Broke kinda?

[Superfly3176]

My parents have an emachines computer, and its works sometimes. Other times it starts and the fans go and what not but no image displays, ive tried and vga video card rather than onboard, but the computer still fails sometimes. I've swapped out the heatsink/fan due to the fan being broke, but the only other thing i can think of would be a power shortage.

 

[engiNURD]

Your mobo is probably dying due to a weak/bad quality PSU, a common issue with eMachines. I've repaired several of eMachines with this issue, and found it to be quite common when searching online. First, test it with another PSU. If it works, replace it with an FSP model (or some other comparable brand). If a new PSU doesnt fix it, you may need a new mobo. Run memtest overnight with the ram in another system if at all possible. I usually test the CPU and RAM in another machine to figure out if its the mobo. Most eMachines use ECS boards, which are probably the worst quality mobos out there, and cannot handle the power fluctuations from a weak/bad psu.

 

[J Macker]

Your mobo is probably dying due to a weak/bad quality PSU, a common issue with eMachines. I've repaired several of eMachines with this issue, and found it to be quite common when searching online. First, test it with another PSU. If it works, replace it with an FSP model (or some other comparable brand). If a new PSU doesnt fix it, you may need a new mobo. Run memtest overnight with the ram in another system if at all possible. I usually test the CPU and RAM in another machine to figure out if its the mobo. Most eMachines use ECS boards, which are probably the worst quality mobos out there, and cannot handle the power fluctuations from a weak/bad psu.

I would argue the point about ECS boards being the worst.
I've used a 2 different boards for friends quite a few years ago, and they still work great.
But, I didn't use a crappy psu in their builds, and had them purchase UPS'

But yes, I've seen the psu to be the cause of many problems in eMachines.

 

[engiNURD]

Well, you get what you pay for. All of the ECS boards I've dealt with have been from either an eMachine, or from Fry's (free w/ CPU).

So, let me rephrase my statement about ECS: Out of all the other brands I usually deal with, ECS is the worst. The other brands I usually deal with are: Asus, Abit, DFI, Gigabyte, Intel, MSI, and Supermicro. I may not deal with hardware as much as I used to, but I cant imagine ECS' quality increasing while still being bundled free with CPUs at Fry's. Even Fry's knows they're not the greatest quality. Oh wait... I forgot about SOYO... its been so long since I dealt with one of their boards... are they still around? If so, they're both tied for the worst, lol. Keep in mind, I've never dealt with Machspeed, PC Chips, or any of those other cheap brands, hehe. I've repaired about two dozen or so systems with ECS or SOYO boards, most of which needed new mobos.