Need cheap MB replacement advice

[tcteacher]

Hi all

I have a 6 year old machine that I think the MB is gone on. I replaced the power supply with an Asus 300 watt that I had here and it still is doing nothing. It has an ATX MB now so I am thinking that the connectors will fit. I am looking at NewEgg and the AMD cpu's but just wanted to post and see what advice I can get from here. This machine does nothing but web surfing, e-mail, and file storage on our home network. It has integrated graphics and sound now so I don't have either one of those to install.

It has a Asus A7N266 board and Athlon CPU in it now if that helps to know the Power Supply connectors.

It has 2 ide harddrives and a cd ide drive.

Thanks for your help.

James

 

[Proximon]

Sounds like you will be fine with something simple.

However, you'll also need to replace the memory.


Gigabyte Geforce 8200 MB (AM2+)
This will give you onboard graphics, Ethernet, and sound. It will also allow upgrading to a stronger processor should you decide you want to.

Athlon X2 5000
Very inexpensive, of course. Likely all you need.

2GB G. Skill memory 800 Mhz
This should cover your needs.

You need to understand that you cannot simply plug this into your hard drive. You will need to re-install your operating system.

 

[tcteacher]

Thanks Proximon

I looked at that board but the reviews worried me some. I have that chip in my basket now so that is a go. The memory is great too. Should the ratings on the board worry me?

I will install the OS again. It will be nice to have a clean system after all the years.

James

 

[Proximon]

Gigabyte is a good brand and user reviews on newegg don't hold a lot of weight... but those are especially bad aren't they?

I can recommend another board or two... but they will cost a bit more:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131331

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138130

 

[slomo4sho]

Proximon, you completely overlooked the 780G.

Consider the Foxconn A7GM-S bundled with AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+ Brisbane 2.7GHz

 

[Proximon]

That's a nice price for sure. I was trying to keep the possibility of an upgrade to the new Phenom IIs open for the future, and I wasn't sure the 790G could handle it.

 

[tcteacher]

Prox

I normally don't put a lot of faith in those reviews but when they are that bad I do take notice

Is there a reason to use the AMD board and chip because of power usage vs the Intel? The reason I ask is I just built a machine using this MB and was surprised to find it at this price. It was around $100 when I bought it the first time. I am not sure what CPU would be best but I think I can get one cheap enough to match the Foxxcon deal above.

MB at Newegg

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131288&Tpk=p5kpl-cm

How about this CPU ?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116063

One more question (sorry for all the questions) ..... Is the RAM that you listed ok if I decide to use the Foxcon board?

Thanks
James

 

[Proximon]

G31 is not considered a great choice for onboard graphics any more. Given the age of the chipset it might run into problems with newer CPUs.

The AMD chipsets such as the 790GX are just faster, and of course allow for those low end inexpensive AMD CPUs.

If I was going to propose an Intel build, it might be:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813186154
with
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116072

Did I forget this link? Fingers in too many pies:
http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=3432&p=1

 

[slomo4sho]

Well you could always go with a GIGABYTE GA-G31M-ES2L coupled with Intel Pentium E5200 Wolfdale 2.5GHz and add a MSI R4350-D512H for better graphics.

 

[tcteacher]

Prox

I think I will try the Foxconn build since I have never built with their boards and haven't built with AMD for some time. Will the RAM you suggested work with that board?

James

 

[Proximon]

This Mushkin 2GB kit is a bit safer bet, as it's 1.8V. The G.Skill is listed as "1.8 - 2.0V" which probably means 1.8V at the speeds you need, but just to be sure, use Mushkin.
Mushkin DDR2 800

 

[tcteacher]

Thanks Prox and Slomo for all your suggestions. I have never been disappointed in the responses on this board and this is no exception.

James