Component Upgrading

[Stone]

Add In – Yay rambling posts from random viewers XD. If you've got the time and willingness to help, please read. If not, ignore this wall of text ^^' :whistler:



Hey all, long time lurker, few time poster here – something I hope to change. Before I get started – I know if I don't get straight to the point I'll end up telling my life story, and leave you all confused. So I'll do that, get straight to the point of this thread.

My main computer, that I use for basically anything is the same one I bought back in 2006. Other than a few Graphics card, PSU and case changes, it has remained completely stock. I believe it was an HP Pavilion, and I really am surprised that it is still running perfectly fine, and suits me for the tasks I use it for; and despite it's age, it runs faster than the brand new laptops my Mother and two sister's have. I blame that on Windows 7 and Vista though.

Anyway – Since I'm a bum and still living at home with a nice full time job; and I hate to say it, but I have more money than I honestly know what to do with. See where this is going? Yeah, I want to do some serious upgrades to my computer. I'll start off (I'm just starting? See – I'm bad for rambling on and on) by listing my current specs:

Motherboard: Asus P5Lp-LE
CPS: Pentium D 2.8Ghz
Memory: 2GB DDR2
HDD: 320GB Maxtor and 1TB Western Digital
Graphics Card: XFX GeForce GTS 250 512MB
PSU: Cooler Master Silent Pro M700 700W

Now, I've taken apart my computer several times just to say I have, transferred cases a couple times etc. So I am comfortable working within it; but I've never taken the stock heat sink off of the CPU, and I've never upgraded my Motherboard; both of which are things that I am wanting to do – and since this is my first time I've got a couple questions.

I know I want to upgrade my CPU, Motherboard and Memory; so with a little bit of researching on NewEgg, I've come up with the following:

EVGA P55 LE (http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188054)
Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66 (http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115215)
Corsair Dfominator 4GB DDR3 (http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145290)

My first question would be: are those all compatable? I'm sure the MB and CPU are; but I'm completely confused as to how to tell what RAM is good for what MB. The MB linked above states that “DDR3 2000MHz+ “ is the Memory standard; but in reviews for the same board, people have said they used 1600. I know I need to match the number of pins and whatnot, but that bit I just explained has my completely befuddled.

My next question would be: What other options are there for me? Those items I listed above were selected with my limited knowledge on those items – if you guys know better products at a similar price range please tell me. I'd like a black/red combo for the MB to match my case and lighting, but I really am not picky, and would like your opinions.

And now some less generic questions. What's a good brand for a heat sink? Both the CPU and MB I listed have excellent reviews for Overclocking - something I've never tried, but I might if it's as simple as claimed. I'm not interested in water cooling at this time, so I was just curious as to what a good brand name/price range for an after market heat sink would be.

In the regards of heat sink/CPU – Thermal Compound would be required for adding that correct? Since I have none, I should get my hands on some? This (http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835100007) is in my NewEgg cart right now, but I can change it if that's not the right stuff.


And I think that's all for my questions/annoying rambling for the moment. Any help at all is appreciated, especially if you read this entire post and plan on responding :D I've stalked this site so much that I know all the regular posters by their sigs/avatars too well; hopefully I can stop being a lurker and give back to this wonderful community :D

[blueonblack]

Oh, Goodie! A chance to pounce on the Intel wagon and possibly shake loose another poor soul! Woo hoo!

As you may be able to tell, I'm an AMD fan. Assuming you're not absolutely set on an EVGA motherboard (since they seem to be in bed with Intel), I'd suggest either the Phenom II X6 1055T (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103851) six-core or the Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103727) quad-core. Honestly, the 965 is the better bang for your buck and being a black edition it should overclock nicely. Either one is cheaper than the Intel you listed.

The ASUS M4A78T-E (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131366) would be an excellent board to house it in. Good overclocking features and also handles CrossfireX if you're into that, and has on-board video which I've found is a good thing to have even if you don't use it normally, just as a backup in case of video card failure. It happens. The color scheme isn't nearly as nice as the EVGA (none of them are, EVGA boards are the best-looking on the market), but again, cheaper and more for your money.

As for the RAM, this ASUS board supports DDR3 1333 natively lists 1600 (O.C). While I'll admit I don't know what that means, someone here will surely enlighten us both, but DDDR3 1333 is still blazing fast. I'd suggest something like the CORSAIR XMS 4GB (http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145299)kit, two of them if you want 8GB of RAM obviously.

My obvious bias aside, AMD has always offered more performance for your dollar than Intel. It depends on what you want, I suppose.



