I find that the 4500's sold on ebay were actually misrepresented
4500S's. The 4500S had on-board graphics, but lacked an AGP slot and
had only two PCI slots. Actual 4500's seem to be going for much more
than $65.

Ben Myers wrote:
The 4500 board is supposed to be the same, but Dell may have used an early build
that supported only 400MHz FSB. If so, the Dell web site does not indicate
this. Any Dimension 4500 board should be capable of handling either 400 or
533MHz FSB, depending on the choice of CPU.

Unfortunately, I do not think that the 4500 BIOS will recognize the newer
Celeron D or Pentium D CPUs. For this one, you need the older Pentium 4 or
Celery processor identified by its processor clock speed, designed and
manufactured before Intel's marketing and PR folks decided to obfuscate true
processor speeds with their new naming conventions.

A refurb from a reputable eBay source is as good as anything. The computer is
worth barely more than $160 in pristine operating condition. Dell's price is
one paid by desperate corporate procurement departments and other ignorant
types... Ben Myers

On Mon, 21 Aug 2006 21:37:23 GMT, Matt wrote:


Thanks for your informative post, Ben.

The 4500 was offered with either 400Mhz or 533Mhz (front-side?) bus. Is
that just a property of the CPU? Is there just one 4500 motherboard
that works with both of those CPU frequencies?

Also, if my CPU is bad, can I just drop in a new Celeron such as

Intel Celeron D 315 Prescott 533MHz FSB Socket 478 Processor Model
BX80546RE2267C - Retail $39.49, free shipping
http://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/...82E16819112196

Dell wants over $160 for a new 4500 mobo taxed and shipped, but I am
seeing refurbs recently on ebay for $65.

Ben Myers wrote:

The only motherboard model guaranteed to install trouble free is another
Dimension 4500 motherboard. I ***THINK*** but I'm not perfectly certain that
the Dimension 4550 motherboard is close enough in its chipsets that it will not
cause Micro$oft WGA to belch, fart and throw up all over your system. The
Dimension 4600 motherboard has an Intel 865 chipset, which is different than the
Intel 845 family chipset in the 4500. To use a 4600 board would require some
chipset driver software installation and may have WGA issues, too. All use the
same chassis with the same connectors for front panel, audio, and cooling fan.

In addition to WGA issues, a non-Dell motherboard would be extremely difficult
to integrate into a Dell chassis because it has several proprietary connectors
to which proprietary Dell cables attach... Ben Myers

On Mon, 21 Aug 2006 04:35:07 GMT, Matt wrote:



Hi,

I find that, due to a lightning strike, my Dell Dimension 4500
motherboard and/or my CPU is bad. I bought the system nearly four years
ago, and the warranty is expired. I have the original XP install disk
that came with the system, and all the original drives, memory stick,
video card, case, PSU, etc., all of which seem to work.

If I buy a replacement motherboard and/or CPU from Dell or elsewhere,
can I legally use the original copy of Windows XP? Is it going to be a
nightmare getting past the WGA check so I can get updates?

Thanks for your help.