Dying motherboard

  • Thread starter Thread starter Thip
  • Start date Start date
T

Thip

I can't afford a a new system at this point, so I'm looking for a mobo that
will support my DDR2 800. Question: Some of the manufacturers state the
boards supports 1066/800, etc., others state only 1066. In that case, if I
use 800, will it work or not? I'm reading all kinds of conflicting
information. It's confusing. TIA!!!
 
Grinder said:
Look to the manufacturer's manual. For example, here's a tidy little
gigabyte board:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128388
Click to expand...

I looked at that board but it only has 2 memory slots. Also, the one that's
dying is a Gigabyte. :-) I ordered a mobo from NewEgg after I read philo's
response, but I appreciate your response. I just want to keep this thing
going a bit longer; finances permitting, I should be able to build a new one
soon and hand this off to #1 Son.
 
kony said:
You have not mentioned the more important details of what
features you need.

For example, what CPU do you plan to use? Do you want, or
need, full sized ATX or mATX? Do you need integrated video
and if so what video outputs are required? Do you need any
particular # of PCI slots, any particular # of PCIe slots
with more than 1x capability?

What is the price range? Do you need overclocking features
or fancy heatsinks or solid capacitors making it more
tolerant of higher operating temperatures?

Any preference on who makes the chipset? I'd recommend
Intel, nVidia or AMD/ATI, but personally I prefer drivers
from the former two rather than the latter.

I wouldn't shy away from Gigabyte just because you had one
fail. They have a reasonably good reputation, certainly
better than average. Few brands come to mind that I would
consider better most of the time, Asus being one of them,
but even that could be a subject for debate since many have
had fewer problems with Gigabyte than Asus boards.

You didn't state the initial problem though, what leads you
to believe your board is dying, but not totally dead yet? I
don't mean to second guess your diagnosis but often if a
system starts acting flaky if there are no signs of failed
capacitors it is then more likely the PSU is the part that's
failing.

Ultimately the easiest way to find a board is on Newegg's
website, see the following page and pick "Intel
Motherboards" or "AMD Motherboards" on the left-hand side,
then on the next page use the "Power search"on the left-hand
side to take you to a page where you can pick the features
you need to see a list of appropriate boards.
Click to expand...

How could Thip tell that the board was dying?
Maybe he has
some bad connections to it or a power supply
problem. I
would disconnect everything from the board except the
bare essentials, then start back adding one by one.
 
kony said:
The problem with that is deciding when to tell you. ;)

I do have a modest server with a Intel board by Asus for
Compaq/OEM, i810 chipset that's 12 years old and has been
running 24/7 for at least 8 of those years.

Granted it's running off a pretty high quality PSU, on an
UPS, ample filtered airflow and when I first deployed it in
a server I preemptively replaced the capacitors in the
switching power supply subcircuits with upgraded capacitors
so it's not a fair comparison... yet today's boards often
use solid capacitors which may similarly help with
longevity.
Click to expand...

I have an i810 Gateway that was working fine when I packed it up last
year. It ran off a 90W Delta/Newton PSU, built with all Rubycon and
Nichicon capacitors, and I think the mobo also had only good caps,
including those solid polymers that are all the rave now.
Back then they used lead based solder though... I keep
waiting to hear if the industry finds that the lead-free
solder they use now ends up causing faults from tin
whiskers.
Click to expand...

How do you think Skynet and the robot rebellion started??? A tin
whisker shorted a couple of address lines and doomed all humans.
 
Back
Top