I have more money than I honestly know what to do with.

I don't know, maybe Intel is for you. :D


EDIT: Sorry, I got off on my anti-Intel tangent so far I missed the other two questions. There are a LOT of excellent CPU coolers on the market. Enough so that choice comes down to budget, space and appearance. If you're looking for a black-and-red combination, the Thermaltake Frio (http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/?q=node/480) and the Cooler Master V6 (http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/?q=node/522)that we reviewed here recently are both top notch but you'll need some space for them.

In my opinion, Arctic Silver 5 is overrated. The whole have-to-wait-for-a-million-hours-before-its-maximum-effectiveness thing really turned me off. I've used Noctua NT-H1 and Arctic Cooling MX-3 with great results and zero wait time.

[diluzio91]

of course if you have more money than you know what to do with... why not go whole hog? DangerDen and a waterloop? the benifits are pretty nice, especially if you are going to get into overclocking. ill second BOB's ideas on the amd front, 80% of the performance for 40% of the cost... and then you overclock... :D

[Stone]

Thanks for the post blueonblack, you've given me lots to think on.

The biggest reason I've decided to stick with Intel – and I have no idea where I got this idea or if it's even true; but I've already got a nVidea Graphics card. I always believed Intel goes with nVidea and AMD with ATI, and I have no idea if the two are compatible with each other? If so I'd happily change to AMD from Intel.

As for the Memory; I'm running Windows XP, and have no reason to upgrade – but doesn't XP have a limit on the amount of memory it can use? I never actually considered going above 4GB, since 2GB is basically doing everything I need, but at the price of the Corsair you listed, 8GB could be gained easily, if XP allows it.

Those two heatsinks you linked ma be a bit to large for my case. I've got the NZXT Beta; it's a mid tower, so I don't think there is that much room between the MB and side panel. Something with a lower profile would probably better for me; but I should find a way to measure that distance before I make a decision on the heatsink.

As for the Arctic Silver 5, I really need to do some research there. Arctic Silver is the only product I've ever heard of, and the whole have-to-wait-for-a-million-hours is completely new to my as of this thread. I'll look into the two items you listed for sure.


Diluzio, you have a very valid point XD. The main reason I'm not interested in water cooling is because I believe it takes a lot to set that up; and I'm still at the point where I like to take my case apart every other weekend for the hell of it. That, and I'd like to try my hand at upgrading the MB etc. before I get into water cooling – and I honestly probably wont be doing enough OCing where it will be necessary.


And, I completely forgot a question in my first post – pretty much the question I wanted to ask when I opened this thread >.< Say I was to take my current MB, CPU and RAM out, and replace them with new ones, keeping in mind I have an HDD and Graphics card already set up and working with what I have now – what can I expect to happen when I first turn on my computer after making that switch? Will I be put in the BIOS automatically and have to change/set-up settings? Or are there drivers/software I should have installed beforehand?


Again, thanks for all the help BoB and diluzio, and anyone else who happens to read this :D

[diluzio91]

im running a 9800gt (nvidia) with an amd Proc, its no biggie, its just that amd has taken the midrange market and intel spreads dirty rumors :D :D :D. GO PHENOM!!

[x88x]

The biggest reason I've decided to stick with Intel – and I have no idea where I got this idea or if it's even true; but I've already got a nVidea Graphics card. I always believed Intel goes with nVidea and AMD with ATI, and I have no idea if the two are compatible with each other?
The only time that this is even partially valid any more is that certain AMD chipsets (the controllers in the MBB, not the CPU) don't support SLI and certain Intel chipsets don't support CrossFire. So, as long as you know going in what you want to do it doesn't matter at all how you mix it.


As for the Memory; I'm running Windows XP, and have no reason to upgrade – but doesn't XP have a limit on the amount of memory it can use?
Assuming you're running 32-bit XP (you'd know if you weren't), then yeah, it has a max of 4GB. However, especially considering your financial status, I would highly recommend upgrading to 64-bit Windows 7. The load on the system isn't much different than XP, it's more future-proof (since XP isn't getting security updates anymore..or they'll stop soon, I forget if they extended the EOL again), and it can take up to 192GB of RAM. Speaking from personal experience, I thought 2GB was fine until I upgraded to 4GB...then I though that was fine...then I upgraded to 8GB, and I didi honestly see a difference in system performance, not only in gaming but also in normal every-day use.


