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What should I do? (need advice on mobo)

M

Musiclover4

Junior Member
A few days ago there was a power surge and my computer will not boot properly now. My old system consists of an
ECS K7s5a mobo w/ integrated lan
AMD 1.4 ghz cpu
256 MB pc2100 Crucial memory
Geforce2 MX
Cmedia 8738 soundcard
40 gig hdd and 2 30 gig hdd's
Lite On ltd163 DVD
32x lite on cdrw
Teac 40x cd rom
300w power supply

I had been looking at getting another stick of 256 mb of ram before and maybe a Geforce3ti 200 before my computer blew up. Right now my dad's work will pay half for any computer parts I get. I am thinking I am going to have to replace my mobo and see if that fixes things, so I might as well get something with a good upgrade path if I can for not much more money.

I will be going to school next year so I'd like something (mobo) with a good upgrade path so I wouldn't have to completely remake my computer while in school. I have been reading about the new AMD chips coming out but it sounds slow and I am in dire need of my pc (this laptop is driving me crazy). Please let me know what direction you think I should go in (kt333 or whatever else) and any specific help would also be appreciated. I am looking to be cheap unless I am going to get a substantially better upgrade path, because my computer was working pretty well before and I was pretty satisifed.
 
I would suggest that you buy your parts (at least temporarily) at a retail store that allows for returns to be made without a restocking fee... try the power supply then mobo, then processor, then RAM.
 
So you don't think there's any reason to try and upgrade, or do you just think that I should figure out the problem first?

I can upgrade pretty cheap right now if it will be beneficial and I have to replace my parts anyway. The only local place I can go that is reasonable is www.ditcorp.com
 
I could really use some help. I am also thinking about dumping two of the hdds and getting a really big hdd, or tryng the two 30s in a raid config for my live shn trading. I could really use some input since I haven't been paying any attention to pc hardware the last couple of months.
 
Have you considered purchasing a mainboard based on nVidia's nForce 420 chipset? For example, you can purchase the ABIT Model NV7m mainboard for $87.00 at www.newegg.com. This motherboard includes an integrated GeForce2 graphics processor, an integrated audio processor (a very good one too), and an integrated Ethernet port. That's great value, for the money, and by purchasing it, you've effectively replaced 3 or 4 possibly defective parts. This mainboard will support your AMD 1.4Ghz CPU, your Crucial PC2100 DDR SDRAM memory, and the other parts you've listed.

I have used this mainboard in the past and found it to be incredibly stable, and plenty fast. One thing - be sure to buy another 256MB stick of Crucial memory. This nVidia chipset uses something called TwinBank Architecture, which offers outstanding memory performance, but only if 2 sticks of memory are used.

Other affordable options: the SOLTEK SL-75DRV4 mainboard ($75) has a 2 year warranty and uses the affordable but fast VIA KT266A chipset, and the Gigabyte GA-7VRX mainboard ($87) uses the new VIA KT333 chipset, and features ATA-133, USB 2.0, and DDR-333 support. One advantage of these boards is that you don't need 2 sticks of memory to get their best performance.

In any event, good luck in building your new computer.
 
an Nforce motherboard is something I don't think I would really be interested in since I don't want the integrated graphics or sound; I have some network cards lying around if I need them too, but the integrated lan on my ECS k7s5a worked much easier;

I guess I just could use a quick run-down of the chipsets with regards to upgrade path, like if I should go with a kt333 or just get something cheap like another sis735 motherboard and eventually go to a kt400 or whatever else; there doesn't seem to be much price difference between a kt333 and 266a so I guess I am ruling out a kt266a;

the other important consideration is that I can basically get anything anywhere for 50% since my dad's work will pay for half of any computer purchase right now so other upgradeable parts are also under consideration like power supply, vid card, more memory, hdd, etc
 
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