Need serious help with motherboard.

[Chan]

well, yesterday my epox (nearly 4 years old) decided it wanted to blow afew caps and stop working. So i need a new one.

Problem is i cant find a socket A motherboard anyway... not a damn glimpse of one. Normally i would take this opertunity to do a full upgrade but theres afew very important files on the harddrive i never got chance to back up before the sudden break down (so i cant do a reformat). I pretty much need a board suitable to run the stuff listed in my sig, just so i can get the comp running, do a backup, then i might see about doing some upgrading.

p.s - i was told that i should be able to swap out the motherboard without screwing up windows, that right? if changing the motherboard will make windows not run i might as well just do a full upgrade now.

p.p.s - Just wondered if theres a way to get files off a harddrive without booting from it? (like connecting it to a friends comp then can u access it??) never done it before so dont know these things...

James

[ajones]

Try Scan mate... according to the website, they've these in stock:

Asrock K7VT4A Pro VIA , S462 (A) , AGP 4x/8x , DDR PC3200 (400) , SATA I , SATA RAID , ATX

[jamena]

ebuyer had a few as well I think, and some retailers have a few floating around. dabs might do one or two.

[jamena]

p.p.s - Just wondered if theres a way to get files off a harddrive without booting from it? (like connecting it to a friends comp then can u access it??) never done it before so dont know these things...

connect your HDD to your friends pc on a spare IDE port (or as a slave device sharing a port with the cdrom or something) get them to boot up as normal, copy away. I've done this a few times. The only thing that might be troublesome is the my documents bit. If you use linux I think this is not a problem however and I'm sure there are ways around windows security in cases like this?

[BUFF]

I'm sure there are ways around windows security in cases like this?

would need to take ownership using permissions.

for a replacement board an nF2 board should be a straight swap.

[Chan]

Hey guys, just a quick reply.

Managed to find a Sockt A board in a old comp store in nottingham, so got my system back up and running (albiet it rather slow and sluggish). Managed to back up all my stuff too.

So crisis avoided!

Altho.. this system aint worth **** so im gonna do a serious overhaul... next few days ill start looking at new motherboards/graphic cards/processors. anyone got any recommendations? dont need to overclock or anythign.. just looking around 2.5-3ghz processor (AMD) a reliable and good board and a graphics card better than my 9500.

[Noni]

If your going for a nice simple approach then-

AMD 3200+ or X2 3800+

AsROCK Dual SATA 2

Use your old graphic card or get a 7600GT/7900GT.

You might want to upgrade your psu too!

[toolsong]

What's your budget?

How important is gaming?

Keep in mind you may also need to upgrade your PSU.

Much like my last upgrade, a socket 939 system will wipe the floor with your AXP

[nvening]

also you may possibly wish to wait for AM2

[johnny02004976]

i agree with Noni, the ASRock board with an AMD Venice 3200 would make a big improvement.

But again, whats the budget for the system??

[Chan]

My PSU is brand new as of.. about a month ago when i got my P180.

Its a Hiper 580W Type-R. So i dont think ill need to upgrade that anytime soon.

Gaming is very important. Budget is... well it'd be nice to bring it all home less than say 300 but i know the nice stuff aint cheap.

Oh and, just a quick question. I was using a Thermo BigT with my old board... and the only foam H thing they give you is now firmly attached to the back of my dead board... is there anywhere that sells them seperate? otherwise guess its a knife + patience job to remove it.

[toolsong]

For under £400 you can get a mobo, S939 Opteron (though it would be criminal not to overclock it), HSF and a 7900GT.

[Chan]

Thanks Noni for pointing me towards the 939 AMDs.

Thinking...

http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/produ...duct_uid=88107

Just browsing available boards now..

If i went with a Graphics card similar too

http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/produ...uct_uid=101494

Would i notice a big difference? Obviously would need a mobo that can support 12 lines.. but been looking around and most seem to go upto 16.

Can anyone recommend a board suitable for both those?

[Noni]

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...oductID=164955

If you want a 939 system-

ATI-

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...oductID=311464

NVIDIA-

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...oductID=230491

Or if you want a good value board that supports your old card until your ready to upgrade-

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...oductID=291356

Graphic card-

ATI-

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...oductID=314926


NVIDIA-

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...oductID=366200

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...oductID=368197

Good luck.

[Chan]

Thanks that Abit board looks like just what i was after. I'll decide on graphics card when i decide just how much i feel like blowing up in smoke.

[toolsong]

There is a good 17 card video comparison here
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/...1945652,00.asp