[kamille316]

You need the I/O shield that comes with your motherboard, however in most cases the computer case comes with its own I/O shield that you can remove. In most computer case, the I/O shield are not placed in the case and usually placed separately (in a box or something).

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But do they have screws to put them in place or like pop in a spot?

[kwasi]

But do they have screws to put them in place or like pop in a spot?

[Troy]

Any retail case will have removable I/O shields on the back, only proprietary manufacturers like Gateway may not be removable.

A retail motherboard will come with the proper I/O shield it needs in the box.

They just pop in and out of place, it can be a bit tricky to fix the new one into place properly, but just give it a good whack.

Cheers

Troy

[jt1990]

They just pop in and out of place, it can be a bit tricky to fix the new one into place properly, but just give it a good whack.

Yup!

I know that on most cases that I use, the I/O shield that comes with the case is screwed on, but the one with the board just snaps in. Also, the last few comps that I've built, for some reason the opening for the network port has been covered, as well as some of the sound ports. You'll need to make sure that these are all open. Only the ones that you need for the board, mind you. If there's a parallel port spot on the shield, and there isn't a parallel port on the board, then you don't need to open it.

[Troy]

jt, I've never seen an I/O plate screwed on - what cases are these? I'm interested...

And I've never seen single parts that are covered, except with proprietary computers (Compaq, HP, Dell, etc...) where a simple little plastic cover is screwed over an un-needed port because the options were changed. Never on any kind of retail equipment, though...

This is what I'm talking about when I say I/O plate:

Some might be coloured, others might be silver.

Troy

[kwasi]

Ok mine is like that so I guess it's really removable.

So to replacing a mother board, I have a Micro ATX 9.8 x 8.2 to replace it do I need to find another 9.2 x 8.2 or just any other Micro ATX?

[jt1990]

Troy - The case is an Athenatech A400 Chassis, and it's not *really* an I/O shield, it's just the placeholder so that there isn't a big gaping hole in the case. I'd post a picture, but I can't find one of the back of the case...

Yeah, that's more or less what the I/O shields I use look like, just some of the little panels didn't get popped off in the particular example I was giving.

kwasi, as far as I know, any Micro ATX board will work, but I would look it up because I'm not sure about that.

[Troy]

If it's mATX (microATX), then any mATX motherboard should be able to fit fine.

[kwasi]

Great, thanks.

So I guess I can upgrade my CPU. I've checked some motherboards on Newegg and I don't really understand how they price them. I was looking for one that supports a Core 2 Duo processor but there are some for like $60 and some for $230. I'd like to get the cheapest one I can find but what are the downsides?

[jt1990]

The cheaper boards aren't as high quality, generally. Also, the cheap boards tend to only support up to DDR2 800MHz RAM, and they also don't generally support a Quad Core chip. if you're looking for a decent board, I would probably look around the $100 price range. But that's just my opinion.

[kwasi]

I'm not looking for Quad core though. I didn't know that there was really a difference in type of RAM just amount. Most of the Intel boards around $100 say DDR2 800 the $60 say DDR2 667.

I don't know what I need when it says PCI slots and I don't know much about me graphics/video card's compatibility. I'm not sure what either one are but I have a Nvidia GeForce FX 5200.

I was wondering if someone could suggest a micro ATX Motherboard(preferably intel) compatible with a Core 2 Duo processor. I'd like one under $100 but I don't know anything about quality.

Edited by kwasi, 11 August 2008 - 12:10 PM.

[jt1990]

Here's a decent looking mATX board for around $100. It has 4 memory slots, and will take up to 8GB of DDR2 800 RAM. It also has a PCI Express slot for a graphics card, and a PCI slot.

[kwasi]

Thanks but now I'm really confused with the processors. I don't know what I want except a Core 2 Duo. I wanted the cheapest one but now I see some with more GHz but cheaper. I don't know how to compare Wolfdale, Allendale, and Conroe.

[jt1990]

I really don't know what the differences are between the cores...Someone else help please? I'm completely clueless in this area... I never noticed before...

[kwasi]

I just noticed.

Is there a difference in 2 512mb RAM and 1gb RAM?