Question Computer is dead. What now?

[AustyPosty]

So my computer will not turn on anymore. It’s 10 years old. I got a new PSU that didn’t fix the issue. I was thinking about just using this as an opportunity to get a new motherboard and upgraded CPU (I’m thinking i5 12400) and new gddr4 Ram and use everything else I already have such as the 980ti, cpu cooler, harddrives and case. I’m looking for a cost effective motherboard, don’t care if it has wifi, I want to stay under 300 bucks for a MB, the cpu and Ram. Main purpose is gaming and photoshopping.

 

[Tech Junky]

under 300 bucks for a MB,

pcpartpicker.com will let you build and check prices. If you look at the "used" options on Amazon for boards matching your needs you can find a steal.

I picked up an AMD board last August for $160 where everything else was at least $300 and typically closer to $500. Sure, I had to fight with it a bit and put it into submission but, it works flawlessly now. There had been some UEFI bugs that have since been ironed out that caused the returns and low prices on them.

Any particular reason for the 12400?

If you're rebuilding it's a good time to consider AMD with prices dropping and might as well take the leap on DDR5 at the same time instead of falling into the Intel money pit every 2 year cycle and using rehashed CPU tech as they several generations into the same processes since 12-14th are all the same.

 

[AustyPosty]

pcpartpicker.com will let you build and check prices. If you look at the "used" options on Amazon for boards matching your needs you can find a steal.

I picked up an AMD board last August for $160 where everything else was at least $300 and typically closer to $500. Sure, I had to fight with it a bit and put it into submission but, it works flawlessly now. There had been some UEFI bugs that have since been ironed out that caused the returns and low prices on them.

Any particular reason for the 12400?

If you're rebuilding it's a good time to consider AMD with prices dropping and might as well take the leap on DDR5 at the same time instead of falling into the Intel money pit every 2 year cycle and using rehashed CPU tech as they several generations into the same processes since 12-14th are all the same.

Gonna be honest I have no idea that for that decision other than price, just picked a random CPU on pc part picker and did basic research. I want something that can game at 1080p 60fps. I have no experience with AMD but am open to researching it. What AMD would you reccomend that won’t break the bank but accomplish 1080 60

 

[Tech Junky]

accomplish 1080

That' a low bar to hit. I went with the 7900X which is 12/24 coming from a 12700K 8/20.

The game side though is dependent mostly on your GPU though. I ended up picking up an A380 6GB GPU for the Plex processing I do as it cuts the time significantly using QSV which is an Intel thing. The A380 cut times to 1/8th and CPU load considerably to be very worthwhile.

The nice thing is you have a GPU already which will keep the costs down a bit. From the ground up my setup came to ~$900 but those prices are out of date even as about a month later the CPU dropped by $100+ and I'm sure the other stuff did as well.

However, there's a new AMD G series out that packs a punch for iGPU that's priced pretty well.

https://pcpartpicker.com/products/cpu/#sort=price&F=99

https://pcpartpicker.com/products/compare/bwxRsY,3hyH99,K4vD4D/ - these would be my choices

For the MOBO there's a few options but, it's more dependent on what kind of other features you might want.

I went with ASRock because they're a good value for the performance and less likely to gimp the slots when you add more cards to the mix.
https://pcpartpicker.com/products/motherboard/#sort=price&m=7&c=159

The PG Lightning is the one I grabbed for $160 on Amazon

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/jpYPHG - MOBO/CPU/RAM/cooler ~$667 but, if you hunt them down individually you can probably slash more off that. The CPU though is new so not much wiggle room there. There's some new CPUs launching though in the next couple of months but, can you wait it out or need something now? Always the quandary and the inconvenience of a dying setup always puts the pressure on making a decision on unplanned things.

 

[AustyPosty]

That' a low bar to hit. I went with the 7900X which is 12/24 coming from a 12700K 8/20.

The game side though is dependent mostly on your GPU though. I ended up picking up an A380 6GB GPU for the Plex processing I do as it cuts the time significantly using QSV which is an Intel thing. The A380 cut times to 1/8th and CPU load considerably to be very worthwhile.

