CPU + Motherboard upgrade for my Parents - < $200 - Request your help

[p1tin]

I assembled this combination about 3 years ago for my Parents( aged 60+) and they face an some or other intermittent issues with this.
So I want to give them a good quality PC which just does the job.

Country where the components will be purchased: India ( let this not stop you, provide your input, and I will check availablity of whatever you recommend. I have got fantastic help which worked for me, in past).

Current Config done in early 2010 for my Parents:

CPU: Socket AM3 AMD CPU d[onno exact model]
Mobo: ga-ma74gmt-s2
RAM: 4 GB Hynix RAM DDR3 1333
HDD : 500GB seagate 7200rpm ( warranty: just 2 more months remaining)
PSU: A local PSU ( Zerbronics ) they claim it to be 500W.

Purpose / Usage

*Run a small room / interior planning software which might need a little bit of powerful computation and graphics.
*Basic word, Excel, Internet browsing, downloading stuff,
* watching movies, series in MKV, Avi, 720p format without any stuttering, streaming content from net ( youtube) and classical music etc.
* Playing small games such as Angry Birds, bejeweled, Word puzzle
*The new build should be fast & Stable enough without any of the problems mentioned below for above operations for about 5 years minimum.


*I want to upgrade only the motherboard as I think the problem are due to that . However, if you guys suggest that I go for a very good quality cpu+mobo+RAM combo within $200 -$250 ( Rs,15000).
Mobo Quality which I expect: USB3, Solid state Capacitors, with Anti-Humidity coating, UEFI BIOS with added security features.
The mobo should be highly Durable. Could PSU be the culprit here??
let me know if PSU too needs to be changed.
* will be using windows 7 64 bit.

Current system has lot of issues as described below:

The problem faced so far are:

1. Random beep codes which forces them to unplug from wall power supply and reboot after sometime.
2. Sometimes, they have to remove the RAM and place it back again.
3. While they are playing a small game, angry birds , richochet, Dweep, chess etc the system just switches off and there is beep code.- may be driver or bad sector issue but it is not as I re-installed everything from scratch in an old IDE HDD ( as I gave 500GB sata for seagate warranty replacement) when I visited last month.

My parents are tired having to to do all these stuff with my support over phone and I too am tired of doing such t shooting.

I think the problem is due to the mobo . I got it serviced under warranty by gigabyte for 'no display' just within 6 months after which, now, lots of such issues are surfacing.
Also the hard disk is replaced under warranty very recently due to bad sectors. So Hard disk could not be the issue.

I request you suggest a good combination within $250(Rs.15000 max budget for CPU+Mobo+RAM.

Already considered this from mfenn's reply to my post 3 months ago & also from searching the posts here:

AMD A4-3300
or
AMD A4-5300
Mobo: MSI FM2-A55M-E33 --> if there is a much better model which would be anti-humidity, it would be better
RAM: Mostly wont be changing it Corsair DDR3 1333 4GB.

They live very close to a beach and I think the humidity and salty seabreeze might hamper the quality of a Mobo with anti-humidity or weather-proof.I saw a layer of salty deposit on the heatsink of the CPU , but not sure if could be due to weather

I request your help and input in resolving this and getting rock-solid mobo.

 

[crashtech]

It seems to me that if you want to correct the problem, you must first be certain exactly what the problem is. Equally as likely as a motherboard problem might be the off-brand power supply. If you don't have the ability to temporarily swap in a known-good PSU for troubleshooting purposes, replacement of the PSU with a quality brand-name unit might be the best first course of action. This will begin to eliminate the guesswork from the process.

Keep in mind that a bad PSU can and will damage other components in the system. If you connect new components to a bad PSU, they can be damaged.

 

[p1tin]

Yes, I too thought the same. Will Check by connecting another PSU ( my CM PSU 500W) next week when I get there. However, I request you provide some real good CPU+motherboard+PSU with $200(Rs.15000) which can be used.... provided I want to upgrade a good piece of equipment.

 

[crashtech]

At that price point, you'll want to reuse some parts, like the RAM especially, but you'll want to put the RAM into a known good machine and run memtest on it overnight to ensure it is good.

Then we need to know if you have a preference for AMD or Intel.

