Several years ago my brother gave me an emachines model T6420.It was a time for me when money was tight (since then I have 4 new custom desktops that I built) and my best custom system from Jan 2004 had less performance than this budget system (2006).The machine failed to work last year so all I could do is salvage data off of the hard drive.However I became fond of it (used it for several years) and especially some of the software (games) that I ran on that machine with a discrete graphics card add on card was better than my custom 2004 Pentium 4 system.Unfortunately I had purchased a few DRM titles which were useless if the machine died.
Here is what I did.Instead of buying a replacement motherboard which is close to an MSI MS-7207 model (slightly different chipset not much and slightly different IGP no much) I saw a motherboard that had a similar chipset with similar integrated graphics and the same exact built in network (NIC) card on the motherboard.However it was a newer Socket AM2+/AM2 motherboard rather than the Socket 939 one used on that emachines T6420.
emachines states that the chipset on the T6420 is slightly different (not much though) by their specs from the MS-7207.
The emachines T6420 has the same socket motherboard as other emachines models like the C6423,C6535,D6419,H6423,T6216,T6528,T6532 and T6538.Also since Gateway at that time acquired emachines they probably used the same motherboard in a couple of their models as well.
I already had a spare AM2 Athlon Le-1600 CPU which is only about a few percent more powerful than the Athlon 64 3400+ CPU used on that T6420.Also I had some spare 1 GB DDR2-800 RAM sticks (2 of them).
So here is the motherboard that I got (from newegg it was only $40).I dared to take the chance and resusitated that T6420 from the dead.Only thing I threw away was the dead emachines motherboard and the power supply.I saved all the other parts although I am not using the spare Athlon 64 3400+ CPU,CPU Heatsink and Fan and DDR-400 RAM from that machine.
Essentially I reused the case,optical drive,media reader,phone modem and 200 GB IDE Hard Drive (with Windows XP and software on it).In addition I reused my spare discrete graphics card and TV Tuner card but not initially (after it worked and was activated).
http://www.biostar-usa.com/app/en-us/mb/content.php?S_ID=370
This one is also similar (same chipset,IGP,network chip)
http://www.biostar-usa.com/app/en-us/mb/content.php?S_ID=387
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138111
Lucky me I got it for $40 and now it looks like it's out of stock although newegg's link doesn't as yet say it's a discontinued item.
Probably will be though manybe by next year.
Edit----Now its a discontinued item however Tiger Direct still carries this (probably not for long though)
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4433878&CatId=2323
Here is a replacement emachines motherboard
http://www.impactcomputers.com/mbem105551ms.html
or
http://www.cputopia.com/emachines-motherboard-cpu-t6420.html
I was somewhat worried about Windows Product Activation and if I had enough votes to pass it (yes I had to reactivate it after putting it together and had to do it with the phone modem card from that emachines T6420 I saved (glad that I put it in even though phone modems are pretty obsolete) also (the network card even though connected up to a DSL modem wouldn't do it (activate)).
Windows Product Activation details (This helped me although I was concerned that it wouldn't pass).
http://www.aumha.org/win5/a/wpa.php
I tried to keep the rebuild as original as the emachines was given to me using only the integrated graphics chip and 1 stick of 1 GB RAM.
Not sure if it would pass (WPA) originally if a higher end AMD CPU was used like the Athlon II X2's,X3's,X4's or Phenom II X2's,X3's or X4's.
Well It worked and Windows passed activation.Afterwards I added a discrete graphics card and the other 1 GB stick of RAM.
Later on I may dare try upgrading the CPU as well (I have a newer desktop that has a Athlon II X2 240 CPU in it so I may decide to upgrade that machine with either a AM3 Phenom II X3 740 or a AM2 Phenom II X4 940 BE and used the spare Athlon II X2 240 to replace the old Athlon Le-1600 in the rebuilt emachines T6420 with the alternative AM2+/AM2 motherboard.
