Swapping CPU to new motherboard

[klyph]

Here's the situation. I got my brother's old desktop which is a decent system but I wanted to upgrade it some. I got a steal on an NVDIA 7800 graphics card, so I bought it. Then I realized it was PCI express and my motherboard has AGP. I thought an easy fix would be to buy a motherboard with PCI express, and swap everything to the new board.
Well, when I tried to swap the CPU chip, I get stuck, the cpu is stuck to the heatsink and it will not come off. Also the sockets on the motherboards look WAY different. The old one has a grid of holes that the chip plugs into, but the new one has like a grid of little right angle tabs sticking up. When I hold my chip up to the new motherboard, the spacing of the rows is way off. This made no sense to me, since my computer supposedly had a Pentium4 processor and the new motherboard lists the P4 as a chip that it will support.
WTF?

klyph notes:

Can I reuse my CPU on a new motherboard once it's been stuck to the heatsink? Why doesn't it look like it will plug into the socket on the new board?

I've never done anything other than putting in new cards/ram so please help a n00b out.

 

[GSRCRXsi]

theres lots of different kinds of P4 chips. your specific chip may not be compatable with that specific motherboard. if the sockets are different, thats pretty much a dead set sign that they wont work together.

either:

A) get a new CPU
B) get a new MB
C) get a new vid card

 

[klyph]

dammit
how do i find a chip that will work with my new MB?
what are the different types of sockets so I can figure out whic one I need?

 

[klyph]

Here's the MB i bought
Newegg.com - ECS NFORCE 570 SLIT-A (V5.1) ATX Intel Motherboard - Retailhttp://www.avadirect.com/product_details_parts.asp?PRID=7902

I see the info on the type of socket. Guess mine is different.
Any suggestions on a new CPU?
I was thinking abuot this
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819116239

Anyone know of a better chip for a good price? (LGA 775 socket)

 

[endlesszeal]

P4's came in 2 flavors, socket 478 which are PGA meaning the pins are on the chip, not the motherboard. It also came in socket 775 which are LGA, the pins are located on the board, not the chip. So most likely ur chip is a socket 478 and ur board is socket 775.

Anyway, its normal for chips and heatsinks to get stuck together because long term use without removal and heating them makes them like each other more. Just make sure u have the tab lefted up (the little arm that holds it the cpu) and remove the heatsink. If the cpu comes out with the heatsink it should still be okay as long as the pins arent bent. Just need some force. U can try heating it a bit with a hair dryer to loosen the paste. Processors are rated for 60+ C so as long as its not burning hot to the touch, its okay.

U also have the issue of RAM. I hope you have DDR2 but most likely youll have DDR1. I think 1 has 3 slots and 2 has 2 slots.

Heres my suggestion. Ditch that P4 because itll hold back you video card. Instead go to Fry's to see if they have any combo deals going on. I got an AMD X2 3800 dual core + 1 GB of DDR2 RAM for $190.

 

[endlesszeal]

BTW, check your power supply rating. If its underpowered, you'll be in a world of hurt. BSOD FTW!

 

[klyph]

Thanks, I checked out fry's but their prices are like twice what newegg has the same stuff listed for. I'll check my RAM and power supply. I don't mind buyin new ram, since it's pretty cheap now.

 

[endlesszeal]

Contra Costa Times | Contra Costa Shopping - Computers & Electronics - Fry's Electronics

Dont go to fry's.com. Look at your local newspaper ads. They have weekly deals that renew on Friday's. It seems like this week its a Pentium D w/mobo for 120. Meeh, I would either get the Core 2 Duo or AMD X2 combo when they come around. AMD X2 is about 20% faster than Pentium D and Core 2 Duo is about 20% faster than X2.

 

[klyph]

No Fry's in Alaska bro.
I ordered the stuff from newegg. Cheapest I could find. Thanks Anyway.