Faulty Motherboard

[a1]

Well I just found out today that my motherboard for my computer is faulty and defective. They suggested to me that I buy a new one. Won't it cause problems with the XP installation and the BIOS and all? I think that building a new machine is better than getting a new motherboard. I'll have to await word from my dad about this issue but I need to know what you all think about this matter.


Thanks

[Jared]

Bios is part of the motherboard, so you won't have an issue with bios when switching motherboards. XP will not TYPICALLY work without being reinstalled which is fairly easy and actually recommended when installing big hardware like a motherboard and/or processor.

As far as the motherboard vs upgrade debate I guess it would depend on the hardware you currently have and the money your dad or you are able to spend on the machine.

Remember if you get a new motherboard that it will have to be the same formfactor, it must accept the same type of processor, memory and the same type of hard drive.

I hope some of this information proves useful!

Once you determine which route you are going to take let us know, I'm sure there's enough of us around here to help find either a replacement motherboard and/or new CPU tower options

Cheers,

Jared

[NickN]

as long as the motherboard is an exact replacement and uses the same chipset.. same model and type, you do not need to reinstall. Swap the parts and fire up like nothing happend.

If its a new motherboard or an upgrade with a differnt chipset, your screwed.. Windows will not boot and you will have to start clean

hope you backed things up over time

[congo]

Well I just found out today that my motherboard for my computer is faulty and defective. They suggested to me that I buy a new one.
Thanks

I built a PC for a friend which is pretty much the same as the one in my spec below except it had an Abit mainboard, not an Asus one.

The friend phoned me recently and said his mainboard was screwed, he'd taken it to a local repairer and they had sold him a new $3000 PC to replace the one I built him.

He never called me before this to outline his troubles, but now, he offered the old parts to me, including a "great" video card which was also replaced by the one in his NEW quad cored Vista PC.

I went and picked up the old PC, hoping to make use of the video card I had installed into it.

Well, guess what?

The video card was screwed! Everything else was fine...... in fact, I am actually using his old mainboard, right now, typing away here.

You trust your repairer, that's obvious. I would question the technical details surrounding that diagnosis, if only to prove that other components are not at fault.

Motherboards do fail, but they are often mis-diagnosed, the PC is binned, and a lot of good hardware becomes landfill.

I put it to you that PC shops are in "business" to sell PC's. They could make $30-$100 perhaps replacing your mainboard, or, they can switch the power on and ..... "oops, the mainboard must be broken"..... and then sell you a new PC with a real profit outcome for them.

I'm not saying they are unscrupulous or lazy, that is something you need to determine yourself.

*Caveat Emptor

[a1]

Well the original board is harder to find as I don't think HP makes them anymore.

THe computer guys ran a full diagnostic on my machine before they concluded this. I don't think my Video card or Memory had much to do with this as they work seem to work fine. I'll go talk to the techs this Saturday and find specifics about the problem.

[congo]

Well the original board is harder to find as I don't think HP makes them anymore.

THe computer guys ran a full diagnostic on my machine before they concluded this. I don't think my Video card or Memory had much to do with this as they work seem to work fine. I'll go talk to the techs this Saturday and find specifics about the problem.

I've heard all this before, many times, it's standard stuff. I go collect the junk and build PC's from it, call it an extension of my hobby

[Ivan]

as long as the motherboard is an exact replacement and uses the same chipset.. same model and type, you do not need to reinstall. Swap the parts and fire up like nothing happend.

Do revision numbers count in that... i know that the A7V333 has 2 revisions that have different clock generators... V1.x cant do 400mhz on the memory bus while V2.x can.

Can you give any extra data about the board... pictures will help too

[a1]

No pictures or data. The machine is at the computer guys so i'll have more word when I get new info.

[NickN]

as long as the motherboard is an exact replacement and uses the same chipset.. same model and type, you do not need to reinstall. Swap the parts and fire up like nothing happend.

Do revision numbers count in that... i know that the A7V333 has 2 revisions that have different clock generators... V1.x cant do 400mhz on the memory bus while V2.x can.

Can you give any extra data about the board... pictures will help too

Negative.. as long as its the same chipset, its fine

The PLL has nothing to do with changes in the chipset register... its just a base clock the system uses