Mobo help or build help

B

btx926

n00b
Joined
Apr 3, 2011
Messages
25
Hey all, so I built a box for my folks. It's is a
q6600
Gigabyte P35 mobo
4 GB ram (1x4 sticks)
WD Blue 500 GB HD.
Corsair 500 watt PSU
Elcheapo case
Radeon 5450

The machine has refused to boot for a while, and after exausting all options I decided it was the mainboard. I borrowed a similar mainboard from a friend (unused RMA refurb) and it is DOA as well. I tested the PSU on a different box and I tried different processors. I am not 100% sure it is the motherboard -- but I think it is a pretty good bet. So, I am trying to decide what to do about it. I don't see any motherboard for 775 that has four RAM slots out there -- most of the ones that exist at all are microatx P45 boards. This box is used for web browsing and office productivity, so it doesn't need much horsepower. Anyone have suggestions of a good replacement board if I assume the ram and CPU are OK?

My other option is to do CPU/RAM/MOBO for them. Everything else is fine. My hunch is for a sandybridge I3, but that may be more horsies than they need. I don't know enough about AMD to make an edumacated decision -- Anyone have advice on a replacement CPU/RAM/MOBO?

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc

web browsing, no gaming, minimal photo editing, no video, office productivity.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?

< 250, but the cheaper the better.

3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.

US, Colorado -- no microcenter nearby.

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.

CPU, Mobo, RAM

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.

Corsair HDX520 PSU, Hard Drive, DVD drive (although it is a PATA drive), case, Radeo 5450

6) Will you be overclocking?

Nope.

7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?

Unsure, far less than 1080p.

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?

immediately.

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video? etc.

On board audio.

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?

Win7 64.

Thanks for any advice here!
 
yeah, I know. I don't think it is though. I had two different processors in both boards and the same results. I hooked the PSU up to an older box and it worked. I also used my gaming machine's Antec PSU on the broken boards and that didn't help. I can't say for certain that both procs work, but it would seem more likely to have two bad mobos than two bad procs.
 
Funny story -- though I don't know whether or not it will help you in your case -- I had a problem with a case that was shorting out a motherboard I was using. I tried all of the known troubleshooting methods to no avail. As a last resort, I tried using those paper washers that came with the case -- to keep the motherboard from touching the metal case risers -- and those washers fixed my problem.

But again, I don't know if my story will help resolve your particular issues. But if you have $250, go ahead and get a new system.
 
Yeah, I tried to run both on a cardboard box to be sure it wasn't a shorting issue...checked for sticky power switch too.

Is Intel the right route to go here? This thing doesn't need a boatload of power...I just want something that works well that I'm not going to be driving over to fix all the time. A Q6600 was pretty awesome for that. Should I be looking at some lesser AMD stuff?
 
Right now, once you go over $100 on the processor, Intel wins out. Hell, the i3-2300 beats some of the AMD quad-cores in gaming benchmarks. You could go with AMD if you're trying to keep things super cheap, but with the Sandy Bridge setup, you have a current system with at least of couple of years' worth of upgrades available down the road.

Any Intel or AMD platform not called Sandy/Ivy Bridge or Bulldozer is pretty much obsolete at this point. The problem that you ran into searching for new Socket 775 boards is a consequence of having and supporting an obsolete platform. A switch to AMD, even for your parents' sake, would be swapping deck chairs on the Titanic in the long run.
 
Listen to Tiraides: He knows what he's talking about.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top