Hi,I recently upgraded my motherboard and CPU. I changed my motherboard from a Asus A8N-SLI to an Asus N3N78-EH. I changed my CPU from an AMD Athlon 4600+ to an AMD Athlon 6000+. The new motherboard also necessitated a change of RAM to DDR2 (from DDR). I kept 4GB of RAM however. Everything else is as before (graphics card, sound card, hard disk, etc)The problem is my new set-up is slower than my old one! I can only conclude that either I have set it up incorrectly or one of the new parts (CPU, Motherboard or RAM) is not working correctly. Can anyone offer an guidance on what I can do to track down and solve the problem?My old set up got a score of 8034 on 3dMark06 but my new upgraded version only got 5589 :-(.Device manager reports everything working fine so I am at a loss.thanks for any helpJon

Just a guess: you didn't reload Windows for this upgrade, did you?If not, try a repair install first. If that doesn't solve your performance problems, try reinstalling device drivers, including the chipset driver for your motherboard and your graphics card driver. If that still doesn't work, you'll need to reload Windows from scratch. Here are instructions on how to perform a repair install for Windows XP.Step 1: Boot from your XP CD by starting the system and inserting the disk in your primary optical drive and hitting a key when you see the message "press any key to boot from CD" BEFORE YOU GET TO WINDOWS. If the Windows loading splash screen appears (the screen with the Windows logo and the bar going from left to right) you will need to reboot and try again. If you do not see the "press any key to boot from CD" message you will need to check your BIOS' drive boot options. If you do not know how to access your BIOS you will need to refer to your motherboard/system manual. Note: skip the following step the first time you perform this procedure, only perform it if the Windows installer does not see your SATA HDStep 2: If you have a SATA hard drive and need to load a driver, select F6 (when the option is presented at the bottom of the screen). You will need a floppy disk with your motherboard's "F6 driver" on it (you can google for this or just check your motherboard manufacturer's website). Insert the floppy when prompted and select the appropriate driver using the arrow keys to highlight and the enter key to accept and continue. Step 3: Once all the installation files are done loading, agree to the terms of the EULA (hit F8).Step 4: If the Windows installer sees the hard drive you have Windows installed upon already, make sure it is highlighted (use the arrow keys) and then hit "R" to perform a repair install. If you do not see the "hit R to repair" option, the CD you are using does not support a repair install (usually due to a difference in the service pack already installed and the one on your CD) and you'll need to either reload Windows from scratch or try another XP CD. Hope this helps! If you need clarification or further information let me know.

Usually properly setting up new chipset drivers reinstalls all usual device drivers, and 2-3 reboots. That is under Vista. How XP reacts, don't know, never did it.Changed now from P5B to P5Q, fired up the puter, put the ASUS CD in, installed drivers and then all other hardware just started reinstalling automatically. It was a couple-of-minute mess, but when it rebooted 2 times, everything was stable.

Thanks - I will reinstall windows. My CD doesn't seem to support a repair install so it may have to be a full install.One question - The Windows CD I have is the Computer Manufacturer's CD - is that ok or will it re-install drivers for my old motherboard that came with the computer as part of the windows install?thanksJon

>Thanks - I will reinstall windows. My CD doesn't seem to>support a repair install so it may have to be a full install.>>One question - The Windows CD I have is the Computer>Manufacturer's CD - is that ok or will it re-install drivers>for my old motherboard that came with the computer as part of>the windows install?>>thanks>>JonUnfortunately, OEM CDs like the one you have become useless when you change the motherboard. Try updating your motherboard's chipset driver first. Then uninstall and reinstall your graphics card driver using the latest driver from either Nvidia or ATi's website (you didn't mention what card you're using).

Hi,I installed all the drivers from the CD that came with the new motherboard. I also updated my graphics card driver.Still no joy though - do you know of anything else I could try or another way of reinstalling windows?thanksJon

Wrong place.