Those two heatsinks you linked ma be a bit to large for my case. I've got the NZXT Beta; it's a mid tower, so I don't think there is that much room between the MB and side panel. Something with a lower profile would probably better for me; but I should find a way to measure that distance before I make a decision on the heatsink.
Another option would be to go with one of the CoolIt or Corsair sealed water-cooling systems. They'll out-perform most if not all air-coolers, and are just as easy to set up.


As for the Arctic Silver 5, I really need to do some research there. Arctic Silver is the only product I've ever heard of, and the whole have-to-wait-for-a-million-hours is completely new to my as of this thread.
AS5 is one of the best TIMs available on the market without paying stupid amounts of money. The set-time that BoB mentioned is something like a week or so of solid run-time, but once it sets you'll get a few C temp drop..worth it, imo.


And, I completely forgot a question in my first post – pretty much the question I wanted to ask when I opened this thread >.< Say I was to take my current MB, CPU and RAM out, and replace them with new ones, keeping in mind I have an HDD and Graphics card already set up and working with what I have now – what can I expect to happen when I first turn on my computer after making that switch? Will I be put in the BIOS automatically and have to change/set-up settings? Or are there drivers/software I should have installed beforehand?
You should boot straight into whatever OS you have installed (XP in this case). However, it most likely won't have drivers for most if not all of the devices on the MBB, so you'll have to install them before it'll really know what's going on.

Now, all that being said, I would also highly recommend that you upgrade your GPU and HDD as well. The GTS250 may or may not need upgrading, depending on what you do graphically (though it'll definitely be one of the worst bottlenecks in your system), but definitely upgrade your HDD. The HDD is one part of the computer that most people neglect because they figure they aren't going to get much performance difference, but the difference even just between a 3 year old drive and a new drive with identical stats is immense. Plus, there have been so many advances in HDD tech over the last few years that you can get a significant performance increase by upgrading to a new high-performance HDD (or SSD :twisted: ).

[blueonblack]

Another option would be to go with one of the CoolIt or Corsair sealed water-cooling systems. They'll out-perform most if not all air-coolers, and are just as easy to set up.

Second this. We reviewed the CoolIT ECO here (http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/?q=node/513), and I own the Corsair H50 myself and love it. Obviously they take some space also, but with the coolant lines they do allow more flexibility in their installation and performance is outstanding.

[Stone]

Thanks for clearing that up diluzio and x88x; I'm really not sure where I got the idea about nVidea only working with Intel. I'll most definetely be going with AMD now.

As for upgrading HDDs – My 1TB WD is brand new, only been in my system for about 2 weeks. I'll admit I only bought it because my 320GB one was to full. I believe you completely when you say there is a performance difference. My music folder on the WD opens instantly now; but when it was on my old drive it would take full minute for that to load. I don't really want to purchase another HDD (although an SSD with on the OS would be nice in theory), but do you think it would be worth it to go through the trouble to transfer everything off my old drive and just use the 1TB?

Looking over the review of the CooIT Eco (done by blueonblack?) I am definitely sold on it. I'll look at reviews of the Corsair H50, for sure, but I like everything I've read about the CoolIT so far. Only problem is the Canadian NewEgg store doesn't carry it :( But I've used TigerDirect in the past without problems.


Okay, grabbing a new cart at NewEgg, I put in the ASUS M4A78T, AMD Phenom II X4 965 BE (what's Black Edition even mean? Lol) and the Corsair XMS 2x2GB, and my total is a good $100 less than my earlier selection; which my money-hoarding nature really likes. I could get an extra 4GB of memory and my total would still be less than what I had earlier – but that would also require my to upgrade my OS, which I might as well start a new paragraph to talk about.

Firstly, what's the difference between 32 and 64 bit versions? Also, how well does it play with older software? My biggest concerns are the Photoshop 7 program I have (I don't upgrade often, if you couldn't tell already) and Oblivion. All the other programs I use are pretty common and up to date, so I'm not worried about them working; but PS and OBL are both reasons that would likely keep me on XP. I'm going to look into Windows 7 a bit more now, so I'll likely be back with more questions on this topic.


Once again, thanks for all the help everyone :D You've given me lots to think on and narrowed down what I have to research; Thanks a lot.

[blueonblack]

The black edition processors have unlocked multipliers, which just means they are a lot easier to overclock. When you start into that you'll see what I mean.

On the 32- vs 64-bit question, I don't know. When I built my last system I tried to use a 64-bit operating system but (as you feared) I ran into problems with some older software that I use a lot. Any advantages I might have gained were not worth not being able to use that software, so I'm currently using Win7 Ultimate 32-bit with 4GB of memory and have no regrets whatsoever.

