Curse

Rayea · Feb 07, 2006, 10:44 PM // 22:44

pci express is good, and theres reasonable priced ones, if you know where to look....

guess it depends on how much use and how good the vid card you have rignt now is.....
if you want ideas for other brands to look for, look at my bosses site (yeah, its uk, but the boards ect are available elsewhere ehhe)
www.computer-warehouse.net

assuming he still has all the stuff on it....*he been updateing lately lol*
would show you the asus we get that *dont* have pci-e slots and still have good old agp ones

Dex · Feb 07, 2006, 11:57 PM // 23:57

Those are Socket 754 boards. If you have an Athlon XP you might need a Socket A. You should make sure you know what CPU you have before you decide on a motherboard.

I'm guessing that your PSU killed your video card and your motherboard. CPUs tend to be harder to kill with power, so if you're lucky it might be ok. Your RAM might be damaged, too. Make sure you test it with Memtest86 after you get the system booting again. Try a new motherboard first before you bother buying another CPU. Once you get the system running again, run the Prime95 torture test and Memtest86 to test your system integrity before you decide you're in good shape.

BTW - Abit, Asus, MSI, EPoX, and Gigabyte are all tier-1 motherboard makers. However, Google up some reviews of the boards you're looking at before you buy, as even the best manufacturers have their duds.

The lesson here? Don't use cheap power supplies. The health of your entire system rests on it.

Alias_X · Feb 08, 2006, 12:39 AM // 00:39

yah, as someone said before, can't you RMA your parts?

Shantel Span · Feb 08, 2006, 01:46 AM // 01:46

I'm looking at getting the motherboard-and-cpu packages right now...i found a great motherboard that has more than what i need (for AMD 64) but then i'd need to get the processor, too. The package of the Biostar one i posted earlier is looking like a good deal, but...is Sempron a good processor?

Dex: Where would I get those tests?

Dex · Feb 08, 2006, 05:02 AM // 05:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shantel Span

I'm looking at getting the motherboard-and-cpu packages right now...i found a great motherboard that has more than what i need (for AMD 64) but then i'd need to get the processor, too. The package of the Biostar one i posted earlier is looking like a good deal, but...is Sempron a good processor?

Dex: Where would I get those tests?

A Sempron is a budget Athlon. It's at least a 64-bit Sempron, right?

Here's where you get Memtest86:

http://www.memtest86.com/

Download the compiled Win32 install files (makes a bootable floppy disk)

Here's where you get Prime95:

http://www.mersenne.org/

Go to the downloads section...this one is just run in Windows. Read the instructions as it's not terribly user-friendly.

Again, make SURE you Google up some reviews of the motherboard you're looking at before you buy it. The specs and brand name of the board don't tell you enough about the board's quality.

Kaguya · Feb 08, 2006, 06:36 AM // 06:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dex

Here's where you get Memtest86:

http://www.memtest86.com/

I'd recommend Memtest86+, it's still updated unlike the original.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dex

Here's where you get Prime95:

http://www.mersenne.org/

And for this, StressPrime 2004. SP2004 is Prime95, but with a much nicer & user friendly GUI.

Dex · Feb 08, 2006, 08:46 AM // 08:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kaguya

I'd recommend Memtest86+, it's still updated unlike the original.

And for this, StressPrime 2004. SP2004 is Prime95, but with a much nicer & user friendly GUI.

Bah. Just sniff it. If it smells bad, throw it out.

Seriously, though, the last version of Memtest86+ I used kept hanging on me...granted the RAM was bad, but I couldn't complete the tests. Could just have been a fluke.

Manic Smile · Feb 08, 2006, 08:54 AM // 08:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rayea

might be worth bighting the bullet and moving up to athlon64 in the socket 939 type...i did the same when my north and south briges blew my board, vid card and hdd..

however, since my gaming is lower end (ie, no fps or high end style mod games lol, just good old GW and Maple and AO) it should last me about 2-3 years....

AMD 2200 since 2001...lol

I recomend paying the extra price for anything that says Asus, only ever had a problem once that was due to shipping and they paid for the replacement and shipping both ways. 5 years of stable function for a MB and Vid Card seems respectable.

SaucE · Feb 08, 2006, 12:00 PM // 12:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kaguya

I'd recommend Memtest86+, it's still updated unlike the original.

And for this, StressPrime 2004. SP2004 is Prime95, but with a much nicer & user friendly GUI.

Agreed all the way. Great tools.