[J3Vr6]

Hey thanks guys for all your help!

[aldo_14]

Originally posted by CP5670
I also went through a lot of this motherboard hassle about five months ago, although I had to replace the hard drive anyway so there was no issue of reinstalling the OS.

I'm going to be getting a new processor, memory and video card in the next week or so (whenever I have time to go check some retail outlets) and am wondering how much work is involved for installing/debugging these. Is the procedure for replacing the processor and memory easier than that for the mobo? I have done video cards before and those are pretty straightforward, but I don't know about the other things.

Adding memory is incredibly easy, especially if the mobo is out the case.  Adding a CPu is a little tricky (it was for me), largely because fitting the fan can reply a bit of brute force with a screwdriver to clip it onto the socket correctly - which is somewhat nerve-wracking.

If I can do it, anyone can, so you should be fine.

This can be a helpful guide, BTW; http://www.pcmech.com/byopc/step/1/

[Stryke 9]

Just make sure all the pins are as straight as you can get 'em before fitting in the CPU and there's really no problem. Aside from the aforementioned tough clips that require maybe a little more physical force to close than you'd like to apply around sensitive electronics.

[Grey Wolf]

Don't bend pins if at all possible. I spent about a good hour trying to straighten out pins on my hard drive. Not very fun.

[CP5670]

Thanks for the advice. Should I be buying any thermal padding or grease for the processor? I am not sure whether my current processor has either of these, although considering that it's one of the notoriously hot Athlon TB 1400s, it probably does; if it's a pad I might just be able to use that.

I spent about a good hour trying to straighten out pins on my hard drive.

You know, I did the exact same thing when I had to replace my broken HD, as one pin on the new drive got bent while I was fiddling with the jumper positions and it took quite a bit of work to get it straight again. They should just have a row of switches on these things; the jumpers are confusing to work with and can be a real chore to remove.

[Stryke 9]

The reasoning probably is that if they left them as switches the less computer-literate of tinkers would be encouraged to **** with them.

[kasperl]

well, jumpers are hard to get out, but when some nitwit takes them frm a carefully selected place and goes to fiddle with 'em, and then drops them into thick carpet, then it is real fun.

[karajorma]

I remember once I had to take a hard drive I'd just bought back to PC World because it had been shipped missing a jumper (I didn't have any spares then). I told them exactly what the problem was but they kept insisting that they had to replace the entire thing
 After about 10 minutes waiting for them to find a replacement one of the techs came out took a look at it, agreed with me about the problem and walked into the repair centre (which was directly behind the customer service desk and in full view the entire time) and got me the jumper I needed out of a drawer full of them . Left me wondering why PC World were so happy to return a hundred pound drive as defective when I knew they must have the cheap piece of plastic needed to save themselves the hassle

[aldo_14]

I'm just amazed you found a computer literate PC-World employee.

[redmenace]

Originally posted by karajorma
I remember once I had to take a hard drive I'd just bought back to PC World because it had been shipped missing a jumper (I didn't have any spares then). I told them exactly what the problem was but they kept insisting that they had to replace the entire thing
 After about 10 minutes waiting for them to find a replacement one of the techs came out took a look at it, agreed with me about the problem and walked into the repair centre (which was directly behind the customer service desk and in full view the entire time) and got me the jumper I needed out of a drawer full of them . Left me wondering why PC World were so happy to return a hundred pound drive as defective when I knew they must have the cheap piece of plastic needed to save themselves the hassle

its retail retards dude. in america we have the same thing. people that make dumb unlogical descisions. My favorite idiots are the ones that do the same mistake over and over.

[karajorma]

Originally posted by aldo_14
I'm just amazed you found a computer literate PC-World employee.

I know. It's a pretty unlikely occurence. Then again I think the guy I saw was one of the ones who fixes computers and is kept away from the general public on the grounds that he actually knows something about computers.

[aldo_14]

"Remember, you need a 2GHz processor and 512MB ram to burn CD's and surf the internet!"

[kasperl]

ugh, i called tech support to get someone to pick up my laptop for the "pcik-up and return" garantuee, the PCMCIA bay is damaged. the idiot asks if it's ok to format the HD or not. i mean, if i reported that windows had troubles, ok, but to replace a bloody external bay?