Hi Jon.Yes, you Can use your OEM OS in another system without any problems, what the other guy is thinking about is a BIOS related OS like Dell, Gateway etc.I recommend that you look at your Video Display settings and make sure are comparing apples to apples, turn your AA AF etc to Off and try your 3D again, or use another Bench utility that can test CPU, Video, IO / HD separately. If your Device Manager shows no ?? !! you should be OK, just reinstall Video drivers, if anything. If you decide to install other drivers try to do it in Safe Mode. after you Remove your old Drivers, then start with the Chip set ... TV

>Hi Jon.>Yes, you Can use your OEM OS in another system without any>problems, what the other guy is thinking about is a BIOS>related OS like Dell, Gateway etc.Jon mentioned that his computer is a manufactured one, rather than custom. This implies the provided Windows disk will be proprietary in some fashion. This greatly reduces or even eliminates the chance of installing on unsupported hardware. >I recommend that you look at your Video Display settings and>make sure are comparing apples to apples, turn your AA AF etc>to Off and try your 3D again, or use another Bench utility>that can test CPU, Video, IO / HD separately. If your Device>Manager shows no ?? !! you should be OK, just reinstall Video>drivers, if anything. Default software presets are for application determination of filtering/sampling rates so unless Jon has changed these I doubt they are the cause of his problems.>If you decide to install other drivers>try to do it in Safe Mode. after you Remove your old Drivers,>then start with the Chip set ... TVInstall drivers in safe mode? I'm at a loss for words...

>Unfortunately, OEM CDs like the one you have become useless>when you change the motherboard. One of the things I hate about store bought computers. With custom builds his OEM CD would more than likely be just fine. He could call MS and try the "my mobo died" line and see if it works (it usually does with regards to custom builds). I don't think MS really cares when people reactivate, but it could be different for retail purchased computers.

Hi,Thanks both for your replies. I have emailed my computer manufacturer (Mesh Computers) to ask if it will be possible to use the CD for my new motherboard. If it is not possible is there anything I can do?No I've not changed any video display settings.thanksJon

>One of the things I hate about store bought computers. With>custom builds his OEM CD would more than likely be just fine.>He could call MS and try the "my mobo died" line and see if it>works (it usually does with regards to custom builds). I don't>think MS really cares when people reactivate, but it could be>different for retail purchased computers.Yes, activation is generally not an issue as you can call MS and speak to a support representative to override any activation lockout. One has to use common sense as to how to answer any questions asked, however. MS does state in their license agreement that major hardware changes disqualify a system from re-installation eligibility. Major hardware changes include the motherboard so one should think carefully how they answer this question, if asked.The problem is that OEM CDs often run checks against the system's hardware to verify that the system upon which it is being installed is eligible for installation. Meaning Dell Windows CDs only work on Dell computers and the same goes for every other major manufacturer out there. I've not heard of Mesh Computers so there is a chance they may have provided an un-customized installation disk which could work on any system.

Hi,The computer manufacturer said their CD contained just windows and would allow a re-install so I went for it.I re-installed windows. The installed deleted my old windows but I didn't format the C: first so still have all my files (should I have formatted first?). I then installed the new motherboard and graphics card drivers. However my computer is still slower than it was when I had the old motherboard and CPU. Is there anything I have done wrong or could the problem not have been windows at all?thanks again for any help/adviceJon

Hi, Jon.As I said before, it's more likely it's a driver / configuration issue than windows. I would look into the Display / Video configuration, your CPU / BIOS configuration, Memory etc. Did you try to run individual Bench marks, and or try to set your AA, AF to the lowest / most efficient settings, and run the Bench mark? If you have the right / proper video driver you should be able to install it in Safe mode, after you delete / set your video to VGA Mode. It sounds like Video, or BIOS / Chipset driver settings.Post your BIOS settings here if no luck. TV

Hi,Thanks for the reply. Sorry I'm afraid my computer knowledge isn't adavnced enough to follow you. Can you spell out what I need to do please.I haven't altered any AA, AF settings etc so don't think they would be the problem.How do I run individual benchmarks?thanks