Another Gateway POS :)

[Gardeaux08]

OK, as I had mentioned before, I have been brave enough to upgrade my hard drive myself without much trauma. It is 40 GB and proving to be maybe not enough space. I have 256 MB of RAM. What I am wondering is if I should put in more memory before upgrading my hard drive space again. It would seem to me to be the right thing to do but I am not THAT advanced.

Also, As mentioned before, I would like to replace the motherboard eventually. My goal is to keep building on this machine if I can instead of buying a whole new system. Is replacing a motherboard as daunting as I think it is?

The good news is I have a used tower loaded with an OS coming to me in a few weeks as a secondary play thing. I am convinced when I have this I will be more brave about things because I can play and not be without a computer if I really fuck things up. :)

[landdaddy]

1. Putting in a new MoBo is no biggy

but I would discard the Gateway tower for a new one. Usually those systems come with a low wattage power supply and as you add to it you will need more power. I've found that that you can get a good tower with a decent PSU sometimes cheaper than just a PSU (power supply unit).
Here are some towers to look at:http://www.newegg.com/ProductSort/Category.asp?Category=9

Good luck!

[Gardeaux08]

3. Thank you!

I have really no idea what I am doing :) LOL

Is there a good website that any of you know of that would help me figure all this out but not so technical I want to rip my hair out?

[landdaddy]

4. Start with this page

http://www.pcmech.com/byopc/step/1
there is a lot of reading to do here but it may give you a better understanding of the task. I will look for more links and post them later.
Good luck!

[landdaddy]

5. Another link

with visuals:http://www.pctechguide.com/tutorials/MBoard1.htm
Hope this helps!

[hobbit709]

2. Dump the Gateway

All those Gateway, Emachines, Compaq, etc. have small cramped cases with dinky power supplies. You can find a tower case with a 300W PS for $40 or so.