Dead Computer/ Surge protector no help/need new board

[Maryocon]

The other day the power went out and so did my computer. It was plugged into a surge protector but it was dead as a doornail once the electricity went back on. I figure it is the motherboard because I get nothing, not even a click. I can't imagine what else it could be. Any other idea would be appreciated. I have a K7s5a mobo and since it is only 5 months old I got an RNA number from ECS. The problem is the wait that it will take to get the computer up and running once I send the MOBO down to them. What I am thinking about doing is getting another mobo, maybe even upgrading my chip (1 gig duron), and keeping the k7s5a as a spare. Any ideas on a good stable mobo would be really helpful. I wasn't planning this so I have not had time to look into any other boards, chips, or deals. Please help...thanks

 

[mechBgon]

Could be the power supply too. If you have another ATX-based computer you want to test the PSU with, you could narrow it down that way.

At any rate, I've had good experiences with the Asus A7N266-VM and Windows2000 (haven't tried other OS's with it). It's a microATX board using the nForce 220D chipset, with onboard GeForce2MX-level 3D video, excellent onboard sound including Dolby 5.1 and an S/PDIF outlet, an onboard network jack, 3 PCI slots and an AGP Pro slot to allow for video & other upgrades. It takes AthlonXP CPUs that use the 200 or 266MHz bus speeds, up to AthlonXP 2600+ (with the latest BIOS). It won't support AthlonXP's that use the 333MHz bus, however. 3-year warranty, huge fanless heatsink on the motherboard's northbridge (no buzzy little fans to fail), and good driver support from nVidia. The board is in the $70-75 area. It'll even take the very large Alpha PAL8045 heatsink that bolts through the motherboard

Or get another K7S5A if it suits your needs... still a little cheaper.

 

[Maryocon]

I would be very upset if it is the power supply. It is an emerex and I paid over $50 to get a good power supply, it is also only 5 months old.
The mobo you mention sounds good. A Three year warrenty really appeals to me. I do have a good video card so I would not need that feature. I will check it out further. Thanks for the advice.