get to do the research… But now, I realize I could only get maybe $80 for my P4 (I checked on e-bay). So, with my financial restraints, I don’t know what to do. I think my limits for whole new system are around $350, $400 max. (Not including killer GFX Card)