 

[p1tin]

I am AMD Fan and I think AMD would be better suited for video playback ( 720P) and running a small ( not like photoshop or high end software) interior design / room planning softwares. Also I find AMD has varied options in low-end-PC spectrum.
however, I have a spare Corsair 2GB 1333 lying around ( new) which I can use.
So to summarize: AMD is first preference however, I am open to Intel based system without compromising much on money & performance and Stability of the overall system.

Please note the part where I stated in my post that my parents live near a coastal area with high humidity & salty air.

 

[mfenn]

I agree with Crashtech. I think it's more likely that the PSU is going out than the motherboard. I'd replace it with a known-quality unit like a Corsair VS450.

 

[crashtech]

The big difference between Intel and AMD at your price point is with Intel, you get 2 very fast cores, and with AMD, you can get 4-8 slower ones, along with better video for lower-end 3D gaming. Given the usage scenario, which excludes 3D gaming, I tend to believe that a fast dual core would be more suitable, but let's see if there is more consensus moving forward.

Do you have any spare video cards that could be used? An FX series will give more CPU power for the buck, but doesn't have onboard video.

 

[vailr]

How reliable is the local electrical utility?
Although expensive, a UPS battery backup might be a good first step towards solving any power-related symptoms. Look for a UPS that's compatible with "Active PFC" power supplies that can provide "true sine wave". A majority of current UPS's are still the older design, which paired with an active PFC power supply will tend to wear out the batteries too quickly.

 

[p1tin]

The area where they reside , there is a 2 hour mandatory power cut till a new power plant comes to grid. So we have a good quality Invertor (sine Wave) which provides power back up. Still, I have a APC UPS ( Back-UPS 600) connecting the PC and wall socket...just to make sure there are no surges hitting the cpu.

Wall Socket -------------APC UPS------PC (casing+benq20"display+wifi router speakers)
(backed up
by Invertor)

So, for sure, I am going to change the PSU and check it. However, I am skeptical about the mobo as it had a history of giving 'no display' errors about a year ago.
If intel, pls let me know which CPU + mobo ( a rugged one, with anti-humidity coating).

I just want to prepared when I visit them ...with what to buy, in case it comes to buying a mobo. I do not want to start a thread after a week to get input from you all!

Thanks for all your help!

 

[vailr]

There's no such thing as a motherboard with "anti-humidity coating". For the climate conditions you describe, a special room that is humidity-controlled would be the best solution. Keeping out airborne sea salt and other pollutants would also require a computer case with washable air filters at every air entry point. A small fan kept running 24 hours/day & pointed at (or running inside) the computer case should be enough to avoid potential moisture related electrical shorts from happening.

 

[crashtech]

It's early to make a recommendation, but I'll throw out an a preliminary Intel selection:

Rosewill Capstone-450

Pentium G2130

MSI H61M-P31/W8

The Intel CPU has better single-threaded performance than any AMD CPU in that price range, which will give faster performance for the tasks listed, and is more power efficient, too. Using an 80+ Gold PSU will also save energy. These parts price out at about $210 USD.

 

[mfenn]

I think the current CPU and RAM are more than sufficient for the types of tasks that you're describing. If the motherboard does turn out to be going bad, I'd replace it with another AM3 board. For example, the ASUS M4A88T-M LE is RS. 4250

 

[VirtualLarry]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128584
I recommend this board and some lower-end IB CPU.

 

[p1tin]

There's no such thing as a motherboard with "anti-humidity coating".

When I see the specs of the mobo GA-B85M-D3H, I see a specific 'Humidity Protection' using a glass fabric PCB. http://www.gigabyte.us/products/product-page.aspx?pid=4567#sp
--> this is the reason I asked.
could this be just a marketing thing to just project something, without actual value, by Mobo manufacturers?
Update:

also, from https://semiaccurate.com/2012/05/17/gigabytes-new-b75-series-motherboards/

.....
So that&#8217;s the long story of what Gigabyte&#8217;s Ultra Durable 4 Classic feature set brings to the table. With that high-level overview in mind I took a particular interest in the new glass fabric weave that is part of these new motherboards and asked Gigabyte for some further explanation of this rather novel idea. They provided this explanation.

