Old MoBo = PCChips 810 New Board = ??

[Mark O'Brien]

I've heard nothing but bad things about PC Chips Mobos recently so I am looking to upgrade. This has also been spurred by a second suspected power supply failure in 5 months. I'd replaced my original crappy unkown brand 300W supply with an Antec 400W supply 5 months ago. I now suspect that Antec supply has died, is there any scenario where a Mobo could help the PSU on it's way to death? Just curious, I may post some PSU questions in the appropriate forum.

I digress:

I'm looking to change my motherboard, the components I've got are:

CPU 1.2GHz Athlon T-Bird 266 FSB
HD Maxtor 40GB 5400 RPM
CD-RW Lite-On CW-RW 12x20x8 (or whatever, I'm in work and this is off the top of my head, it writes at 12x)
DVD Can't remember, I purchased it on sale at CompUSA, it's 6x anyway
Video GeForce3 64MB
Sound Audigy Platinum

I'm scrapping my PC133 RAM and I am looking to got to maybe DDR333 PC2700 RAM.

Any suggestions for chipsets and MoBo's are appreciated.

THX

[BigBlue66]

MSI KT3 Ultra or Ultra2 (VIA KT333 chipset) or KT4 Ultra (KT400 chipset)

EDIT: If you do decide on one of the MSI boards, be sure to feed them quality name-brand RAM, such as original Samsung, Corsair, Mushkin or Crucial. Otherwise, they may not post. :eek:

[saphalline]

I second the motion for MSI's KT3 Ultra2. Great board with top-end features for a low price, performs on par with Asus boards.

I don't think I'd spend a dime, however, until you get that power supply problem fixed. Never heard of mobo's causing premature PS death but I could be wrong. Could also be dirty line power from the outlet, do you at least have a surge protector in place?

[ranchdog]

The KT3 Ultra 2 gets my vote also.

It will be compatable w/the new

2400-2600-2800 XP T-bred chips

if you decide to upgrade to those

in the future.

I wouldn't jump on the KT400 wagon

just yet. Word has it in Dark Circles

that VIA is disappointed with it and

the KT400A will be it's replacement

before long. VIA is scrambling trying to

to find an answer to the nVidia nForce chipset

that is due out.



RD.

[Budfred]

With 2 dead power supplies, I would start looking for a short in the system somewhere. Since the most likely place for a short would be between the mobo and the case, you are likely to fix it if you replace the mobo, but I would look carefully for other possible places for it anyway.

Budfred

[Mark O'Brien]

Thanks for the suggestion on the Mobo/chipset. I'll do my homework on that one and try and find a nice price for it, then probably go to a PC fair this weekend to compare.

As for the PSUs dying, there is a surge protector on the line. However, the possibility that something could be shorting the circuit kind of puts my mind at ease for upgrading my mobo and RAM. I figure since I'm going to purchase a new PSU I might as well pretend to solve the problem of killing PSUs at the same time.

[saphalline]

I'll do my homework on that one and try and find a nice price for it
$80-85 most places (max of $90), and that's a retail boxed one! AMD mobo's just get cheaper all the time. :D

[integral]

Check your case carefully, be sure the only contact it at the standoffs and the only standoffs in place are those that line up with mobo mounting holes. The mobo is designed to be grounded at the mounting holes ONLY any other contact could cause troubles. Dead PS wouuld be one possibility. Though since it took several months to die, I do not think a direct short is the problem. Its a tough one, and impossible to pin down in the forums.

another check would be to ensure that no mounting screw is making contact beyound the metalized mobo mounting ring.

Good luck

[Mark O'Brien]

Thanks integral, I was careful of that after the first power supply died. However, I'll be even more careful with the new mobo.

$80-$85? Maybe $90? I'll see what I can do. If it's any cheaper I'll post it. :)

This may be stupid as well, but I can find two related things to the PSUs dying.

1. Extreme weather change. The first one died going from Spring to Summer, in fact it was the first week that the ambient temp was 80+ °F. The second PSU died the first week when ambient temp fell below 60 °F

2. My wife was the last person to shutdown the machine. :D

Is the weather thing just a coincedence?

[ranchdog]

How does $65 bucks shipped sound?

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduct.asp?submit=manufactory&catalog=22&manufactory=1312&Type=Refurbish&sortby=14&order=1

I've had real good luck w/these units
from Newegg. Most of the time they will
arrive with everything a retail box unit
will contain.

Newegg is outstanding to deal with if an
RMA is needed.

MSI will have tested these.


RD.

EDIT: I need to learn how to spell. :eek:

[Budfred]

"Is the weather thing just a coincedence?"

Yes.

Budfred

[Mark O'Brien]

Thanks guys.

I purchased an MSI KT3-Ultra2 with RAID. $100. I got reamed slightly, but I was purchasing everything at a PC fair and I got some original Samsung 512Mb PC2700 RAM for $145. So the mobo got balanced out I think. I've put in a new Antec 400W smartpower and I've put in as many plastic risers as I could, I don't know if the case was shorting out the old system.

I appreciate all of your help and comments.

EDIT:: I got the KT3 w/RAID because they didn't have any non-RAID that wasn't the 6380-C with only two DIMM's. I could have got the KT4 for $5 more, but I didn't know the prices for that and I took heed of the warning about the KT400<b>A</b>. The only real advantage to the KT4-Ultra2 I could see was 8x AGP.