Help replacing Emachines T1840 MB?

[Madscientist64]

Howdy All,

I'm pretty savy with building ground up comps but this is my first time tackling a brand box. I have a friend's Emachines T1840 with a clearly cooked MB. Other than the stock MB which is overpriced and out of stock, what are my alternative? Can I go with any MicroATX board? I don't believe my friend uses the box for much more than standard web surfing and office apps. Budget is probably a higher priority. I'm not sure of the cause of the burnout, caps are cooked next to CPU.

Copied this off the website:

Intel® Celeron® Processor 1.80 GHz (w/128KB L2 cache & 400MHz FSB)
Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition
Intel® 845GL Chipset
128 MB DDR (PC2100)
40 GB HDD 1
40x12x40 Max. CD-RW Drive; 16x DVD Drive; 3.5" 1.44MB FDD
Intel® Extreme Graphics 3D (845GL shared)
AC '97 Audio
10/100Mbps built-in Ethernet
56K ITU v.92 ready Fax/Modem
Keyboard, Wheel Mouse, Stereo Speakers
6 USB 2.0 ports (2 on front), 1 Serial, 1 Parallel, 2 PS/2, Mic-In & Head Phone jack on front, Audio-In & Out, 3 PCI slots (2 available)
7.25"w x 14.125"h x 16"d
AOL 3 month membership included, click here for details

So my questions are:

Recommended MB?
Any chance of conflicts in an Emachines case?
Recommend replacing PS or any other components?

I understand NewEgg is about the best source for MB's but I'll take other suggestions.

Thanks for all your advice.

Eric.

 

[Harvey]

Please don't take this as hostile, but the best advice I can give you is to scrap it. Nothing in that machine is worth keeping, except the copy of XP Home, the mouse and the battery (and maybe the keyboard and speakers).

• The CPU is weak. If you live near a Fry's Electronics, you can buy a 2 GHz+ Sempron (not a Duron) and motherboard for around $70. Almost all of their combo specials include ECS motherboards. Wait for the ones with VIA or nVidia chipsets.
  
• The 40 GB HD is inadequate. You can get name brand 80 - 160 GB drives for under $50, and I've seen WD 120 GB ATA drives for $20 after rebates.
  
• 128 MB is NOT enough RAM, PC2100 is too slow, and the shared memory video wastes some of that.
  
• The power supply for that machine is only 250 watts. You can buy a decent case and 350 - 450 watt power supply for around $50 - $60.
  
• The T1840 is obviously not a gaming machine so you can get any decent nVidia or ATI based vid card for another $60 that will perform far better than the onboard video.

Bottom line, any money you would spend trying to upgrade the T1840 would be better spent building a new system, and your friend will have a much better machine.

 

[JimPhelpsMI]

Hi, I've never replaced an E-Machine MB with another, but have put an E-Machine MB into another standard ATX case. That one was an exact fit. There may be issues with front USB ports or the likes. our idea of a mini board is probably OK. Look real close at the old board it should be a standard ATX board. Luck, Jim

 

[Soccerman06]

Originally posted by: Harvey
Please don't take this as hostile, but the best advice I can give you is to scrap it. Nothing in that machine is worth keeping, except the copy of XP Home, the mouse and the battery (and maybe the keyboard and speakers).

• The CPU is weak. If you live near a Fry's Electronics, you can buy a 2 GHz+ Sempron (not a Duron) and motherboard for around $70. Almost all of their combo specials include ECS motherboards. Wait for the ones with VIA or nVidia chipsets.
  
• The 40 GB HD is inadequate. You can get name brand 80 - 160 GB drives for under $50, and I've seen WD 120 GB ATA drives for $20 after rebates.
  
• 128 MB is NOT enough RAM, PC2100 is too slow, and the shared memory video wastes some of that.
  
• The power supply for that machine is only 250 watts. You can buy a decent case and 350 - 450 watt power supply for around $50 - $60.
  
• The T1840 is obviously not a gaming machine so you can get any decent nVidia or ATI based vid card for another $60 that will perform far better than the onboard video.

Bottom line, any money you would spend trying to upgrade the T1840 would be better spent building a new system, and your friend will have a much better machine.

Are you stupid or what, hes not going to play games or anything more taxing than word and the internet. His system is plenty fast enough for simple apps.