The nice thing is you have a GPU already which will keep the costs down a bit. From the ground up my setup came to ~$900 but those prices are out of date even as about a month later the CPU dropped by $100+ and I'm sure the other stuff did as well.

However, there's a new AMD G series out that packs a punch for iGPU that's priced pretty well.

https://pcpartpicker.com/products/cpu/#sort=price&F=99

https://pcpartpicker.com/products/compare/bwxRsY,3hyH99,K4vD4D/ - these would be my choices

For the MOBO there's a few options but, it's more dependent on what kind of other features you might want.

I went with ASRock because they're a good value for the performance and less likely to gimp the slots when you add more cards to the mix.
https://pcpartpicker.com/products/motherboard/#sort=price&m=7&c=159

The PG Lightning is the one I grabbed for $160 on Amazon

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/jpYPHG - MOBO/CPU/RAM/cooler ~$667 but, if you hunt them down individually you can probably slash more off that. The CPU though is new so not much wiggle room there. There's some new CPUs launching though in the next couple of months but, can you wait it out or need something now? Always the quandary and the inconvenience of a dying setup always puts the pressure on making a decision on unplanned things.

Is there anything else to consider when getting a motherboard other than features and available ram slots? I found a few MOBOs for under 100 dollars, that are name brands like msi. Any reason they are so cheap?

 

[Tech Junky]

100 dollars

You get what you pay for unless it's discounted.

most boards have four slots.

Features are the devil in the details. The E boards have more options when it comes to bandwidth/lanes. B boards chop some of the lanes. How OEMs divide the lanes makes a difference when it comes to using all of the slots / drive sockets.

Think about the future you and what might be useful. 5-10 years of use is a long time and tech changes often. Any board though should provide a good foundation though. Narrow down your choices and do a deep dive into reviews from people that bought them.

 

[BoomerD]

Buying all parts new...you're not gonna get much for $300.

You can look here:

INLAND

Inland by Micro Center is your go-to store for computers, electronics, filaments, flash drives, and much more.

www.amazon.com

There are some decent CPU/Mobo bundles, but all are over $300 before you buy RAM.

if you're close to a MicroCenter B&M store, they have a couple of 3-in-1 deals that would work for you...and stay at or slightly above your budget:

https://www.microcenter.com/site/content/intel-bundle-and-save.aspx

 

[Tech Junky]

Amazing Bundle Deals | Micro Center

Shop bundle deals with featuring processors and more!

www.microcenter.com

Bundles are fine but, you get sucked into a specific inventory clearing class of board. They're also not the best discount either in some cases. Due diligence is always the best advice.

The problem with Intel though is that they're stuck until Arrow Lake in the same tech and the longevity of their MOBO options changes every 2 years because they keep changing the dimensions of the CPU or the pin count. For the added costs it's not worth it. Getting locked into maybe 1 upgrade path before needing to rebuild everything and get dinged for another MOBO ~$200+ just doesn't hold much value long term.

AMD is expected to use the same AM5 socket for a couple more years through 2026 even with a chipset upgrade this fall to X880/E for more options with Zen 5 being released. Even if they released AM6 there's still good potential for upgrades on the existing socket for many years to come. They're still releasing updates / refreshes for AM4 but, you're still hobbled to whatever tech came with the board you bought at that time. There's maybe the option of the board itself being refreshed by the makers.

 

[AustyPosty]

Any glaring issues with this MOBO? https://pcpartpicker.com/product/TZ...rs-micro-atx-lga1700-motherboard-b660m-pro-rs

Also looking at this https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BSB6MB15?tag=pcpapi-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1

 

[Tech Junky]

issues

Not really other than it's M-ATX which gives you less slots to use for cards. It's a B and not a Z which bumps the performance down a bit when it comes to the lanes and other features.

 

[lakedude]

Technically a new MB means a new computer as far as Windows is concerned and that could mean buying another copy of Windows. You might be able to call and get them to activate the new MB, worth a try anyhow.

