Motherboard Died, Please help choose a replacement (E6750 Core 2 Duo, DDR2 RAM, etc)

[chef19]

I built a computer using this website over 2 years ago.

I had purchased the ASUS P5KC motherboard. Over time I started experiencing boot problems. I would power the machine on, the fans would start etc, but the computer wouldn't boot. I would turn the power on/off several times before getting the computer to boot.

The motherboard is finally dead.

Please help me choose a new one. I plan to use all the old components I already have because they are fine for my needs.

Here are my specs.

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 2.66 GHz 

Hard Drive: Western Digital 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 
RAM:
Crucial Ballistix 4GB DDR2 SDRAM

Video Card: eVGA GeForce 8600GT 256MB Video Card 

DVD RW: Lite-On 20x Double Layer DVD RW/CDRW

Power Supply: CORSAIR 520HX Power Supply 


Case: COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-WW

The motherboard doesn't have to be best in class, it just needs to be compatible and stable enough to last a few more years.

Thanks alot, I appreciate the help.

[chef19]

Ricky plz helpppppppppppppp

[RickyTick]

For the price, I think I would go this route. Your cpu is supported by this motherboard, and DDR2 800 memory is standard. It will look a little different from your P5KC, but you can figure it out easily.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131232

[chef19]

Thanks alot, I ordered the board. Seems like a good price and exactly what I need.

Is there something I should do differently when installing the board this time compared to building a brand new machine? At this point I obviously have a hard drive with an OS and all of my data files. All of my components are fine as well.

Is it as simple as taking the entire computer apart, putting it back together again and turning the power on? Is there anything that I need to do to make sure the mother board works prior to putting it all back together?

[RickyTick]

You shouldn't have any problems other than the Operating System. It may require a clean install of Windows. Usually you can contact Microsoft and explain that you had a motherboard failure and had to install a new one. They should give you a new Key Code, or allow you to install it again.

I pulled this directly from Microsoft's website.
"Generally, an end user can upgrade or replace all of the hardware components on a computer—except the motherboard—and still retain the license for the original Microsoft OEM operating system software. If the motherboard is upgraded or replaced for reasons other than a defect, then a new computer has been created. Microsoft OEM operating system software cannot be transferred to the new computer, and the license of new operating system software is required.

If the motherboard is replaced because it is defective, you do not need to acquire a new operating system license for the PC as long as the replacement motherboard is the same make/model or the same manufacturer's replacement/equivalent, as defined by the manufacturer's warranty."

[chef19]

Ok so somehow in the process of taking apart my machine in order to install the new motherboard, the RAM went bad and the Video card no longer works.

When I attempted the First Boot with the new motherboard, the fans and everything turned on, but no beep.

I played around with the RAM. Nothing.

Removed the Video Card, long intermittent beeps.

At this point I think the Video Card somehow no longer works after removing it and trying to reinstall it.

I insert a new Video Card and the system boots.

However, in the process of trying to get the system to boot, I needed to cycle through all 4 sticks of 1 GB RAM I had.

3 of them are now bad. The only way the machine boots is if I have the 1 good stick of RAM in. If I attempted to put a combination of any of the other 3 (1, 2, or all 3) the system beeps one long never ending beep which means the RAM is bad.

So now after installing the new motherboard, I will now have to buy a new video card and new RAM.

The only good thing is that I was able to install Win 7 64bit and the machine works fine. Well....with 1 GB of RAM and a Video Card that isn't mine.

Do hardware components commonly go bad and stop working after removing them and trying to reinstall them?

Thanks.

[RickyTick]

It's not common for components to fail during a re-installation. Something is setup wrong.
Go into the BIOS and make sure the voltage to the ram is set to 2.0 volts. Then try adding one stick of ram at a time to bring it to 4gb.

[zburns]

To Chef19: I do not like saying all the following but here is what might be your problem: If you are in a very cold dry climate right now with low humidity, these are the perfect conditions for easily generated static voltage on your body which can be transfered to your components. If you have been moving cards in and out of your case with the power cord still plugged in (very dangerous) but the computer turned off, your case has a direct ground connection. If you are wearing synthetic fabrics (and athletic shoes -- rubber soles) and sitting in an office chair covered in a polyester (synthetic) fabric, just the process of standing up will put a charge on your body. I am doing what I just said as I type this. If I stand up right now and walk three steps to my light switch and put a finger very close to the screw that holds the cover plate on, I will draw a noticeable 'electric arc' from the wall plate screw head (which is grounded) to my finger. (you can see in the dark, but in daylight it will feel like a mild needlepoint stick.)

Last week, I just leaned over (came off my chair just a little) and unplugged a USB cable from my front panel; without knowing, I touched the metal wrap around shield of the plug; instantly I heard a dull thump and my entire machine shut down; cause, unequivocally static discharge. Waited a few minutes, restarted, everything ok.

Static would be one thing that would explain the multiple loss of cards because you are handling them in a consistent way -- wrong way but a consistent way.

Note: My experience with static last week, as described above, would apply thruout the United States because our electrical code is uniform thruout all states. (Here I am referring to the cover plate screw on a room light switch. National Elec Code requires three wires go to all wall mounted devices, white, black and green. White is a neutral (for 110 volt circuits ), black is the "HOT WIRE" and green is ground. That green wire connects to the wall light switch to a piece of metal which has total contact with the metal that the exposed screw goes into. (Safety Note: In house wiring, plug in receptables and wall switches are nomally 110 vac; in this case the white wire is called a 'neutral'. But 220 vac circuits exist thruout your house also, such as electric stoves and air conditioners; on those plug in type receptacles, there may be a white wire (hopefully with colored tape on it) but that white wire is the second HOT wire (in addition to the black) (the colored tape means HOT wire just like the black). REGARDLESS, UNLESS you have experience messing with wall switches and receptacles, do not mess with any of them; you can do the wrong thing and be in serious instant "deadly" danger!