Hi there,

My current video card is a Sparkle G-Force 6600 AGP 256MB and it has thrown in the towel. I want to upgrade to a PCI-E workstation card as i will be using a lot of CAD software. I am looking at a Leadtek Quadro FX1500 PCI-e card and was wondering what modifications i will need to make to the computer. Will it just be a matter of changing to a PCI-e motherboard or will i also need to change CPU and memory etc?

I am currently running an INTEL PENTIUM 4 3.2GHZ Socket 478 CPU, PC-3200 1024MB PQI 184-PIN DDR SDRAM, SPARKLE 6600 256MB AGP VIDEO CARD, on an ABIT AI7 I865 P4 SKT478 ATX MOTHERBOARD, GTR 400W ATX PSU, MAXTOR 160GB CALYPSO DIAMONDMAX PLUS9 SERIAL ATA DRIVE

Is there a PCI-E motherboard of the same size as the existing one that i can just switch over to and transplant everything from the old one to the new one? Or will i need to purchase new CPU, memory etc??

Thanks for your time,

Ron

Don't worry Ron,
all you need is a PCI-e motherboard. These mobos are exactly the same size as non-PCI-e boards. You may need to upgrade your DDR memory to DDR2. Your CPU should be ok to use

That's great news.

"You may need to upgrade your DDR memory to DDR2"

Is this because PCI-e motherboards only come with DDR2 memory slots?

I used to know a thing or two about computers many years ago, but it's all going too fast for me now So I don't need to worry about socket numbers or this or that when ordering a PCI-e mobo? Do i just need to specify that i want a replacement for an AGP mobo, and it should fit straight into my case?

Thanks again.

Here's an example that will work for your CPU adding DDR2 memory:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138079

Not true at all. You do need to make sure your processor is the right socket for the main board you choose to use. PCI-E is just a new(better) way to connect a gfx card to your computer, similar in ways to the move from PCI to AGP many years ago.

Just take your time and make sure you do all your research and comparing. Get your information on a mobo from more than just one place. Sometimes they aren't entirely accurate(specifically ebay listings) or complete.

What you need to pay attention to depends on what kind of goals you have. if you want to have a very nice setup for CAD, then you might find yourself replacing the mobo, gfx and the ram. But if you want to do a minimum upgrade, you could keep your ram, and find a new mobo that supports PC3200(assuming DDR400) and then get a good card. Depending on how much your looking at spending, I have a 7800GTX 256. Which isn't blazing fast by any means, but considering how cheap it is these days its definatel a good buy in my opinion. If you can get your hands on a 512mb version even better. If money is not an issue, then just go get an 8800GTX or ultra and while your at it upgrade to a mobo that supports DDR2 as well as it is cheaper than DDR these days it seams. Also, if your going to purchase new ram, make sure its Low Density ram. Its always more expensive, but its faster than high density ram, and imo more reliable. Just like a celeron is a High end Pentium 4 reject, or how a Phenom(3 core) is a quad core reject, high density ram is the low density reject.

EDIT: Let it be known, i'm not a hardware guy, i'm a software dev, but this is just from what i've got stored in my brain. heh. So if i'm wrong on any of these, i'll stand corrected.

And a lot of times, the celeron for instance has a very small L2 cache, because of some reason when intel 'prints' out the chips they can't activate the uppor portion of the cache so they sell it as a celeron instead. same with the phenom, they can't get all 4 cores working, so they sell it as a 3 core. hopefully this is useful informtation to someone

Cheers for that.

The main goal i am trying to achieve is to run CAD software and other 3D rendering programs a lot more easily. I find that my current card cannot cope with the rendering loads from ArchiCAD and 3DsMax software.

So i guess what i am after is a new suitable motherboard that can accept a socket 478 3.2GHz P4 CPU (Prescott), a new Leadtek Quadro FX1500 PCI-e graphics card (or equivalent), and my current 2GB of PC3200 400MHz DDR SDRAM. If this is not possible due to memory or CPU problems, then what can i do?
Any suggestions would be super!
Sorry for all the questions, and thank you again.

Ron

helpful! thank you!

Ron,
didn't you see the expample of a board for your PCI-e video card and using your original socket 478 Pentium 4? Many of these PCI-e graphics boards use DDR2 or DDR3 memory now

Hi,
yes i checked out that board you suggested. i was just wondering if it can be mounted in my case that's all. Cos it looks like it is a fair bit smaller than my motherboard. Other than that (and i'm sure it's no problem) it looks like a good match. Thanks for that!

Ron

I'm sure it will fit with no problems. Are you located in the USA? Newegg only ships inside the USA

I for one do not know any motherboards offering PCI-e slots & a 478 pin socket so I believe you'll have to change at least the motherboard & the CPU, you could look for a board such as the ASRock 775Dual-VSTA which would allow you to have to change the CPU only & keep your current ram.

It has an AGP & a PCI-e slot so you're free to chose which is better for you.

"I for one do not know any motherboards offering PCI-e slots & a 478 pin socket"...

There are a few socket 478 PCI-e graphics boards out there. Check this link

I stand corrected.