I think the only way you will know if your older software will work with a 64-bit operating system is to try it. Of course, if it doesn't, you're out the money you spent on the OS.

[Stone]

I'm honestly not sure how much OCing I'll be doing. The 965 is already at 3.4 Ghz, which should be more than enough for me. I'm at 2.8Ghz and happy right now. Then again, I might do it just because, there doesn't really need to be a real reason :/ .

A little bit of researching, and Oblivion is compatible, so I'm good on that front. If I splurge the extra $50 or so and get Profession Edition instead of Home, I'll have access to Windows XP Mode, which in theory would clear up any other problems I would have with older programs. On another note, do you have any idea how Windows 7 handles dual monitors? XP works pretty well with it, so I don't see why 7 shouldn't.

Back onto the topic of what to buy – would I be safe with the System Builders OEM version of Windows 7, or should I opt for the more expensive retail version?

[blueonblack]

I honestly don't know on the dual monitors, as I only use one, but I think that's more an issue with your video card and its associated software than the OS.

I've never bought a full retail version of an OS myself, always the OEM. That's me, though. I never saw enough advantage in paying the extra money.

[Stone]

UltraMon – the software I use for my dual monitors does appear to be compatable with Windows 7, and my Graphics card can definitely do tit ^.^ This is all talk for the future though, I'm more interested in upgrading my components than my OS at this time, and 4GB should be more than enough for me.

I do however, have more questions XD. 4GB is that max for XP, but I have read that having over 3GB installed when setting up the components could be bad? I'd like that to be cleared up – should I install my new components with all 4GB installed, or just put in once card at 2GB?

As mentioned, I'm pretty much set on the CoolIT Eco. In the review here there is a picture shown with what appears to be thermal compound – does that mean I could skip purchasing Artic Silver 5 or something similar? It's even mentioned that the thermal compound is prei-nstalled; the compound is arguably the part I'm most worried about, so does this mean I can skip applying the compound completely?

And, actually installing a heat sink, I imagine it's relatively simple? Do I need to put on some sort of backblate on the MBB; or does the heat sink somehow “click” into place? I know – noob questions, but I like to be well informed.

And again, thanks for all the help BoB ^.^ It's greatly appreciated.

[blueonblack]

Your 32-bit XP will work just fine with 4GB. It will only recognize 3.25-3.5 GB but the extra won't hurt a thing.

The ECO (and most modern high-end cooling solutions) does come with "thermal goo" in place. That's the gray square on the cooling base in the pictures in the review. So on the *first* installation attempt (successful or otherwise), yes you can skip the thermal compound. I'd buy some anyway if you don't have any around. If something goes wrong with the first attempt you'll need it.

Installation - The H50 was considerably easier to install and has given me better performance than the ECO, but neither of them is really hard. A backing plate is required for both, but I found the spring-loaded screws on the ECO a lot more difficult to deal with than the H50's turn-and-lock method. They should have been 1/4" longer. The H50 also allows more flexibility in installation as far as hose routing, since it can be installed in any number of positions in a full 360-degree circle. That can be important in a smaller case, as these lines (on both of them) are pretty stiff.

If it sounds like I didn't like the ECO, that's not the case. It is a very good cooler, and I'm sure you can install and use it just fine. They are both very effective and very quiet. I just wanted to point out all the factors to consider before you bought one.

Oh, and if you want to get rid of a little more of that money you have lying around, Corsair now has an upgraded version, the H70. :D

Edit: If you're using the pics of the installation in the review as any sort of guide, be aware that case is HUGE.

[x88x]

I know there are a lot of people who have had different experiences than me on this front, but I have never had a problem with a program not being compatible with 7 64-bit. I don't use many old programs though, so I guess take that with a grain of salt. It is entirely possible that you might run into problems with PS7 though, considering that it's 8 years old now.. FWIW, I would not recommend using the 'XP Mode' included in the Pro and Ultimate versions of 7. It's really just an XP VM running in the latest version of Microsoft Virtual PC, which in my experience and in the experience of everyone I've talked to, is horribly inferior in terms of performance and usability when compared to other free virtualization options such as VirtualBox. If you feel like spending a bit of time messing around with it, you could always install 7 64-bit without a license key (for the 30-day 'trial mode'), and try the programs you're worried about.

