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Journeyman
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Journeyman
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Instead of buying a new Win 8 machine or attempting a new ground up build, I was thinking of just upgrading the motherboard, processor and RAM on my 8 yr old, Dell, Windows XP 32 bit desktop to an ASUS P8Z77 motherboard with i7-2600K processor and 8 gigs of RAM.
2 yrs ago I replaced the power supply, fan and hard drive so know they are in good shape.
After seeing all the problems people are having adjusting to the new non intuitive Win 8 system, which most new computers come with now, I thought I'd stick with what I'm comfortable with and save some $$$ at the same time.
My question is, can I change the MB etc ,plug in the old hard drive with XP on it and expect it to work, will I have to do a complete system re-install or is this just a can of worms waiting to be opened?
Thanks for any input,
Carkins
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Hi,
Probably you can do this if you want but more than likely will mean a complete system reinstall.
But is it worth it, for a few hundred more a new computer, or build one yourself with a new quieter case such as the coolmaster silio range with foam inside to cut down noise?
Musiclover
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Expert
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An 8 year old version of XP will need significant driver updates for the new hardware platform, you will probably need to at least do a repair install. You will also need to re-activate XP.
One significant problem you will run into will be support for AHCI vs Legacy IDE settings in BIOS for your HDD.
Your existing installation will almost certainly not understand AHCI (XP doesn't ship with AHCI drivers) and in modern MBs the legacy settings give pretty poor performance, especially by comparison to AHCI.
There are ways around this but I'm not going to try to go into it at this kind of distance - it's harder to explain than to do...
Of course, you can elect to run in legacy mode and it will work fine, probably just slowly.
Otherwise, make sure ASUS have XP drivers available.
If it was me, I'd opt for a new machine but specify Win7 - you should still be able to get it and it will understand all the current high performance bits and pieces on the MB. I'd also go for a fairly large HDD - at least 1.5 TB.
--=-- My credo: If it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing - just ask my missus, she'll tell ya  --=--You're only paranoid if you're wrong!
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Anonymous
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The new motherboard will likely come with a CD that holds drivers for onboard video, sound and NIC, so that should be okay. Your outboard stuff like a MIDI interface will have drivers already on your hard drive if you are using it now. This should go smooth as silk for you.
Remember that the motherboard was not actually built with an operating system in mind, but I would do some research to make sure the drivers available go back to XP. Since Micro$oft disowned XP a lot of hardware companies no longer care to write drivers for it. I will also add however that I have never had an issue with OEM supplied drivers and I once, as a text, put hard drives on a new motherboard that ran XP, Vista and 7, reloaded OWM drivers each time, and they worked fine.
Typically is you buy a "name" motherboard the coverage is thorough. If you go with "Bob's Motherboard" you may have problems.
Mileage may vary.
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What about IDE vs SATA? If the old HD is IDE it won't work with this mobo. I would really think about this if I were you. Even if there is some kind of IDE>sata adapter you're wasting all that new fast stuff, an old IDE HD is way slower in data thruput than a SATA one. From the ASUS spec:
"The Intel® Z77 Express chipset natively supports the next-generation Serial ATA (SATA) interface, delivering up to 6Gb/s data transfers. ASUS provides extra SATA 6Gb/s ports with enhanced scalability, faster data retrieval and double the bandwidth of current bus systems."
You're going to try to put in an antique old, slow HD into this hot rod mobo? When I say old, sure you can buy brand new IDE drives now but they're still old.
The only thing I would use is the case if I really, really liked it.
Bob
Biab/RB latest build, Win 11 Pro, Ryzen 5 5600 G, 512 Gig SSD, 16 Gigs Ram, Steinberg UR22 MkII, Roland Sonic Cell, Kurzweil PC3, Hammond SK1, Korg PA3XPro, Garritan JABB, Hypercanvas, Sampletank 3, more.
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carkins, Dell uses propietary motherboards so you would also have have problems there. I've got an 8yr old Dell in the closet. It was a hoss in it's day, but I wouldn't even consider trying to upgrade it. As far as Win 8 goes, my son just bought a new laptop and hated the interface. He was going to wipe it and install Win 7. I told him to download this app for $4.99: Stardock Start 8. http://www.stardock.com/products/start8/He now loves Win 8. It brings back Win 7 functionality and even gives a few new tricks for Win 8. You can also switch back and forth between the two.
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Drive form factor will be critical. If you have old IDE drives and the new mobo has SATA connections, you will need to bit copy (Ghost, Drive Image, etc....) your boot IDE drive to a SATA drive. That is going to take some hardware and software you may not be familiar with. I know it can be done because I have done it several times, but it depends on your familiarity and computer experience level.
Your easiest option is to order a computer with Windows 7. If you enjoy the challenge, go ahead with parts. You CAN still buy motherboards with IDE data bus but they are indeed going away as Bob the Jazzmammal said.
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Everything said so far, plus - if you wanted to stay with XP, remember that 32bit XP will only recognize 4 gig of RAM and that includes whatever the graphics have as well.
ROG.
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Actually, a 32-bit OS only recognizes 3.5 Gb of RAM, so even if you have 4 Gb it won't take advantage of the dynamic refresh rate, thus slowing it down further. Short version: Get a great new PC and have fun!
"My primary musical instrument is the personal computer."
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Journeyman
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Thanks to all. Lots of good info. Stardock looks like a good deal for Windows 8 with Win 7 functionality. Will definitely go with a new computer or maybe a ground up build. One other odd thing is why does ASUS ship new computers with 5400 rpm hard drives on their desktops? Does the i7 processor's speed mean a 7200 rpm isn't needed? Seems strange from such a well respected mfg. Probably just trying to reduce old HD inventory or maybe going for that "Retro" look  Anyways, thanks again for all your help. Carkins
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Yes, they are dumping old drives. I build all my own, because the one time I bought an HP from the store, I discovered I could not upgrade it. There wasn't even a place to mount a second hard drive, and that's just an example. Even if I could add another drive, the power supply wasn't enough to handle it. Etc. Those store-bought PCs are as stripped-down as they can be, to save costs and allow for blow-out prices. Beware if you want anything serious from them.
The slow drive speed just means the i7 processor is sitting around even longer waiting for something to do. That's a terrible waste to have such a mismatch. An IDE drive with a motherboard that supported SATA is a similar mismatch.
+1 for Start8 from Stardock. Windows 8 is great if you bypass the start screen and apps, and if you can find drivers for all your music peripherals.
BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Fender Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
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I dont know your funding situation but all the advice is good above. If you do decide to install a new operating system then also think about get an SSD drive as your system drive. This significantly speeds up your whole system. The price has come down and you dont need a big one if you are going to use it just for system files.
For me, I would be concerned abut sticking with XP. As an operating system its pretty good, but support for XP is being dropped. Win 7 is a really stable operating system, but currently more expensive than win 8. Running in 64 bit is important if you intend to use VST's of the heavy duty kind - the sample based types.
I thought about win 8 and even tried to install it. I bought it at £25 UK, however, my monitors do not support the resolution required. All the metro apps simply crashed my system. There is a compatibility wizard on the microsoft site which checks out your system ( this sometimes gives innactuate info), but if you are building for Win 8 you had better do some homework first. I had a list of ten of my applications that were not supported. None of these issues with win 7.
IMO (only) if you get down and dirty with a MOBO its best to get as future proof as possible - maybe hand on for Santa Claus?
Last edited by ZeroZero; 12/20/12 03:57 AM.
Win 11 64, Asus Rog Strix z390 mobo, 64 gig RAM, 8700k
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