I had good luck with Kinguin if you need a new license for cheap.

Are you sure the MB is the issue? Could be the switch on the case or your power outlet or power cord. I'd double check those tiny pin header front panel connections on your MB.

 

[In2Photos]

So my computer will not turn on anymore. It’s 10 years old. I got a new PSU that didn’t fix the issue. I was thinking about just using this as an opportunity to get a new motherboard and upgraded CPU (I’m thinking i5 12400) and new gddr4 Ram and use everything else I already have such as the 980ti, cpu cooler, harddrives and case. I’m looking for a cost effective motherboard, don’t care if it has wifi, I want to stay under 300 bucks for a MB, the cpu and Ram. Main purpose is gaming and photoshopping.

Did you decide Not to troubleshoot the problem with the suggestions in the other thread?

 

[AustyPosty]

Technically a new MB means a new computer as far as Windows is concerned and that could mean buying another copy of Windows. You might be able to call and get them to activate the new MB, worth a try anyhow.

I had good luck with Kinguin if you need a new license for cheap.

Are you sure the MB is the issue? Could be the switch on the case or your power outlet or power cord. I'd double check those tiny pin header front panel connections on your MB.

I double checked the power outlet being the problem by attempting to turn my pc on with several different outlets, I think the power button is fine, I was able to turn the pc on reliably for the past few weeks but just a week ago I’ve been getting blue screens of death every single time I use it practically. Then most recently i would hit the power button, it would turn on then shut off within like 3 seconds then get stuck in a loop of attempting to turn on then failing. Could this be the power buttons fault? I also did check the pins for the MOBO power switch plug, sure enough when I unplugged it they were slightly bent. I might have bent them trying to pull it out so that might not have been an issue until that point. I realigned them and still no start.

 

[AustyPosty]

Did you decide Not to troubleshoot the problem with the suggestions in the other thread?

I tried troubleshooting it from the suggestions you provided, it still won’t turn on even with a new PSU I have been pondering an upgrade for a while, so maybe I manifested this in a way, so I’m not really heart broken at the thought of a new MOBO, CPU and Ram. I mean I’m assuming my 980ti is still good. I don’t think that could be the issue of blue screens and not turning on, right?

 

[lakedude]

Sorry from your description i assumed you had a power issue but a blue screen indicates that you have power.

A blue screen is more of a software/hard drive/memory or communication issue.

You could reseat all your connections, cost you nothing.

You could download a small Linux live CD/USB like Puppy and see if Linux runs. If so the issue is your software or hard drive.

 

[AustyPosty]

Sorry from your description i assumed you had a power issue but a blue screen indicates that you have power.

A blue screen is more of a software/hard drive/memory or communication issue.

You could reseat all your connections, cost you nothing.

You could download a small Linux live CD/USB like Puppy and see if Linux runs. If so the issue is your software or hard drive.

I had blue screen issues, A few days of that, Then that lead to the PC not wanting to turn on anymore at all, even when getting a new PSU and plugging everything back in. So I had blue screen issues but now the pc won’t turn on anymore.

 

[lakedude]

So no power, no fans, no lights, no beep codes, nothing?

 

[Brainonska511]

Technically a new MB means a new computer as far as Windows is concerned and that could mean buying another copy of Windows. You might be able to call and get them to activate the new MB, worth a try anyhow.

I had good luck with Kinguin if you need a new license for cheap.

Are you sure the MB is the issue? Could be the switch on the case or your power outlet or power cord. I'd double check those tiny pin header front panel connections on your MB.

These days, if you don't want to use a gray market site, I'd recommend just buying a retail license for Windows vs an OEM. It's generally around the same price (maybe $10 more), but you don't have to worry about the issue of it being tied to a single system of you end up having to replace a board or something.

 

[manly]

Buying all parts new...you're not gonna get much for $300.