Multiple monitors, if anything, work better in 7 than in XP. I'm personally running 4 monitors on two different video cards and have never run into a problem.
http://i428.photobucket.com/albums/qq3/x13931x/quadmount_13.jpg

In fact, apparently 7 plays happy with having drivers for both AMD and nVidia GPUs installed at the same time, so on at least one front of the multi-monitor issue it is quite superior to XP. And UltraMon works just fine with 7. I used it for a while, but ended up switching back to DisplayFusion instead of buyinf UltraMon when the trial was up because I found I didn't really use any of the features except for the wallpaper.

For the HDD, yes, it will definitely be worth the trouble to transfer your OS to the new 1TB. If you want something that will outperform any standard desktop HDD (except for random seeks on the Velociraptor) without having to deal with the complications that SSDs introduce, the Seagate Momentus XT is a hybrid drive that provides amazing performance for a platter-based drive, and isn't horribly expensive either.
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&Description=seagate+hybrid&x=0&y=0

For the thermal paste, personally I would recommend removing the stuff that comes on whatever heatsink/waterblock/etc you get, and replacing it with AS5. That's really all dependent on how much bother those extra few C are worth to you though. ;)

I will second BoB's recommendation on getting the OEM version of Windows. The only reason to get the retail is for the additional support options...which imo are useless. Additionally, if you're a student (or still have access to a student email address), you might be able to get it here (http://store.digitalriver.com/store?Action=DisplayStudentHeroRegistrationPage&Locale=en_US&SiteID=msshus&resid=iPfikwoBAlUAAGDAvNoAAAAp&rests=1285254084680) for $50USD. IDK if it's available in Canada though...

[SXRguyinMA]

if you use 7 you don't need ultramon :D the redular Catalyst Control Center from ATi or whatever the green guys use will do it by itself and let you configure it however you want. I used ultramon with XP, but no use for another peice of software now :D

[Stone]

Trouble arises :( - typing on my iPod, sorry for any typing mistakes.

I bought the m4a78t-e, amd phenom x4 965 and Corsair xms3 as blueonblack suggested. Tomight I installed it all without problems, until I tried turning on my computer at least. Upon turning it on I see a new motherboard screen, then I get to choose to start Windows XP, or Windows Recovery console (thats nomal) it then goes to the screen where I choose to start Windows normally, in safe mode, or last known good configuation. Last knownnormal will go to the Windows loasong screen, but after a moment Bsod flashes really quickly, and the computer restarts itself :(

I only have the one drive with Windows plugged in, I've swapped out the ram in a couple differnt slots but nothing changes :( I'm sure it's not my gfx card or hdd as both were working fine in my old setup. I can get into the Bios, and that also says the drive is fine. I'm too inexperienced with bios to know if the problem resides in there :/

So basically, my question is, whats wrong? The little bit of searching I've done suggests ram, but I've akready tesyed those, unless both my sticks are doa?

Tomorrow after work I plan on putting my old parts back in too see if that works, but I want some of your expert opinions on what I've dome wrong here :/

Thanks a bunch.

[diluzio91]

odd question. but what is your powersupply wattage? you might be asking for more than it can pump out. also make sure that the heatsink is properly mounted on the processor, as an improperly mounted heatsink can cause you to overheat before you can boot. try resetting the bios by removing the button cell battery on your motherboard for a few seconds. You could also pop your old processor into the motherboard and make sure the bios is up to date, but as it begins to load XP it dosnt sound like a bios issu.

[x88x]

What diluzio said, check the PSU rating and try resetting the BIOS and reseating the CPU HS/F. Also, try starting Windows in Safe Mode, see what happens. If it works fine in Safe Mode we know it's a software problem, probably driver related. If none of those work, burn a memtest86 disc and test your RAM.

[slaveofconvention]

Have you done a clean install of Windows or are you just plugging the old drive into the new components?

[Stone]

I'm plugging an old harddrive into new components - motherboard, cpu and ram are all that I'm replacing.

I've got a 700W Cooler Master PSU in it, thats SLI certified. I reallyhope thats not the problem, since I've already had a PSU die on me in the past -.-

As for setting the heatsink - two problems. I don't have any thermal paste at all, forgot to purchase it :( When putting the heatsink on I did mess up a liitle by hitting the cpu and scuffing up what was on the heatsink already but; in thr Bios I can see the CPU temperature at about 25-29 degrees celcius (cooler even than the motherboard itself) and after rebooting itself once or twice, it shows the samp temps. Could the CPU really be overheating, then going back to such a low temp so quickly?

