http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=945GC-M4&cat=MBBThe above linked motherboard my friend was asking if it would work with his Socket 478 Pentium 4 2.0Ghz CPU. His old gaming computer died when he went in with a screw driver with the computer off to try to remove the AGP video card and accidentally drove the flat headed screw driver across a series of traces around the RAM banks cutting through traces while trying to release the AGP card ejector which most people do by finger and not screw driver.
I took a look at the board and its a deep trench with about 15 traces wiped out as well as the possibility of traces on the 2nd layer of the MB PCB.
I told him its time for a new computer and he said that he cant really afford one. So he shared this motherboard in an e-mail with me and while it probably works well with later socket 478 CPU's, I have concerns whether this CPU is too old for this board. All info online states Pentium 4 ( which appears to include all ).
I told him that if it does support the Pentium 4 2Ghz socket 478 CPU that I can give him a 1GB 667Mhz DDR2 RAM stick and an older PCIe Radeon x1550 video card with 256MB RAM and assist with the repair install required to bend his current Windows XP Home install around this new hardware.
I am thinking that he will just have to take a chance at $40+ shipping, but figured I'd check here first before he buys it. I tried to talk him out of this motherboard and even going with a barebone motherboard and CPU combo for $100, but he said he doesnt want to pay that much even though the performance gain of a modern single core over this yesterday 10 year old single core is a drastic performance gain. I then told him that if you want to go with this motherboard then how about we find you a Pentium D 3Ghz which this board should support and of which it acts like a dual-core due to the Hyperthreading and he is set on the cheapest fix available without performance in mind. Tried to explain to him that for around $60 he can fix this and have a far better running system with the RAM and Video Card I an giving away to him to help him out which are old but still good parts.
His prior build was:
MSI Socket 478 Motherboard
Pentium 4 2.0Ghz Socket 478
1GB DDR 266Mhz ( 2 x 512MB sticks )
XFX nVidia GeForce 6200 8x AGP 256MB RAM Video card
160GB IDE HDD & DVD/CD-RW combo drive
1.44MB Floppy Drive
New Build if you guys agree that a 2Ghz P4 will run in this with newer board than the CPU was intended for
Biostar Socket 478 Motherboard
Pentium 4 2.0Ghz Socket 478
1GB DDR2 667Mhz ( 1 x 1024MB PNY stick )
ATI Radeon x1550 16x PCIe 256MB DDR video card
160GB IDE HDD & DVD/CD-RW combo drive
1.44MB Floppy Drive
Kind of wish he wasn't so stuborn to stick with this old CPU, but it is what it is
Asking here for OK on this as for I have never mixed an old CPU like this with modern guts as this board appears to allow.