SATA controller died - need upgrade advice

[IdiotCow]

Ok, so I've been dealing with my MBs slowly dying ata controller since I bought my computer over 2 years ago.. (maybe more... I don't remember exactly - around when the 7800 gtx came out)

First my hard drives wouldn't always show up at boot. Then occasionally I'd get corrupted files, and now I cant even install an OS. My linux install now fails out with ATA errors and "input/output" errors during boot.

I've changed out 3 hard drives, swapped out a new GPU, pulled my other pci cards (linksys wireless and xFi), installed a new PSU (when I upgraded to my GTX 280), changed the ram (both sets have been tested return no errors on another box I have), and I have reseated every last thing enough times that I'm sure the pins are wearing down due to friction! j/k

So at this point I'm convinced that the motherboard - specifically the onboard ata controller - is frakked.

So heres the deal: I'm a starving college student. At best I'll be able to scrape together around $200 to MAYBE $250 to fix this problem. However, I want to get this machine up and running asap and the cheaper I can make it, the quicker I can order my parts.

What I have:
AMD 939 x2 4200+
ASUS A8N-SLi Premium
2GB DDR ram
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280

I'm happy with my computer's speed - it takes just about everything I throw at it. I used to play wow windowed with a dvd or video playing in the bottom corner. Sometimes I'll do some 3d rendering, and subsequently video encoding - so performance is a plus.

I'd LOVE to be able to replace my motherboard - as I believe this is going to be the cheapest option, but I know that at this point buying a 939 motherboard is somewhat pointless and I might as well upgrade.

So heres what I need:
Advice as to what I can get for a bit of an upgrade. I need MB/CPU/RAM to come in as cheap as possible, and net me performance at LEAST as good as what I had. I'd prefer something to bring my system closer to my GTX 280 - but whatever I get needs to be around $200.

 

[tiraides]

Here is one possible sub-$200 build:

$75 - Gigabyte GA-MA770-UD3 ($10 mail-in rebate)
$63 - Athlon X2 5050e (free shipping)
$40 - G.Skill 2x2GB DDR2 800 (free shipping)
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$178 - Subtotal (not including shipping, taxes, or rebates)

If you're able to spend a little bit more, however, you could pick up one of the tri-core or quad-core Phenoms.

 

[engiNURD]

The 7800GTX came out in 2005. You should have RMA'd the mobo while you had the chance (3yr warranty). Oh wellz.

Your cheapest/fastest solution is a PCI IDE Controller card for around $20:

$15 - SYBA SY-VIA-150 PCI SATA / IDE Combo Controller Card

I'd then suggest saving up for a real upgrade. If you'd rather rebuild now, with that limited budget, tiraides' suggestions are good.

 

[IdiotCow]

Your cheapest/fastest solution is a PCI IDE Controller card for around $20:

I thought about this, but I don't trust the motherboard at all at this point. Maybe it's just the controller, but I also have increased instability with my wireless card installed. So I would either want a new 939 MB (which are discontinued) or a new MB/CPU combo

With that said, and also noting that I am willing to overclock - is AMD the way to go? I heard that intel is the route to go for that. I can also get a better processor in the fall when I'll have more money - so getting the right socket and better MB/RAM is important.

Looking at reviews, it seems even without overclocking an E5200 is better overall compared to the X2 series? Would this overclock decently? Then later I could get a Core2Quad?

 

[engiNURD]

I thought about this, but I don't trust the motherboard at all at this point. Maybe it's just the controller, but I also have increased instability with my wireless card installed. So I would either want a new 939 MB (which are discontinued) or a new MB/CPU combo

With that said, and also noting that I am willing to overclock - is AMD the way to go? I heard that intel is the route to go for that. I can also get a better processor in the fall when I'll have more money - so getting the right socket and better MB/RAM is important.

Looking at reviews, it seems even without overclocking an E5200 is better overall compared to the X2 series? Would this overclock decently? Then later I could get a Core2Quad?

Yes, Core2's OC much better than X2's. Yes, the E5200 can reach 3.6Ghz and higher with good cooling. However, you'll probably pay more for an Intel board.

$85 - GIGABYTE GA-EP43-UD3L LGA 775 Intel P43
$70 - Intel Pentium E5200 Wolfdale 2.5GHz LGA 775 65W
$40 - G.Skill 4GB(2x2GB) 5-5-5-15 DDR2-800 F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ
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$195 + tax and shipping

... and you'll probably want this:
$40 - XIGMATEK Dark Knight-S1283V 120mm CPU HSF w/ backplate included