And some hopefully good news - the system does appear to boot into safe mode; at least to the point where I can select what user to login to on XP. From there none of my usb moce will work, but I think thats because I'm in safe mode? Does this mean I simply have to put my old hardware in, download and install the drivers for the new hardware, then switch it again? I was inder the impression drivers could be installed after :/

As of now I haven't taken the battery out to reset the bios, sincr I haven't changed any settings anyway - would resetting a default board really help? Lol

Once again thanks for all the help, +rep once I get on a real computer. Heres to hoping this is a simple software problem ^.^

[diluzio91]

hmm... theres no easy way to say this... i think you may have to reinstall windows... i know swapping hdd's onto new motherboards was always a problem with xp (at least for me) you may want to back up your data and run a clean install... ill also second the aforementioned upgrade to 7. in regular mode it should still start, just without the necessary drivers, which wouldnt effect anything but performance

[diluzio91]

try a wipe and fresh xp install. I know i've had problems with swapping hdd's onto new mobos with xp before.

[Stone]

I've got my old components hooked up now and everything is working as expected. I'm installing the software/drivers off the CD that came with the motherboard, so hopefully it will work after this :/

If not - quick question about reinstalling XP or even upgrading; how will the new(ish) OS cooperate with my 1TB drive? Theres only music/movies, and a handful of pictures on it, but thats really all I would want to save. I originally formatted the drive with this OS, so would I have problems accessing that data on a new installation?

Edit -

It's a no go with the software/drivers installed off the CD :( Depending on how well a new installation of XP works with my 1TB drive, I'll most likely try that out.

Interestingly enough, the CD did install Asus Express Gate, which is a mini, mini OS that loads right when the computer starts. I'm typing this right now using that OS, lol. Anyway, this tells me that the hardware is fine, and since the drivers didn't work, the problem must be with Windows XP. Theres about 200-300GB of data on that drive right now, so if I can still use all of that with an reinstallation, I have no problem doing that, since I have reinstalled windows a couple times on this old computer over the years that I've had it, it's just a time consuming process.

Anyway, I'm sure you can tell I have a real keyboard under my fingers by the way I'm rambling XD. Again - Thanks a lot for all the help, this is a wonderful community.

[diluzio91]

hmm... you only have one drive in the pc? because windows 7 will handle xp's filesystem with no problems what so ever. if you have just one drive maybe you can find a way to partition the drive without wiping your data, and just install the OS on the new partition?

[mDust]

if you have just one drive maybe you can find a way to partition the drive without wiping your data, and just install the OS on the new partition?
This.

Hook up your original hardware and boot into windows. Hit win+r keys and type 'diskmgmt.msc' and enter. From there you can add a new partition to your drive assuming it has enough free space. You can keep all your files intact on the old partition and install windows 7 on the new one.

[x88x]

partition the drive without wiping your data, and just install the OS on the new partition?

/\This. You'll need to shrink the existing partition on the 1TB, then install Windows in the empty space. Alternately, you could wipe your 320, move all the data you want to save onto there, then wipe the 1TB, install on there, and move all your data back.

[Stone]

I've got two drives, a 320 which has Windows XP on it right now, and a 1TB, which only has hte data I want to keep on it. Do I have to create partitions and move data around if all I want to do is wipe the 320 and reinstall XP on it? I named the 1TB drive Y:/ drive when I made it - would a new installation of XP still recognize it as Y:/ with all the data on it?

Down the road I might just buy a smallish SSD, and a new copy of Windows 7, installing 7 on the SSD - would 7 be able to recognize the 1TB and all the data on it?

Last question before work - Will reinstalling Windows for sure fix the problem I'm having with my new components?

[msmrx57]

You shouldn't have to do anything to the 1TB drive if it's not the drive with your OS on it. Whatever OS you upgrading to should read it just fine.

[diluzio91]

Last question before work - Will reinstalling Windows for sure fix the problem I'm having with my new components?

Defiantly maybe. But, it cant hurt, and im 99% sure it will help. not to mention a new copy of XP should be run pretty often... to make your reinstallation a little less painful, heres a link.

http://www.ninite.com

possibly the best way to install programs on a clean OS ever.

[MrGoat]

The reason you had blue screens when moving to the new hardware is that windows has specific security features built in that freak out when the install is placed on a different ide\sata controler. Its basicaly for copy protection, this dosnt happen at all on enterprise licenced copies of XP.

For future reference these issues can be bypassed for those times when you just want to swap it and go,

An Ars Technica Article in regards.. (http://arstechnica.com/hardware/news/2007/09/how-to-install-a-new-motherboard-without-reinstalling-windows.ars)