UPGRADING REPAIRING PCs

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Chapter 2—System Components and Configuration
these standard form factors, which will allow you the choice of
many vendors for a replacement. A replacement motherboard provides
you with these benefits:
• Access to faster, more advanced CPUs
• “Free” updated BIOS with support for large hard drives; Y2K;
and boot from LS-120, Zip, and CD-ROM drives
• Newer I/O features, such as USB ports, UDMA-66 hard disk
interfacing, and AGP video
Baby-AT Motherboard
Until mid-1996, this descendent of the original IBM/XT motherboard
was the dominant design. Even though limited numbers of
these motherboards are still available for use with both Pentiumclass
and Pentium II/III/Celeron processors, the lack of built-in ports
and cooling problems make this an obsolete design. If you are trying
to upgrade a system that uses this motherboard design, consider
purchasing a new ATX-style case, power supply, and motherboard.
In addition, you should consider moving the CPU, RAM, drives, and
cards from your existing system to the new box (see Figure 2.1).
13.04"
6.50"
.34"
.65"
.45"
3.75"
.40"
5.55"
8.35"
8.57"
Figure 2.1 Baby-AT motherboard form factor dimensions.
6.00"