Fried Epox 8rda+ (and possibly chip), what's a good replacement that will use the same RAM and parts?

[Silly Burrito]

It appears that my Epox 8rda+ has gone to that motherboard heaven in the sky. It's been flaky for the last year or so, but it finally fried my RAM and who knows what with it. So, I'm replacing the RAM and Power Supply (Crucial 768MB and Antec 380) with replacements from both companies. I don't know if my CPU (Athlon 2100+) or video card (Radeon 8500) is fried, but just in case, I'd like to replace this motherboard with something comparable and a newer CPU. However, I just bought a Mini, so this is more of an emergency XP machine (plus it's for the wife's Sims fix) and I'd really like to spend around $100-$150 for the combo. Does anyone have suggestions for a comparible or better replacement? I have no desire to overclock at all.

What I need:
Ability to accept the same RAM and PSU
Onboard sound is ok.
Don't really need onboard graphics, but if it's better than Radeon 8500, ok.
USB2 and Firewire would be really great.
Built in Ethernet
AGP slot
A few PCI slots as well

Thanks for your help!

 

[imported_Kensai]

MSI K8MM-ILSR and a Sempron 2800+.

 

[Bonesdad]

It's possible that the 8rda+ might still be covered by warranty...you could get a replacement from EPoX. Capacitors are the most likely problem...mine died too...2 months before the 3 year warranty was up. I have a brand new 8rda+ with decent caps onboard. Worth a try...?

 

[Aenslead]

Yes, I agree. Any skt754 mobo with a cheap Sempron will do the job-

 

[DJMiX]

Originally posted by: Bonesdad
It's possible that the 8rda+ might still be covered by warranty...you could get a replacement from EPoX. Capacitors are the most likely problem...mine died too...2 months before the 3 year warranty was up. I have a brand new 8rda+ with decent caps onboard. Worth a try...?

looks like the caps cause the problem and burned the vrm near the memory and killed your memory..

had a FIC au11 do that

I BELIEVE YOUR CPU WILL BE FINE.

 

[Silly Burrito]

Is it a 3 year warranty? I thought it was one year. I bought it around early 2003.

 

[Bonesdad]

Well, I got mine in 2002...it was a 3 year warranty then...look it up on the EPOX website...

 

[WT]

Currently RMA'ingmy 8RDA with one bad cap by the RAM slots. I gave them the purchase date but they seem to think the 3 year warranty applies from when the board was manufactured. Either way, it was a $17 charge total to have it repaired. I'm awaiting the response to see if that is for ALL caps or only the bad one, as this appears to be a design flaw (either that, or everyone who has an 8RDA is o/c'ing the hell out of it).

I'm dropping a 45w mobile Barton 2500+ in it when I get it back, assuming the lower cpu voltage will prolong the board life. *shrug*

 

[gistech1978]

my 8rda had bad caps by the mosfets

i was pushing it pretty hard, but its not an isolated incident w/ that board.

 

[Bonesdad]

not isolated with almost any board from that time...there was a manufacturer selling caps with a bad recipe...lotsa mobo mfgs used them.

 

[imported_Kiwi]

Originally posted by: Bonesdad
It's possible that the 8rda+ might still be covered by warranty...you could get a replacement from EPoX. Capacitors are the most likely problem...mine died too...2 months before the 3 year warranty was up. I have a brand new 8rda+ with decent caps onboard. Worth a try...?

I used an 8RDA+ to assemble a PC for a grandkid, and it seemed to be running fine at first, except that some software I wanted to install wouldn't recognize that Dx9 had been installed on it, and a couple of other programs acted badly as well. THEN some symptoms seemed similar to a fluctuating power level, so I swapped psu's. The frequency of the recurring symptoms that looked like power problems was reduced, but not completely cured.

I'm sure Epox was among the companies that got taken in by the mislabelled low quality capacitor problem when these 8RDA's were still new, but I've looked at all of this MB's capacitors, and seen no bulges or leaks. Is such a visual sign a totally conclusive thing? If I don't SEE any problem, do I stop wondering? Is there a particular Rev Nr. to watch out for? Here's the punchline then: What symptoms do the capacitor failures display?


:frown:

 

[Zap]

Look for the next Fry's deal for socket 754 Sempron with a motherboard.

 

[imported_Kiwi]

Originally posted by: Zap
Look for the next Fry's deal for socket 754 Sempron with a motherboard.

I don't do business with Fry's. They have no local outlet, and their web site says they are picky about what you pay with (no checks). I also don't do business with Electronic Boutique. Same reason.

The majority of what I assembled into a PC for the kid was from my own on-hand stock from planned projects, never- finished projects, pulls for my own upgrades, etc. I had to buy a case, a display, and a mouse. My budget isn't that generous, and my own personal "bestest, fastest" anything is still an NF2 PC, an A7N8X, with a 400 MHz version of the XP 3000, because I could build one of those (relatively recently) without having to skip a lot of stuff I'd have to skimp on, like an outing to the local greasy spoon a couple of times a week, to make the next step up in PC power.

I've managed to find, bid on, and win, a newer Epox NF2 MB on eBay, an 8RDA-3i, at a cost I can more or less afford. It won't be here particularly soon, though. When it comes, I'll go over there, where both kid & PC are, and do a swap. I'm not sure it's the cure-all, or I'd not have tacked my comments into this thread.