TOWER CASES

[tad214]

I AM FAIRLY NEW TO THIS COMPUTER THING. I AM WANTING TO UPGRADE MY SYSTEM

WITH A FULL UPGRADE. I WAS WANDERING IF ANYONE COULD TELL ME, HOW CAN I

KNOW IF MY TOWER CASE IS CAPABLE OF HANDLING ATX FORM FACTOR. I AM NOT

SURE IF IT IS AT OR BABY AT FORM FACTOR. I HAVE THE BIG 5 PIN MOUSE PLUG.

BASICALLY, MY PROBLEM IS, I CAN NOT UPGRADE SOMETHING WITHOUT KNOWING

WHERE TO START. THANKS FOR ANY HELP.

[bassvax]

Okay...where to start? You've made the right decision to start learning before meddling. I can tell you that I spend hours on line researching places like this to coat tail info from these generous experiencers (made that word up). I visit my library on a weekly basis and have pulled many a book on the topic of building, repairing and upgrading. If you can take a short class (15-20 hours actual)from one of the local community colleges it will help you understand ESD(Electro Static Discharge) and give you the confidence you'll need to start this project. But first, everything starts with the motherboard purchase...but to try to answer your question as I have always wondered how you differentiate mobo's and processor slots try some of the books written by Dr. Thomas Pabst of Tom's Hardware fame www.tomshardware.com (http://www.tomshardware.com) There are photos of the diff type mobo's in the book as well as discussions of cases that will accomodate diff board types. Another excellent resource is Scott Mueller's Upgrading and Repairing PCs (it is a little more advanced, but it answers a lot of the questions you'll have after studying for a while). I just did a semi-overhaul of my son's pc in less than an hour and with no probs (at this point anyways). And of course, these guys and gals here are rather kknowledgeable and even offer good buying advice-Thanks Charles (can't say it enough)-Good luck and please take the time to study if you insist on doing it yourself...Jerry

[Paleo Pete]

First thing to do is TURN OFF THE CAPS LOCK!!

It's actually harder to read, and generally considered yelling on the Net...

OK, that said, I agree with the above, not many people idg for info first, and it's a good thing you want to know what you're doing before you start. My hat's off to ya...

Take a look at the link to my site below, plenty info there, and the local library is a good place to hang out.

AT/ATX...take a look at the memory slots, they're the best indicator. AT boards have the memory slots parallel to the expansion slots, beside the power supply. The CPU was usually well away from the power supply, where airflow was not the greatest. If every slot on the board is aligned in the same direction, it's most likely an AT board. ATX placed the memory slots perpendicular to the expansion slots, and the CPU closer to the power supply, where it would get better airflow. ATX also uses a different power plug, the one that goes from the power supply to the board.

You'll have to do a bit of looking, but I have links on my site to some good sites on building and rebuilding confusers. Don't remember if I have a link with info about the difference between board types. I need to check, and find one...One way you can see some pictures is to go to CSO (http://www.computersurplusoutlet.com) and take a tour of their Motherboard section. They always have both types posted, and usually have pictures of most boards they sell. The listings tell you which type boards they are.

Oh, just remembered...most cases that will handle ATX form factor boards will have holes for keyboard and mouse that are for stacked PS/2 plugs. AT boards have either, and are beside each other. ATX boards stack the keyboard and mouse plugs on top of each other. I think they also usually have openings for onboard parallel ports.

That's all I can think of right now...

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Computer Information Links (http://www.geocities.com/paleopete/)