[ry4540]

ive never changed a motherboard b4 and umm.. the new computer i have has a really low end acer motherboard running high end stuff, lyk quad core and 8800gts.ive been getting the bluescreen of death a few times and the computer crashes now n then. i am thinking of replacing the mother board with an decent msi motherboard to run the stuff i have. just wondering, if i were to change it, do i just unplug n plug the new one bak in and its going to work? cuz i heard for xp, everything on the harddrive would be kept. and i am using windows vista home prenium 32bit. do i have to lyk reinstall everything i have? or even restore or wutever?

ps: anyone would lyk to recommend any msi or a good brand small sized board dat costs roughly around a hundred bucks? cuz my tower can only take those 9.5"x9.5" or smaller ones. thanks:)

[Carbon]

Try the GIGABYTE GA-73VM-S2. Micro-ATX, supports all your existing stuff. How did you get a 8800GTS into a Micro-ATX case!?!?

[ry4540]

its cramped in there, i think it`ll suffer some overheatin unless i run it with the case open.haha. anyways, thanks for the suggestion, but if i were to buy dat one u recommended and this one,MSI G33M-FI , or i believe thats wut its called.. specific information is on this site: http://www.eglobalonline.com/Product...8　which one would you recommend?

[ry4540]

thx for the suggestion, m just wondering which one is better, ur suggestion or the MSI G33M-FI, i believe that is what the boards name is. the specifics are on this link http://www.eglobalonline.com/ProductDetail.asp?id=13888

and btw the card is lyk forced in there. lol it mite suffer from overheating soon or l8r unless i decide the run it with the case open. haha

[Carbon]

I'd go with yours, it has dual channel support and a few more USB slots. If you really need cooling, you should get a proper Micro-ATX case with lots of fans, opening the case will mess up your airflow and actually hurt it. If you have the money later on, I'd totally buy one of these. That is by far the most awesome case ever.

[ry4540]

thx! anyways do u noe if i need to reinstall my stuff once i just change my motherboard and nothing else?

edit: ive just realized that different motherboards have different back panels 2... do all motherboards come with the metal plate thing for the back of the tower? or do we just have to find one that it fits?

[Carbon]

Never heard of any back panel thing, except in the context of aftermarket heatsinks. Should just be "put in case over standoffs, screw in, and go".

You won't need to reinstall anything, Windows allows you I think one major hardware change before it asks you what's going on.. Worst case scenario you can just call up Microsoft and exlpain it and they'll give you a new license.