Jump to content

Welcome to Geeks to Go - Register now for FREE

Need help with your computer or device? Want to learn new tech skills? You're in the right place!
Geeks to Go is a friendly community of tech experts who can solve any problem you have. Just create a free account and post your question. Our volunteers will reply quickly and guide you through the steps. Don't let tech troubles stop you. Join Geeks to Go now and get the support you need!

How it Works Create Account
Photo

Looking to buy a new motheboard


  • Please log in to reply

#1
you_silly_mortals

you_silly_mortals

    Member

  • Member
  • PipPipPip
  • 284 posts
ATM I'm having a lot of stability errors. I know now that there isn't a problem with my Windows installation. I've tried running a stable Linux distro and that fails at benchmark/normal use too. Anyway, I am looking to replace the motherboard.

What I need is one that fits these criteria:
socket 939
atx
ddr400

I know that socket 939 isn't the easiest thing to find but if I can help it I don't want to go out and buy a whole new CPU.

If you guys can recommend any specific motherboards or post links that would be awesome. :)
  • 0

Advertisements


#2
Troy

Troy

    Tech Staff

  • Technician
  • 8,841 posts
Hi dude with the funny avatar! I think the poor little guy would have a headache by now...

http://www.newegg.co.......95&name=939

Plenty of options here, but unfortunately not very good reviews - and I don't really like any of those brands. Asus is alright if you can get a good one, but as you've found, they don't work half the time (I also have an Asus and I'm looking at upgrading soon...).

I would recommend upgrading if you can afford it, but unfortunately this means grabbing DDR2 RAM and an AM2 socket AMD processor.

Cheers :)
  • 0

#3
you_silly_mortals

you_silly_mortals

    Member

  • Topic Starter
  • Member
  • PipPipPip
  • 284 posts
Unfortunately not all of those mobos that are in that search will work for me, as half of them are microATX, and after that only two of them support dual core processors. I've also found a Foxconn board at tigerdirect.com. Can you tell me anything about this board?
  • 0

#4
Troy

Troy

    Tech Staff

  • Technician
  • 8,841 posts
Good to see you have been researching and are sticking with what you want! As far as I know, Foxconn is one of the cheaper-quality brands, but it might just do the trick for you. I am not too knowledgable on the different websites available, which is why I just suggest out of Newegg, but I can't find any other good picks on TigerDirect either...

Cheers :)

P.S. how do you find the GeIL RAM? I've been researching but it seems that there's not as much information about this brand. They just don't seem to be as popular, but I like the looks of them - warranty, specs...
  • 0

#5
you_silly_mortals

you_silly_mortals

    Member

  • Topic Starter
  • Member
  • PipPipPip
  • 284 posts
Truth be told, I can't say anything about the hardware I'm using right now. Mostly because this computer has never been fully stable.
  • 0

#6
Troy

Troy

    Tech Staff

  • Technician
  • 8,841 posts
Intersting... so what led you to the conclusion that it is the motherboard at fault?
  • 0

#7
you_silly_mortals

you_silly_mortals

    Member

  • Topic Starter
  • Member
  • PipPipPip
  • 284 posts
Its not really a conclusion per say. Its just that I've installed Windows XP Pro numerous times and exchanged every bit of hardware for a different one except the motherboard, (I once RMAed it for the exact same model). Throughout all of this I've never been really stable.
  • 0

#8
james_8970

james_8970

    Trusted Tech

  • Retired Staff
  • 5,084 posts
Can you give me a link to your RAM, or off by hand do you know what the voltages are for it? I'm not convinced your motherboard is to blame.
James
  • 0

#9
you_silly_mortals

you_silly_mortals

    Member

  • Topic Starter
  • Member
  • PipPipPip
  • 284 posts
If you really think you can fix my problem, I applaud your generosity. But people have tried, and failed.
To the best of my knowledge this is my ram. I'm not exactly sure because I bought it from newegg and they don't have the site for it anymore. I'll check the bios and see what the voltage setting is at right now.

Edited by you_silly_mortals, 07 October 2007 - 01:46 PM.

  • 0

#10
james_8970

james_8970

    Trusted Tech

  • Retired Staff
  • 5,084 posts
Thats one big thread you have got there. :)

You probably have 2.5V (unless you have changed it previously) in BIOS as thats standard for DDR. According to the site you provided (hopefully this is your exact RAM), it states that it operates stably between 2.55-2.65V. Firstly I would like you to up your RAM .1V and see if your computer is then stable, if this doesn't work add another .05V. So you'd be effectively raising the voltage a total of .15V which would bring the total to 2.65V.

Next, do the freezes occur when you put your computer under stress? Has this CPU ever been pre-used or overclocked?
James

Edited by james_8970, 06 October 2007 - 10:38 PM.

  • 0

Advertisements


#11
you_silly_mortals

you_silly_mortals

    Member

  • Topic Starter
  • Member
  • PipPipPip
  • 284 posts
Alright, my bios do not have manual voltage settings for the ram below 2.60 so thats what I set it to. Before that it was set to "auto".

BSODs and freezes always occur when the computer is being stressed, it's just a matter of how long it takes, (sometimes minutes, sometimes hours). Also occasionally I'll get freezes or BSODs when doing something trivial like watching a movie file. I should point out that at pretty much all times I have 2 instant message programs running and some other stuff, but these programs take up hardly any resources.

My CPU is brand new off of newegg and I don't overclock.

Also my current system isn't exactly whats in my sig. I'll have to update it.
  • 0

#12
james_8970

james_8970

    Trusted Tech

  • Retired Staff
  • 5,084 posts
Since your RAM is capable of running up to 2.65V I'd bump it up .05V and see what happens.
James
  • 0

#13
you_silly_mortals

you_silly_mortals

    Member

  • Topic Starter
  • Member
  • PipPipPip
  • 284 posts
Okay, first off I need to say that near the beginning of this thread I got a BSOD (Unrelated to me doing anything special). After the recovering boot up I noticed that all of my services were gone (internet connections, sound card, etc.) Not knowing how to fix this; windows couldn't even detect the devices anymore, I just decided to reinstall windows on a fresh format.

Now I've only gotten one BSOD and it was when I was trying to transfer a ~100 gig folder to a different drive. Otherwise its running pretty normal as I'm not going out of my way to stress it.
  • 0

#14
Troy

Troy

    Tech Staff

  • Technician
  • 8,841 posts
I know it might not be the quickest/easiest thing to do, but I would upgrade the motherboard, processor, RAM, and maybe even upgrade to Vista all in one hit. I really think that it's the motherboard, especially as you've replaced everything except for it. (Even though you've RMA'd it for another of the same - I've had two faulty motherboards in a row - I'm on my third ASUS motherboard, next one I buy is definitely not going to be ASUS).

The other thread is far too big, I'll read it some other time, but I'm assuming you have already:

1) Updated the BIOS
2) Confirmed that you have a legal copy of Windows XP and the CD you install it from is not a copy or scratched

Those are the only two things I can think of at present.
  • 0

#15
you_silly_mortals

you_silly_mortals

    Member

  • Topic Starter
  • Member
  • PipPipPip
  • 284 posts
I would love to just upgrade the mobo, ram, and CPU. But I have limited funds as I am a college student.

I really don't want to upgrade to vista because its still buggy and software still doesn't fully support it yet.

1) Updated the BIOS
2) Confirmed that you have a legal copy of Windows XP and the CD you install it from is not a copy or scratched

Yeah I've done those two things.
  • 0






Similar Topics

0 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users

As Featured On:

Microsoft Yahoo BBC MSN PC Magazine Washington Post HP