So.. my mobo died on me..recommendations?

[pandap]

so my mobo died while after attempting to update BIOS
if you are interested, http://forum-en.msi.com/index.php?topic=130684.0 is basically what happened to me
http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/guides-how-tos/914-10-step-no-post-bios-recovery-guide.html
tried all these methods up to step 9, still no go
As far as i can tell, it's dead to and out of warranty.

The problem is that they are very few mobos out there that are still compatible with LGA1156
I have explored a few options, what would you guys reccommend?

1. eBay, used parts route ~$110 with shipping and taxes included
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/ASUSTeK-COMPUTER-P7H55-M-LGA-1156-Motherboard-DHL-UPS-3-8DAYS-/261173771992?pt=Motherboards&hash=item3ccf2b7ed8
PROS: cheap (i'm tight on budget), seller seems to be reliable with a 99.5% positive rating, doesn't waste my current perfectly fine i5chip
CONS: used/refurbished stuff are generally bad and unreliable. Coming from a China seller doesn't help the case much

2. newEgg.ca (yes i'm from canada) ~$170 shipping and tax included
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138160
PROS: New mobo, still affordable,doesn't waste my current perfectly fine i5chip
CONS: I'm a noob when it comes to building my own PC, never heard of BioStar as a manufacturer, but upon some googling, heard they are not bad, also not what most people would reccommend as a mobo brand though.

3. Buy a new sets of CPU+mobo @ NCIX v1 ~$400 with tax included.
http://ncix.com/products/?sku=72062&vpn=3570K%20%26%20P8Z77-V%20LK&manufacture=Bundle%20Deals&promoid=1324
PROS: I can get this locally in retail store so no shipping. Probably best option in the long run. More Powerful
CONS: really expensive

4. Buy a new sets of CPU+mobo @ NCIX v2 $200 tax included
http://ncix.com/products/?sku=78393&vpn=i3%203220%26P8B75-M%20LE&manufacture=Bundle%20Deals&promoid=1324
PROS: again, saved shipping. Affordable, new CPU+mobo=better reliablity=more cost effective in long run
CONS: going from a i5 to an i3 seems like a downgrade to me? correct me if i'm wrong though, i do understand the i3 is much newer and could be more powerful

my budget is around $200, but it's fairly loose.. obviously cheaper the better, i'm very willing to go for the used part on eBay route if you guys think they are ok, but i'm also willing to take cost effectivness in the long run into account


System info:
CPU: first gen i5-750
mobo: MSI P55-CD53
video: Radeon HD 5750 (Some weird random colored pixelated issue, need to replace soon, confirmed it's the vid card itself problem, not drivers, problem is getting worse as time goes by but still tolerable for now)
RAM: OCZ 1066Hz 2x2GB (was planning to upgrade to 4x4GB)
PSU: Antec, some 700 or 750W PSU
HDD: 4SATA (3x2TB Hitachi, 1x1TB) 2 IDE (500MB WD IDE), yeah i do store a lot of junk

I was going to replace my vid card with a 7850 and upgrade my ram to 4x4GB.. but since my mobo died..mobo is now my first priority and those have to wait..vid card would probably delay until it completely fails, and ram upgrades are gonna be pushed very far down the road now

I'm not a hardcore gamer, no online games whatsoever, but does quite a bit of casual campaign/console type gaming like AC3/tomb raider
Other than that, PC is mainly used to watch all sorts of videos and movies, including high defs

 

[MaXimus421]

I would give the Biostar board a try first.

And an i3 is an older dual core. Keep rocking your i5. Nothing wrong with that chip. It's a quad core. Their great performers.

I see no point in throwing $400 at this as a solution. Your build is fine. Just replace the mobo.

 

[spawnkiller]

i would replace the mobo for a new as used computer part... well i don't trust that, almost always overclocked...

I'd pick the Biostar mobo, it'll be the best and easiest solution, like Maximus421 wrote, your I5 still kick a** so why would you change it ??

 

[pandap]

Actually I contacted MSI and they said the out of warranty repair would only have a $45 total cost. So I went with that option, which is not listed up there.

I originally thought out of warranty repairs are crazy expensive and not worth the trouble. but I'm glad that I'm wrong!