How difficult is it to replace your mobo and CPU?

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Paine

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First, a little background. I have an Alienware that I've been steadily upgrading as the years go by. I've replaced the PSU and the graphics card, and installed a wireless card and more RAM. All this went fairly smoothly. However, I'm trepedatious about the difficulty of replacing my mobo and CPU.

A few concerns:

-Mounting it on the back of the case. Are the screw holes in the same place for all mobos? Do I need to check some spec to make sure it will fit?

-Installing the CPU and heatsink. Do all Intel CPUs come packaged with a standard fan? Will it be difficult to mount said fan properly without experience?

-Computer stability. Is it neccessary to reinstall the OS when replacing the mobo/CPU? I ask because the only OS disk I have is the Alienware Reboot disk, which restores the computer to factory settings, and that doesn't help much because it will go back to the old mobo drivers, right?
 
If the case is a standard ATX case, you'll be fine swapping out the motherboard. Alienware should be able to tell you this, or someone on these boards.

Intel CPUs that are listed as retail come with a HSF. If it is listed as an OEM processor, you got nothing but the actual processor.

Unless you are using a processor of the same family, you'll most likely want to do a fresh install, or at the very least, run Sysprep. You may have some issues however, if you are going from a single core to a dual or quad core. You could get a Vista x64 System Builder copy for under $100, if you need to buy an OS.
 
replacing those components are pretty straight forward. You will basically remove everything but the psu.
You would need to upgrade the cpu, mobo and possibly the ram.

List your current rig specs, objectives, use, budget and we can get more specific from there.
 
Paine said:
-Mounting it on the back of the case. Are the screw holes in the same place for all mobos? Do I need to check some spec to make sure it will fit?
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An alienware case will support all sizes of desktop motherboards. As long as you buy the same form factor motherboard, the holes will be in the same spot. But if they are not, you can just unscrew the standoffs and screw them in where you need. Use a pair of pliers though because you want them in tight so they don't come out, with the screws, when you unscrew the motherboard screws next time :D
-Installing the CPU and heat sink. Do all Intel CPUs come packaged with a standard fan? Will it be difficult to mount said fan properly without experience?
Click to expand...
If you buy a retail CPU, you will get a heat sink with it. As long as you don't OC, you will be fine for temperatures. They will be lower with a third party cooler, but Intel is not going to give you a heat sink that will burn up your CPU. The temps will still be in the threshold of the CPU. I generally mount the heat sink before I put the motherboard in the case, because it's easier. Some heat sinks you have to, because there is a back plate. The stock Intel fan has 4 push pins that just snap down. There is a clip that goes into the holes, then you push a pin down that spreads the clips, and the pin snaps down.

-Computer stability. Is it neccessary to reinstall the OS when replacing the mobo/CPU? I ask because the only OS disk I have is the Alienware Reboot disk, which restores the computer to factory settings, and that doesn't help much because it will go back to the old mobo drivers, right?
Click to expand...
If you replace a CPU and leave the motherboard, no. If you replace the motherboard, it's iffy. I've had hit and miss luck with it. You really have to uninstall all the drivers (if it's another chipset motherbaord) It's just easier to reinstall windows. Microsoft also has the sysprep tool which removes all drivers if I remember correctly but again, it's just easier to reinstall. But in your case that you don't have the actual disc, it might be an option. Or else try to get a disc from someone and use theirs.
 
Here's the thing about installing a new OS: I have a Vista Business disk, but for various reasons I'd like to stay with XP. I have an Alienware Respawn disk that wipes the hard disk and writes the same thing that it came out of the factory with. Will I be able to use this kinda-sorta clean install of XP to make the new mobo work, or will it be the same problem as simply replacing the hardware now?

What I'm looking for in a new Mobo/CPU:
1. The ability to run games at High or Very High settings at 1280x1024 for the next 1-3 years.
2. The lowest price possible. I don't ever plan to need to SLI, so 2 PCI-E x16 slots are not necessary. I've never manually overclocked, so I don't need expensive customization controls either.

My current rig:

CPU Type Intel Pentium 4 550, 3466 MHz (17 x 204)
Motherboard Name Abit AA8XE/AA8XE-3rd Eye (2 PCI, 3 PCI-E x1, 1 PCI-E x16, 4 DDR2 DIMM, Audio, Gigabit LAN, IEEE-1394)
DIMM1: Patriot Memory 512 MB DDR2-533 DDR2 SDRAM (4-4-4-12 @ 266 MHz) (3-3-3-9 @ 200 MHz)
DIMM2: Micron 8HTF12864AY-667E1 1 GB DDR2-667 DDR2 SDRAM (5-5-5-15 @ 333 MHz) (4-4-4-12 @ 266 MHz) (3-3-3-9 @ 200 MHz)
DIMM3: Patriot Memory 512 MB DDR2-533 DDR2 SDRAM (4-4-4-12 @ 266 MHz) (3-3-3-9 @ 200 MHz)
DIMM4: Micron 8HTF12864AY-667E1 1 GB DDR2-667 DDR2 SDRAM (5-5-5-15 @ 333 MHz) (4-4-4-12 @ 266 MHz) (3-3-3-9 @ 200 MHz)
Video Adapter NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT (512 MB)
Monitor BenQ FP731 [17" LCD] (1443481) (1280x1024)
Audio Adapter Creative Audigy 2 ZS (SB0350) Sound Card
PSU Ultra XVS 600W
 
Those appear to be standard components, so you should be able to swap out the hardware without issue. You can always try your Alienware disc, but even if it boots, you are going to have a battle to clean up all the junk that isn't needed. If you simply must hang back with XP, than I'd contact Alienware about getting a normal XP disc. If not, chances are, you'll be just fine with Vista. The vast majority of people who claim to want to stay with XP are only saying so, because they are buying into the FUD, or hearing some false info from someone. If you do have a legitimate reason, then I'd go about obtaining a normal XP disc.
 
Just to clear up, I used Vista for about six months and was mostly happy with it. The only reason I want to stick with XP is that The Matrix Online has weird graphical glitches in Vista.
 
Paine said:
Just to clear up, I used Vista for about six months and was mostly happy with it. The only reason I want to stick with XP is that The Matrix Online has weird graphical glitches in Vista.
Click to expand...

I thought that game was shut down?
 
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