Replacing a mobo

[Reverend]

I want to take an Asus P6T out and put in a new one. Even better would be to put in a deluxe because it can take more memory. Does anyone know of any differences that would make that a bad idea?

I will also be buying all new memory and a new heatsink and fan. I'll have to use the same processor though.

Thanks - rev

I should have mentioned the chip is i7 975 Intel 3.33 htz, hard disks are all SATA

Also could be anything that rocks with digital audio, the only reason I thought of P6T is because i won't be puzzled by anything when switching them out, all connections will go where they were before. I have to be able to use the same processor, is the only proviso.

[jdc2000]

Check the Revision numbers for the boards, and which BIOS versions are on them. I assume you mean that you want to swap the motherboards WITHOUT reloading the OS. That should work, although you may still need some driver updates. Make sure you have an image backup of your OS drive first.

[Reverend]

>I assume you mean that you want to swap the motherboards WITHOUT reloading the OS.
Yes, get back to work with hopefully no issues.

But - is there an opportunity here to upgrade the board, while making sure it can still use my current chip? What's the best source for the baord, Amazon?

[jdc2000]

But - is there an opportunity here to upgrade the board, while making sure it can still use my current chip?

There is no good source currently, since any version of that motherboard you find will be used and have no guarantee that it will work or, if it does, of how long it will last. There will be no warranty of course. Why are you wanting to replace your current motherboard? The usual rule is "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." If you do have some sort of issue with your current board, what is it?

What's the best source for the baord, Amazon?

Amazon won't have this board. Even Amazon Marketplace sellers likely won't have it. ebay has some used ones. Prices range form $134 to $178. For that money, you can get a modern motherboard, processor, and memory. How much memory do you currently have?

[Reverend]

The reason I want the same board is I know nothing about hardware. With the same board, I'll be up and running in an hour, just by putting all the connections back where they were on the old one. With another board anything could happen. I can't afford a new processor so the board I buy has to support the chip I have. It's an absolute nightmare trying to get anything shipped to where I am in Mexico. Everything in Mexico is unreliable and they want 16% in tax at the border. So the best answer is to get someone to hand carry it. That's not easy.

There are new P6T's out there but so far I haven't found one inside the continental US. I'd like to get a modern board but if one tiny thing is a mystery to me or it needs something I didn't know to order, I'm down for more weeks/months.

The problem with the current one is it won't start. I have another post about it but I gave up trying to get it going. I had to clean the heat sink, then I couldn't get all the RAM recognized, then 'one of my disks needed checking for consistency' - so it began to look like a general cascade of problems. It's seen more dust and heat than Lawrence of Arabia's camel and 1000 power outages. I just ordered 24 gig of memory for it, if it starts the machine it buys me some time, if it doesn't, I'll still need the memory for the new P6T.

I tried Asus support but they could only recommend a Deluxe P6T. If you've ever talked to Asus support you'll know it's like a very slow conversation with a five-year-old.

I posted this above:
>is there an opportunity here to upgrade the board, while making sure it can still use my current chip?

But no one answered. I'd love to get a new everything but the processor alone would take 3/4 of my months income so any new board has to support my Intel i7 975 quad core 3.33 chip.
--
All that is mostly answering questions above. My question this time is can I even be sure of a new P6T? There are surely different flavors since the board came out and I need to know if any of those differences will thwart my plan?

Thanks - rev

[Reverend]

Can anyone comment on this:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/ASUS-P6T-WS...kAAOSw9GVb5Ur2

I've never heard of the Pro, I don't know what Socket 1366 means, or if X58 will support my chip.

[jdc2000]

Is there an opportunity here to upgrade the board, while making sure it can still use my current chip?

Maybe, but there are no guarantees. You pay your money and take your chances.

I think with all of the potential issues you are likely to have with a used or NOS (if it really is unused) P6T, you are better off getting a new board, CPU and memory. You aren't likely to save any money with a P6T purchase, and it isn't likely to be up and running in an hour. What prices have you found for a P6T board?

What hardware do you have connected to that system now?

You can check the ASUS web site for board revisions and BIOS versions.

