Updating my PC - need some help!?

Ok, i have a dell xps 700, and im putting in a EVGA nforce 780i SLI Socket 775 Motherboard, with a Intel Core 2 Quad Q6700 2.66Ghz Socket 775 CPU, and a Thermaltake V1 CPU Cooler for AMD and Intel CPU, plus OCZ SLI 4096MB PC6400 DDR2 800MHz (2x2048MB) RAM, and finally a BFG NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTX OC2 768MB PCIe Graphics card, with SLI. Im a newb to this, since this is my first update... Im leaving 250GB harddrive in my old pc plus others essentials...

Ive been doing some reading and ive read somewhere that i need to find the drivers on the net for all my new components and then transfer to a disk to load in when i come to install my hardware and boot up into the BIOS, if this is the case can anyone suggest a site where i can get them, just one will do since i will see how you've done it. Oh and another thing, i have a 750W power supply, however it came with my dell 2 years ago, do i need to replace it or will it be suffecient? Plus should i go for Vista or XP 64-bit? Thanks!!!Updating my PC - need some help!?
hi mate

before i start may i say you have some awesome components especially the geforce 8800gtx and the Intel Core 2 Quad Q6700

however lets get started,the processor needs no drivers,as support for this is from the motherboard and operating system,and the memory is the same,no drivers are needed for memory

the only driver update needed is for your geforce 8800gtx and this can be found at http://www.nvidia.com/object/winxp_175.1 GeForce Release 175 is the latest nvidia forceware drive update and was released on the June 23, 2008

remember when downloading updates do not use a download manager and when installing the driver remember to disable any anti-viris you have running ,this can affect the smooth installation of your drivers,however enable them straight away after the driver is installed

other drivers could include audio drivers,however by the look of it you have onboard so this isnt required

your 750watt psu should be more than enough for any system and should be fine

personally i would stay with windows xp for the moment,windows vista still has problems even after the service pack 1 update,and windows xp is a much better gaming platform ,so go for the windows xp 64bit,,

good luck mate !Updating my PC - need some help!?
Okay first of all.... I suggest you to go for 32 bit Vista if you are just going to use the computer for home purposes not for extensive multitasking tasks



Also, if you are upgrading. You just have to install the drivers after you install the OS. Since you have a new motherboard, you may want to edit the BIOS to your liking however if you do not know what you are doing leave it.
you will more than liikely have to replace the psu since dell used to use prorietary connectors. Connecting that dell psu to your new board will fry the board. All of the drivers that you will need should come with the new components. You will have to re-install the OS anyway (because of the new mobo) so if you notice that the hdd shows in the OS as smaller than 250gb...update it all of the way (especially SP2) and you will be able to use the rest. If you don't want to use xp, then vista will be fine. XP 64 is a good os, but there are some driver issues with that.
1) I would do a clean install of your operating system. You want nothing to do with ME2 (otherwise known as Vista) nor 64 bit os. There is not a lot of application support for 64 bit - it presents itself as a host of new problems. Stick with 32 bit XP.

2) Your motherboard will have a driver CD with it - no need to search the web. Also, you will have the drivers for the new video card.

3) That 750W power supply is more than sufficient to do the job.
dont move to vista, stay on XP forever
OK, I don't get the question re: XP 64-bit vs Vista, are you reformatting the existing drive or trying to keep your old data/operating system etc intact?



You are essentially building a new computer, not performing an upgrade. When changing that many components (motherboard, cpu, video card, RAM) then you're better off installing a clean copy the OS from scratch.



However if you're trying to continue running your existing OS and installed software apps, then you'd replace motherboard %26amp; CPU, boot from your original operating system CD and perform a repair install. Swap in the new video card later as a separate step, after everything else works.



Drivers for your new motherboard are on the CD which came with it. If you don't have that, download them from EVGA's site (search for the exact model# of your mobo)



With so many changes, be aware that your copy of Windows will need to re-activate with Microsoft.



Your existing 750w power supply is fine, no need to upgrade that unless you're running 2 video cards in SLI mode.



p.s. If you're starting with a clean slate, wiping everything and installing a new copy of the OS, may as well go with Vista 64-bit. Microsoft has delayed pulling the plug on XP but it's days are numbered. If you're buying an 8800GTX then you'll want DirectX 10 support when it eventually matters, and that means Vista. While XP 64-bit is the most stable platform currently, you may as well be future-proof. A year ago sticking with XP would be the call- not any more.
For best results, completely wipe your hard drive and do a CLEAN install of 32-bit XP. I wouldn't mess around with 64-bit XP or any version of Vista, it's a recipe for pain at present.



The only things you're likely to need drivers for are the motherboard chipset and graphics card. Let XP install its default drivers for everything else, then download the latest NVidia graphics and chipset drivers from the NVidia website; install chipset drivers first, then graphics. Don't install the drivers from the CDs that come with your hardware, as they're likely to be outdated versions.