Question concerning which motherboard to purchase

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jimmy Jim
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J

Jimmy Jim

I have a Gateway machine which is a P4, 1.8 GB processor and the
motherboard seems to be failing. I want to purchase a new one from
tigerdirect, etc. but not sure how to make sure the form factor will
work with the processor, memory, etc.

Is there an easy way to look up what motherboard is in my computer and
find out which one I would need to purchase which would be a good fit
for my form factor.

Excuse the ignorance, I am relatively new to hardware. Any good lookup
sites or information would be very helpful. Thanks!

JJ
 
I have a Gateway machine which is a P4, 1.8 GB processor and the
motherboard seems to be failing. I want to purchase a new one from
tigerdirect, etc. but not sure how to make sure the form factor will
work with the processor, memory, etc.
Click to expand...

I would avoid Tiger Direct, too often they overhype
low-quality parts and have questionable business practices,
complaints to BBB and other customer review 'sites are
numerous. Someplace like http://www.newegg.com might be a
better place to start and also provides better pictures than
most.
Is there an easy way to look up what motherboard is in my computer and
find out which one I would need to purchase which would be a good fit
for my form factor.
Click to expand...

You could try Gateway's website or the documentation that
came with the system.

Generally speaking Gateway used standard form-factors, the
size of the case itself should give a good clue as to what's
inside. By looking at the back of the case the number of
parallel slot covers should indicate if it's full ATX (6 or
more slots) or mATX (fewer slots). Of course opening
system and taking board height (height relative to board
mounted in tower case standing up) and width, regular ATX
being taller (12") than mATX. If your case is a unique,
proprietary low-profile (very small) then there may be no
replacement available from anywhere but Gateway.

Otherwise there was another potential issue, whether the GW
case has rear port holes (PS2, Parallel, sound, etc) stamped
out of the metal case wall, OR if it uses a removable I/O
shield. If it doesn't have a removable I/O plate then your
choices for a replacement motherboard are more limited.
 
Companies like Gateway usually use PROPRIETARY custom designed parts,
including motherboards, in their computers. That means that the standard
motherboards that are available out there will NOT fit the Gateway case.
You are unfortunately stuck with Gateway parts.
 
Companies like Gateway usually use PROPRIETARY custom designed parts,
including motherboards, in their computers. That means that the standard
motherboards that are available out there will NOT fit the Gateway case.
You are unfortunately stuck with Gateway parts.
Click to expand...

No they don't. The majority of Gateway boards over the last
DECADE have been OEM Intel boards.
 
I would avoid Tiger Direct, too often they overhype
low-quality parts and have questionable business practices,
complaints to BBB and other customer review 'sites are
numerous. Someplace like http://www.newegg.com might be a
better place to start and also provides better pictures than
most.

I echo this poster's response to Tiger Direct. Sleeze is more the
description I would give to them.
Start by checking the dimensions on your current board.
 
Guys,
Thanks for the heads up about tigerdirect! I will try the new egg
site, how is their customer service? More often than not, I am on the
phone when I order parts, so I want to use a company that can work
well with me over the phone.

Great info on the motherboard, I am a programmer and have limited
knowledge of hardware. Put together a few computers, but nothing
intense. So your responses were very helpful, I will try and determine
what kind of board by the dimensions.

If I call new egg, will they be able to direct me to the right
motherboard for it? It is a small case but I love the setup, where
everything is located, and it is really light. Perfect for a media
center PC which is what I am trying to build it as.

Anyway, thanks again!!!

JJ
 
Guys,
Thanks for the heads up about tigerdirect! I will try the new egg
site, how is their customer service? More often than not, I am on the
phone when I order parts, so I want to use a company that can work
well with me over the phone.
Click to expand...

Most companies discourage phone orders. it's not that you
CAN'T do so, but CSR & sales for most places do not have the
technical knowledge to be of assistance, they just take
orders, RMAs, etc... irregardless of what the particular
product is.

Great info on the motherboard, I am a programmer and have limited
knowledge of hardware. Put together a few computers, but nothing
intense. So your responses were very helpful, I will try and determine
what kind of board by the dimensions.
Click to expand...

Looking at the rear of the case, or if you took a good
picture of it and linked to it, would provide almost all
that's needed to determine compatible motherboard(s). There
might be other issues if you were significantly upgrading,
for example what capacity the power supply and cooling is,
but for a simple motherboard replacement for reusing same
(other) parts it shouldn' tbe too difficult.

If I call new egg, will they be able to direct me to the right
motherboard for it? It is a small case but I love the setup, where
everything is located, and it is really light. Perfect for a media
center PC which is what I am trying to build it as.
Click to expand...

I doubt they'll be very helpful with determining a suitable
replacement unless you already know the criteria needed for
that replacement. If you asked them "Is an MS-6380 a
micro-ATX?", they could probably tell you, but if you asked
them "does an MS-6380 have a rear port arrangement
compatible with a Gatway G450?", they'd probably have no
idea and guess, maybe correctly or maybe not. Qualified &
experienced technicians generally don't do the entry level
sales positions, rather it's the other way around, some
entry-level salespeople may eventually become experienced
enough to be useful technicians and no longer do sales.
Thats' not to knock salespeople, just that these are
different skills, selling parts does not equate to knowledge
of aging OEM boxes.
 