The LGA 1366 is the CPU socket type. The X58 is the BIOS type. If you have any version of the P6T it uses these specs.

$300 for the motherboard is more than a new faster board plus CPU plus memory.

[jdc2000]

Pricing examples. Note: (you should check the motherboard compatibility list on the manufacturer's web site to verify CPU and Memory support for any selected items. We can help with that once you decide on a motherboard to use.


Motherboard:

https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16813157874
$59


CPU:

https://www.newegg.com/intel-celeron...82E16819117871
$49

https://www.newegg.com/core-i3-8th-g...82E16819117822
$130


Memory:

https://www.newegg.com/corsair-16gb-...82E16820233833
$53
16 GB (2 x 8 GB)

https://www.newegg.com/corsair-32gb-...82E16820236023
$122.23
32 GB (2 x 16 GB)

[Reverend]

First of all, I'm impressed that you put all that together! That's exactly what I was looking for! I'm years out of date, that's unbelievable. Thanks!

Questions:
* I only see two slots, is that one for the video card and one for DVD support or wifi card?
* I have a monster Thermaltake case, are all the holes going to line up?
* What heatsink and fan would I get?

Do you think it all comes with instructions

Edit: Just noticed that fan and cooler are included!

[jdc2000]

Those were just some examples of low-budget components. The motherboard is a Micro-ATX, so it should fit into your case. There are 2 memory slots with a maximum of 32 GB of memory, and 2 PCIe slots - 1 for a full size card (usually video) and 1 for anything else you might need. The motherboard has onboard video also. You would still need to verify CPU and Memory compatibility also. Depending on which BIOS version the board you get has, it might need an update to support some CPU and Memory options, which is why you check first.

Whether this board would meet your needs would depend on what you are planning on doing with the system when you get it built. What other hardware do you have now that would need to be connected to it?

CPU heatsink and fan are included with some Intel CPUs, with others (i9, etc.) you need to supply your own.

[Reverend]

Heavy digital audio is the primary application and the only hardware connected is abunch of SATA disks and a DVD drive.

[jdc2000]

Audio editing should not overstress those components. Digital video editing or transcoding might be a different story - for that you might want a more upscale CPU.

That board has 4 SATA 6 GB/S connectors, so you can connect 4 drives.

[jdc2000]

Also, what software are you currently using? With a new system, and especially if you want "support" and updates from Microsoft, you will probably be installing Windows 10.

[Reverend]

I won't be changing from win 7 for the rest of my life because all the drivers for all my stuff are settled in and stable. I don't need anything windows 10 does and I'm not a believer in updating all the time. I've been using Sonar 8.5.3 since the program came out many years ago. It's been obsolete for a while (or it's a freebee now) replaced by Bandlab but I've been on it so long I know all it's moods and idiosyncrasies, I know when it's having a bad hair day. I was a member of the Sonar forum for over 12 years so I gained knowledge above and beyond my own problems/questions, so I might even be called an expert on it. I'm not alone here, there are others who revere this version.

This is a great page!
http://www.logicalincrements.com/
Set your country/currency where it says 'Parts for' on the left. Then you'll get a table listing compatible stuff for budgets from 'Destitute' to 'Extremist.' That's peace of mind for someone like me who doesn't know an i7 from an i9!

I'm still researching but I'm leaning towards ROG STRIX X299-E. I'm a big fan of Asus products (not their support though) and I think it will be worth saving up for.

[jdc2000]

The ASUS ROG STRIX X299-E is currently going for around $275 new. For that money you could get another P6T board, maybe even new in the box if you are lucky. Possibly useful links are below. Check out the reviews on Newegg and elsewhere.

https://www.pcmag.com/review/360999/...-x299-e-gaming

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews...oard,5644.html

https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16813132991

https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-ROG-802-.../dp/B072MCN1FD

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ..._e_gaming.html

https://www.microcenter.com/product/...el-motherboard


The least expensive i5 LGA-2066 CPU on Newegg is $300. Memory is $27-$35 for 8GB, $50 for 16GB, $105-$132 for 32GB.