Just wanted to let emachines owners know that if their old model failed that it is possible to use an alternative motherboard with a different newer socket and that it might be possible (haven't tried it yet) to upgrade the CPU to a newer more powerful type.
Also I replaced the power supply as well because I didn't trust that old one (nearly 5 years old) and the alternative motherboard required a newer type power supply.
Here is what I did.Instead of buying a replacement motherboard which is close to an MSI MS-7207 model (slightly different chipset not much and slightly different IGP no much) I saw a motherboard that had a similar chipset with similar integrated graphics and the same exact built in network (NIC) card on the motherboard.However it was a newer Socket AM2+/AM2 motherboard rather than the Socket 939 one used on that emachines T6420.
emachines states that the chipset on the T6420 is slightly different (not much though) by their specs from the MS-7207.
The emachines T6420 has the same socket motherboard as other emachines models like the C6423,C6535,D6419,H6423,T6216,T6528,T6532 and T6538.Also since Gateway at that time acquired emachines they probably used the same motherboard in a couple of their models as well.
I already had a spare AM2 Athlon Le-1600 CPU which is only about a few percent more powerful than the Athlon 64 3400+ CPU used on that T6420.Also I had some spare 1 GB DDR2-800 RAM sticks (2 of them).
So here is the motherboard that I got (from newegg it was only $40).I dared to take the chance and resusitated that T6420 from the dead.Only thing I threw away was the dead emachines motherboard and the power supply.I saved all the other parts although I am not using the spare Athlon 64 3400+ CPU,CPU Heatsink and Fan and DDR-400 RAM from that machine.
Essentially I reused the case,optical drive,media reader,phone modem and 200 GB IDE Hard Drive (with Windows XP and software on it).In addition I reused my spare discrete graphics card and TV Tuner card but not initially (after it worked and was activated).
http://www.biostar-usa.com/app/en-us/mb/content.php?S_ID=370
This one is also similar (same chipset,IGP,network chip)
http://www.biostar-usa.com/app/en-us/mb/content.php?S_ID=387
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138111
Lucky me I got it for $40 and now it looks like it's out of stock although newegg's link doesn't as yet say it's a discontinued item.
Probably will be though manybe by next year.
Edit----Now its a discontinued item however Tiger Direct still carries this (probably not for long though)
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4433878&CatId=2323
Here is a replacement emachines motherboard
http://www.impactcomputers.com/mbem105551ms.html
or
http://www.cputopia.com/emachines-motherboard-cpu-t6420.html
I was somewhat worried about Windows Product Activation and if I had enough votes to pass it (yes I had to reactivate it after putting it together and had to do it with the phone modem card from that emachines T6420 I saved (glad that I put it in even though phone modems are pretty obsolete) also (the network card even though connected up to a DSL modem wouldn't do it (activate)).
Windows Product Activation details (This helped me although I was concerned that it wouldn't pass).
http://www.aumha.org/win5/a/wpa.php
I tried to keep the rebuild as original as the emachines was given to me using only the integrated graphics chip and 1 stick of 1 GB RAM.
Not sure if it would pass (WPA) originally if a higher end AMD CPU was used like the Athlon II X2's,X3's,X4's or Phenom II X2's,X3's or X4's.
Well It worked and Windows passed activation.Afterwards I added a discrete graphics card and the other 1 GB stick of RAM.
Later on I may dare try upgrading the CPU as well (I have a newer desktop that has a Athlon II X2 240 CPU in it so I may decide to upgrade that machine with either a AM3 Phenom II X3 740 or a AM2 Phenom II X4 940 BE and used the spare Athlon II X2 240 to replace the old Athlon Le-1600 in the rebuilt emachines T6420 with the alternative AM2+/AM2 motherboard.
Just wanted to let emachines owners know that if their old model failed that it is possible to use an alternative motherboard with a different newer socket and that it might be possible (haven't tried it yet) to upgrade the CPU to a newer more powerful type.
Also I replaced the power supply as well because I didn't trust that old one (nearly 5 years old) and the alternative motherboard required a newer type power supply.