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<blockquote data-quote="chrisworkman" data-source="post: 402922" data-attributes="member: 88440">Hello all:This winter I built my first HTPC consisting of both new and used parts I had laying around. While the system isn't brand new/state of the art, it definately has performed flawlessly.My current specs are:Biostar P4M80-M4 motherboardP4 2.8ghz2GB PC3200 RAM (dual channel)multiple HD'sGeForce FX 5500PVR-250 Tuner cardHere's my dilemma.... A friend gave me a AMD Athlon 64 2.4 ghz CPU &amp; a Asus A8N-SLI Deluxe nForce4 Motherboard. Now the only thing I would change is the Mobo and the CPU. The memory, HDs, vid &amp; tuner cards would all stay the same.The &quot;new&quot; mobo specs are:<a href="http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=98&amp;type=expert&amp;pid=3" target="_blank">http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=98&amp;type=expert&amp;pid=3</a>My current mobo is:<a href="http://www.biostar-usa.com/mbdetails.asp?model=p4m80-m4" target="_blank">http://www.biostar-usa.com/mbdetails.asp?model=p4m80-m4</a>The specs on the mobo are much better than my current setup. My question is... Would swapping these out be worth the time? The extra SATA ports alone make me drool. But is it really worth it overall?If I replaced the mobo and CPU would I have to wipe the OS HD? Or could I just update the drivers, etc and leave it as it is. I don't want to risk corrupting my BTV/MediaPortal install.Thanks in advance.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="chrisworkman, post: 402922, member: 88440"] Hello all: This winter I built my first HTPC consisting of both new and used parts I had laying around. While the system isn't brand new/state of the art, it definately has performed flawlessly. My current specs are: Biostar P4M80-M4 motherboard P4 2.8ghz 2GB PC3200 RAM (dual channel) multiple HD's GeForce FX 5500 PVR-250 Tuner card Here's my dilemma.... A friend gave me a AMD Athlon 64 2.4 ghz CPU & a Asus A8N-SLI Deluxe nForce4 Motherboard. Now the only thing I would change is the Mobo and the CPU. The memory, HDs, vid & tuner cards would all stay the same. The "new" mobo specs are: [url]http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=98&type=expert&pid=3[/url] My current mobo is: [url]http://www.biostar-usa.com/mbdetails.asp?model=p4m80-m4[/url] The specs on the mobo are much better than my current setup. My question is... Would swapping these out be worth the time? The extra SATA ports alone make me drool. But is it really worth it overall? If I replaced the mobo and CPU would I have to wipe the OS HD? Or could I just update the drivers, etc and leave it as it is. I don't want to risk corrupting my BTV/MediaPortal install. Thanks in advance. [/QUOTE]

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