You can look here:

INLAND

Inland by Micro Center is your go-to store for computers, electronics, filaments, flash drives, and much more.

www.amazon.com

There are some decent CPU/Mobo bundles, but all are over $300 before you buy RAM.

if you're close to a MicroCenter B&M store, they have a couple of 3-in-1 deals that would work for you...and stay at or slightly above your budget:

https://www.microcenter.com/site/content/intel-bundle-and-save.aspx

Micro Center has the i5-12600KF bundle for $250. I didn't check what the MSI motherboard is like, but I assume it's more than acceptable.

Alternately I would try to score a Zen 3 barebones kit on the used market, but I'm not sure you'll save much by going that route. I don't think I've ever bought used components locally, which is supposedly where you can score the best deals.

 

[AustyPosty]

Since AMD cpus are going to use the same pin style for longer than the intel cpus. So I could potentially upgrade cpus in the future without getting a new MOBO Is this something that even really matters if I probably won’t upgrade for 8 years

I’m currently looking at the i5 12600k. Is this a good cpu for gaming? Has a good deal on new egg. Currently have the i7 4790k

 

[manly]

Since AMD cpus are going to use the same pin style for longer than the intel cpus. So I could potentially upgrade cpus in the future without getting a new MOBO Is this something that even really matters if I probably won’t upgrade for 8 years

You have competing interests here. I took your original post literally, meaning you want to spend a maximum of $300 and re-use everything possible. Although that's not much by modern standards, if you have a Micro Center in your area, that gets you a very capable i5-12600KF kit for $250 + tax. You don't have to hunt for the perfect unicorn deal or risk getting scammed by a trader.

Alternately you could consider an AM5 build for future considerations, but right now there's no way you can do that within budget. The calculus is a bit tricky because there are multiple layers here. First you want just 1080p gaming, but this is really title dependent. Are you an avid gamer who likes to play the newest titles with the most demanding specs? Let's say you want to play newer games as time goes by, so you invest now in an AM5 build. But in a couple years, you might be GPU limited so that's probably another $350 at that point.

Which is fine, but if you're sure that whatever CPU you pick today will last 8 years (because you don't go for newest, demanding titles), then planning to upgrade doesn't really add up. In 8 years, we might already be on "AM7" or who knows what platform makes sense at that time. Flexibility is great, but only the true enthusiasts still upgrade frequently. Moore's Law isn't quite dead but typical users have long ago crossed into territory of diminishing returns for brand new hardware.

It's pretty easy to fall into a rabbit hole of "it's only a few more bucks" for alternative B. So I'd come up with a real budget first, and then stick to that. If you keep trying to convince yourself to "go bigger," then revise the budget once but stick to it.

 

[BoomerD]

Never mind. Apparently I had a major brain fart.

 

[manly]

Sorry, but that's terrible advice. Why is he exceeding his STATED budget by 60% to get a Haswell system and a graphics card he doesn't need?
He also gets to enjoy having a mystery motherboard.
Gotta have that RGB for 20% more FPS.

 

[AustyPosty]

I’m currently seeing the i5 12600k for 170 on new egg. Paired with a 120 dollar motherboard and some cheaper ram, I’ll be at 360 I think without tax. I’m happy with it. Just wondering if the i5 12600k is regarded as a decent CPU or is outdated by this point? As I said I really haven’t been involved in PC parts for 10 years so I’m really struggling to figure out what’s good these days

 

[In2Photos]

I’m currently seeing the i5 12600k for 170 on new egg. Paired with a 120 dollar motherboard and some cheaper ram, I’ll be at 360 I think without tax. I’m happy with it. Just wondering if the i5 12600k is regarded as a decent CPU or is outdated by this point? As I said I really haven’t been involved in PC parts for 10 years so I’m really struggling to figure out what’s good these days

Well Intel is currently on 14th gen (14xxx) so the 12600K is 2 generations old at this point. It's still a decent CPU though. I would think it would age well, maybe not quite as well as your 4790 did depending on your use case for the next few years. What motherboard are you considering? And what CPU cooler? The stock Intel cooler isn't too good. So you might also need a $40 air cooler.