Computer Hope

Hardware => Hardware => Topic started by: Raptor on October 10, 2004, 03:16:14 AM

Title: Form Factors
Post by: Raptor on October 10, 2004, 03:16:14 AM
Judging from this (http://www.computerhope.com/help/mb.htm#04) article I understand that there are only two types of form factors: AT and ATX,



All these form factors are either for ATX or AT and will fit any ATX or AT board they are meant for, correct?

I am assuming I am right because of this:

Quote
AT / ATX DIFFERENCES

The following is some of the ways in determining if your motherboard is an AT motherboard or an ATX motherboard.


The article only compares AT and ATX.

So I were to buy a Full-AT the AT mainboard would fit in a Baby-AT as well. Am I right there?

Any advice would be very much obliged because I have no clue what kind of case to buy for an older mainboard (AT)
Title: Re: Form Factors
Post by: Computer_Commando on October 10, 2004, 03:35:19 PM
Quote
...So I were to buy a Full-AT the AT mainboard would fit in a Baby-AT as well. Am I right there?...


How old is this mainboard?  Full AT mainboards haven't been made in 15-20 years.  The specs are backwards compatible, not forwards compatible...i.e., you can't put older mainboards into newer cases, you might be able to put newer mainboards into older cases, if the mounting holes line up...no guarantee of that.  Slots might not line-up with chassis cutouts.
Title: Re: Form Factors
Post by: Raptor on October 10, 2004, 11:13:58 PM
It's a Soyo 5VA2 with a Pentium 75 processor..

I obtained 5 AT (Time) cases with Pentium 100-233MHz processors. Will that mainboard fit inside one of those cases?
Title: Re: Form Factors
Post by: dl65 on October 11, 2004, 01:44:06 AM
Raptor....Am I reading you correctly.....you have 5 cases,
with power supplies and You have a  Soyo 5VA2 with a Pentium 75 processor.. Do the slots in case line up correctly with the slots in the motherboard?
I couldnt find any relevant info on that board......if you have both the case and the motherboard ....try it and see if things line up ok .

cheers
dl65  ::)
Title: Re: Form Factors
Post by: Raptor on October 11, 2004, 07:39:24 AM
I have not yet received the motherboard. I couldn't find any information on it either. I guess it's far too old.

I was hoping for some general info regarding AT and ATX cases. I think I learnt all that I have to know after buying 5 of them, though.
Title: Re: Form Factors
Post by: Computer_Commando on October 11, 2004, 12:28:14 PM
Everything you have is from approximately the same time frame, 1994-1996.  Don't know what you're planning for this stuff, but take a look here:  http://www6.tomshardware.com/cpu/20030217/
Pentium 100 w/512MB RAM running WinXP!!!
Title: Re: Form Factors
Post by: Raptor on October 11, 2004, 12:33:24 PM
Refurbish, learn and sell.

How can you fit 512MB RAM on a Pentium 100 motherboard? As I understood, 64MB RAM is the maximum for most of these  older Pentium motherboards?
Title: Re: Form Factors
Post by: Computer_Commando on October 11, 2004, 05:23:59 PM
Quote
...How can you fit 512MB RAM on a Pentium 100 motherboard? As I understood, 64MB RAM is the maximum for most of these  older Pentium motherboards?


The largest RAM sticks at the time were 32MB (and cost $4/MB).  Win95 and Win98 show little performance improvement above 64MB.  Many older computers that specify a RAM limit will actually surpass the advertised limit.  I see 2 slots in the picture, probably two 256MB sticks.
Title: Re: Form Factors
Post by: Raptor on October 11, 2004, 11:18:14 PM
4 $ per MB?

Good thing computers became less expensive over the years.

I will look into these systems today, if I have any questions you'll see them appear on the forum. And questions I will have - never worked with such old systems.
Title: Re: Form Factors
Post by: Computer_Commando on October 12, 2004, 10:48:14 AM
Quote
...Good thing computers became less expensive over the years....


Not just computers...TV's, stereos, all electronics.  Never buy the newest gaget...wait a year or two and the price will be half what it was.