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 Almost Everything You Need to Know About Your Packard Bell Computer

Motherboard Upgrades

Well I get this question a lot, "Can I put a new motherboard in my Packard Bell System?"
The answer to this is Yes, but it does take a little know how.  I have not tried this upgrade on my system so I have to rely on email and newsgroup posts.  I will attempt to give you enough information to reseach the issue and try it your self.  Please let me know how any upgrade you try goes by contacting me.
The bottom line is motherboard upgrades require more skill and attention to detail then CPU upgrades like overdrive processors and PowerLeap adapters.  But if the motherboard is the limiting factor in getting you more speed then this upgrade may be for you.

Types of Motherboard Upgrades -
There are two types of motherboard upgrades;
1)  Buy a new motherboard, power supply and case and then transplant all your other hardware to make your new system.
2) Buy a new motherboard that will fit into your existing Packard Bell case and then transplant all your other hardware to make your new system.
The first type will be easier because you are not limited by the type of motherboard you are currently working with.  This will give you a wider range of upgrade options and allow you system to be more generic.  You will also have more choices on the form factor of the motherboard if you buy a new case designed to fit your new motherboard.  Some have even said it will be cheaper in the long run to have a standrd case and motherboard.
The second type of upgrade will be what I will concentrate on this page because it is a little more complex but it will allow you to keep your Packard Bell Computer Case and if you are like me I like my case.  I know I am a little vane but I have been looking at it for a coupple of years and I like the style.

Types of Motherboards -
The first thing you need to do is to determine your motherboard type, to find this out determine your motherboard and then consult my PB Pentium Systems chart. On this page you will see a column for motherboard style this shows the motherboard form factor used on your PB systems.  There are at least 2 types of motherboards that Packard Bell has used in recent years.
1)  The first and most common type of Packard Bell motherboard is the LPX form factor, this motherboard is characterized by the riser card that extends out of the motherboard.  The LPX standard (from what I have read) is not much of a standard at all.  In fact LPX motherboards are know for not being very standard at all because of different connectors on the different boards.
2)  The other type is the newer ATX form factor and this is an industry standard motherboard.  The ATX motherboards have riser card, the PCI slots are right on the motherboard.
The type of motherboard you have is important, because you will need to buy the same style motherboard in order to get it to fit into your Packard Bell case.


What to Look for in a New Motherboard -
Once you determine the style of motherboard you will need to decide on the featurs you require.  You will also have to decide if you want to buy a Packard Bell motherboard or another brand.

The Packard Bell motherboards could have a better fit in your case, but you may pay more.  There are a few venders that will sell you PB motherboards, see my veder list on my links page.  While non Packard Bell motherboards will give you a wider range of features to choose from while selecting a new motherboard.

Selecting a motherboard is like buying a new computer your selection will also determine the upgrade path that you can choose in the future.  I will only discuss a few of the major points because there are too many features to talk about on this web page, I would suggest you try some of the great motherboard web pages to lean more about all your options.

Depending on how much new stuff you want to buy for your new PC you will have to examine the following carefully.



Who Will Upgrade the Motherboard? -
This is an important question because if you can pay someone else to upgrade the motherboard for you you can save some of the hastle and forget about some of the details.  There are vendors on the web that say thay can upgrade your motherboard for you.  Thse venders usually replace your Packard Bell motherboard with another Packard Bell motherboard, if you do this route make sure you know what motherboard you are upgrading to.

However if you want to attempt it your self make sure you do your homework.  I inquired to one motherboard vender and they had no idea if the motherboard I was asking about would fit into my Packard Bell case, which is too bad since I could have recommended that product to you all if they could garentee it would work.



Good Luck -
I have not replaced my motherboard because my PowerLeap adapter is serving me well, Therefore I can not add a lot more to this discussion.  however, if I were to try a replacement  I would love to try to replace my PB 640 with a Super Soket 7 LPX motherboard with an AGP.

 I have seen a few LPX motherboards on the net, these are (I have not tested any of these motherboards to see if they fit a PB case, let me know what you find out):

If you find others or if you attempt a motherboard upgrade, let me know.   Those of you with other form factors should have an easier time finding replacement motherboards.

I hope this page has at least pointed you in the right direction to persue this subject more.


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