&#8220;We use a new fiber glass material that features a flat weave rather than circular weave design. The effect is that there are much smaller gaps between the fiber weaves. With a traditional circular design, when we milled holes into the board (for example mounting holes), the gaps between the fibers could be widened, leading to moisture travelling into the different PCB layers through these holes. This can actually short the board if the moisture hits a trace path. With the new design, the gaps between the fibers are smaller, so there is a reduced chance for water to get through. We actually did a lot of research on this for several years. We noticed that certain regions such as India, Vietnam, etc. were having higher than normal RMA rates due to boards shorting out. What these countries all had in common was very humid climates. Once we moved to the new design, our RMA rates dropped noticeably.&#8221;

I will go ahead check with my CM PSU for a day and will go for a new PSU alone or PSU+Mobo based on results.

Thanks all!!

 

[smitbret]

Just get a Corsair CX430W. They're 19.99 after rebate at NewEgg right now. Even at regular price, it's hard to beat for simple setups like this.

 

[sm625]

1. Do not buy an A4. Just dont do it.
2. If you really want to avoid anymore troubleshooting then you better get a new PSU also.

 

[VirtualLarry]

So that’s the long story of what Gigabyte’s Ultra Durable 4 Classic feature set brings to the table. With that high-level overview in mind I took a particular interest in the new glass fabric weave that is part of these new motherboards and asked Gigabyte for some further explanation of this rather novel idea. They provided this explanation.

That's why I suggested the board that I just did.

 

[mfenn]

When I see the specs of the mobo GA-B85M-D3H, I see a specific 'Humidity Protection' using a glass fabric PCB. http://www.gigabyte.us/products/product-page.aspx?pid=4567#sp
--> this is the reason I asked.
could this be just a marketing thing to just project something, without actual value, by Mobo manufacturers?

To be picky, that's not a coating, that's the substrate of the PCB itself.

 

[p1tin]

To be picky, that's not a coating, that's the substrate of the PCB itself.

okay. fine. however, i think it will be really useful feature to protect against humidity and give the board longevity

 

[p1tin]

Update:I will be heading out to shops in few hours, and so request your input asap

Seasonic PSU ??

I see a general trend in this/other Indian HW forums that Seasonic is recommended.
Is it true that seasonic PSU s are really better than Corsair or Antec or Coolermaster, ?
Should I get a Seasonic...?

Which Power supply to choose among these for the mentioned purpose?
VS450: http://www.flipkart.com/corsair-vs450-450-watt-psu/p/itmdbfa3kaffmum3
or

CX430 v2: http://www.flipkart.com/corsair-cmpsu-430cxv2uk-430-watts-psu/p/itmd5xz5qs9mhqmq

CX 430 is 7-8$ (Rs.500) more than vs450.

or

 

[crashtech]

Seasonics are generally very good. But by now you likely have made your choice.

 

[vailr]

I have a APC UPS ( Back-UPS 600) connecting the PC and wall socket

That model UPS is still the non-compatible older design. When used with an "active PFC" power supply, the batteries will need replacement within 2 years or so.
CyberPower CP850PFCLCD UPS 850VA / 510W PFC compatible Pure sine wave
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...tem=42-102-131

 

[p1tin]

Hi I just now went and bought this from a SP Road , Banglaore:
Seasonic S12 II Bronze 520Watts Power supply

Price: Rs.4000 inclusive of VAT. (Which is around $67). First he told Rs.4300 and just bargained a lil bit and got it for Rs.4k.

This is a good price coz..it is Rs.300 - 400 less than online stores + I have it with me now and not have to wait for 3-4 days if I order it online.

I went and asked the shop guy who to my surprise was tech savvy and he told better get a Seasonic for stability and very silent operation over days of continuous usage.

Now I will have to install and test the system.
If the mobo is also caput, then will go for an AM3 socket mobo as well.
Not planning to change processor.

also, I bought a Portronics Laptop work desk. I prefer sitting cross legged on the floor while I work. so bought this.
It is realy sturdy and of good quality wooden Plank with a 12 mm fan with 4 USB ports.

Pictures:






Thank you all , for your valuable input.!!

 

[crashtech]

Let us know how it goes!

 

[piasabird]

The funny thing is I have seen some tests and even new Intel Processors have a problem playing back at 720p compared to 1080p when using the integrated video on the CPU. 1080p PLAYBACK would just work better. It is the standard for TV's and that is probably what the hardware is being designed for. I wonder if a cheap video card or TV card would help.

On the power issue it is also highly possible that the power from the wall socket could be fluctuating. Sometimes using a UPS (Uninteruptible Power Supply) would help to stabilize the incoming power. We have places even in the USA where sometimes we get brown outs due to lack of sufficient power from the Electric Company.