Newegg has been great with service. There are always people who complain no
matter what,but generally I won't buy from anyone else(unless it' a fantastic
deal). I don't know how good or bad their telephone sales stck up.Never use it.
 
kony said:
Most companies discourage phone orders. it's not that you
CAN'T do so, but CSR & sales for most places do not have the
technical knowledge to be of assistance, they just take
orders, RMAs, etc... irregardless of what the particular
product is.



Looking at the rear of the case, or if you took a good
picture of it and linked to it, would provide almost all
that's needed to determine compatible motherboard(s). There
might be other issues if you were significantly upgrading,
for example what capacity the power supply and cooling is,
but for a simple motherboard replacement for reusing same
(other) parts it shouldn' tbe too difficult.



I doubt they'll be very helpful with determining a suitable
replacement unless you already know the criteria needed for
that replacement. If you asked them "Is an MS-6380 a
micro-ATX?", they could probably tell you, but if you asked
them "does an MS-6380 have a rear port arrangement
compatible with a Gatway G450?", they'd probably have no
idea and guess, maybe correctly or maybe not. Qualified &
experienced technicians generally don't do the entry level
sales positions, rather it's the other way around, some
entry-level salespeople may eventually become experienced
enough to be useful technicians and no longer do sales.
Thats' not to knock salespeople, just that these are
different skills, selling parts does not equate to knowledge
of aging OEM boxes.
Click to expand...

kony,
Excellent stuff. So if I posted a pic of the back of the machine (it
does have two USB 1 ports on the front) a person could basically tell
what kind of motherboard to use? If so, I can post it tonite.

Sounds like other than that, my best bet is to call Gateway for a
replacement. I don't think the phone support would be as knowledgeable
as what I need in this situation.

But I will try out newegg vs. tigerdirect. Good info to know. Thanks
everyone,

JJ
 
kony,
Excellent stuff. So if I posted a pic of the back of the machine (it
does have two USB 1 ports on the front) a person could basically tell
what kind of motherboard to use? If so, I can post it tonite.
Click to expand...

I would hope a salesperson could tell, I know we could.
Please post to a 'site and link, not posting the picture
itself to the newsgroup.

Sounds like other than that, my best bet is to call Gateway for a
replacement. I don't think the phone support would be as knowledgeable
as what I need in this situation.
Click to expand...

Unless you have some sort of restoration image for the
operating system and Gateway software that will only work
with same Gateway motherboard, OR it is necessary to get one
from Gateway due to being proprietary, otherwise you'd
likley get a motherboard that's cheaper, more modern, and
with more features by just buying at regular
web-retail//sale prices instead.
 
Thanks guys, actually got a chance to look at the mb's on newegg and
the pictures are very good! Do you think I could just compare the back
of my machine with the picture and get the correct one? I know it is
an intel 600 mb mb, can I just choose one that has the same number of
PCI slots and the back looking the same? Or is there some more issues
I should keep in mind? I know I will need to buy new DDR memory, which
is not a big deal, so I don't have to worry about that.

Thanks!
 
Thanks guys, actually got a chance to look at the mb's on newegg and
the pictures are very good! Do you think I could just compare the back
of my machine with the picture and get the correct one? I know it is
an intel 600 mb mb, can I just choose one that has the same number of
PCI slots and the back looking the same? Or is there some more issues
I should keep in mind? I know I will need to buy new DDR memory, which
is not a big deal, so I don't have to worry about that.
Click to expand...

It's not actually the specific number of PCI slots that's
the issue, it's whether the Gateway case is mATX or full ATX
(or something rarer, a proprietary design). For example, a
mATX board could have 4, 3, or 2 PCI slots along with AGP
slot, ISA, AMR riser... but mainly you can note the number
of slot-bracket openings on the case to differentiate.
Likewise a full ATX might have 4, 5, even 6 PCI slots but
the overall height of the board (12") must be considered.

The back ports do not need look the same if your case has
the removable I/O panel, insert. If your case does not have
this removable insert but rather the port holes are
stamped-in-metal (which used to be pretty common with
Gateway cases but I believe they eventually departed from
that design) then in that situation you would be required to
use a motherboard with matching port locations, else a lot
of manual labor cutting new holes (not recommended).

There is one other thing to watch out for, many Gateway
cases had a motherboard standoff on the left side, 2nd from
the bottom which is not allowed for on newer ATX
motherboards but IS needed on mATX boards. Is it possible
that you'd need to either remove that standoff by unscrewing
it, or if it's press-fitted into the metal then you might
have to bend it back and forth to force it out... Without
knowing exactly what your case is like I can't be certain of
this, but it has been an issue on past Gateway cases. The
following is that motherboard standoff I'm referring to:
http://69.36.189.159/usr_1034/stud.jpg
 
Kony,
Thanks a lot, lots of detailed information. I am starting to get the
feeling that i am better off just buying a barebones kit and foregoing
all this upgrade stuff. I just fear I am not knowledgeable about it
all to ensure I get the right pieces to the puzzle.

I hate to do that because I LOVE the case but in the long run I think
it would be an easier way to go about it.

Thanks again for all your help!@
 
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