MOBO replacement questions

[Shocker]

I'm pretty sure my mobo is intermittently dead, therefore I need some help replacing it.

1.) Recommendation for mobo (cpu is AMD64 3800+ x2)
It cannot be an ASUS, I have one now and it sucks
I just want a good reliable board, not planning on overclocking, I've done so before and the PC didn't like that so I reverted back to default settings in BIOS right away. I forget, do I need a socket 939?


2.) My ASUS board intermittently boots up, mostly it locks up somewhere during boot, even when it gets into Windows it locks up too. It sometimes gives a message of "chip fan speed fail". That's how I came to conclusion it was mobo, but what else could it be? RAM? video card?

3.) I've already saved my files on the HDD, so will I need to reformat the drive when I change the mobo?

 

[Elbatrop1]

1) If your current CPU and mobo are skt939, then you will need your new mobo to be skt939 as well. I have a Gigabyte K8N-SLI. I have found it to be reliable, easy to setup. Not good for overclocking, but you mentioned that that was not important. It is also inexpensive.

2) Skt939 Asus mobos are pretty notorious for their chipset fan dying. Generally it didn't cause overheating, but I suppose it is possible. Read my guide on random reboots as there is a lot of similarities in troubleshooting for this situation.

3) As a general rule, yes. You will have to format and reinstall Windows.

 

[Shocker]

If the board has just a chipset fan problem, then can I just replace the chipset fan with a better aftermarket one? Is the stock one removeble? I haven't taken a look at it yet, since I'm not the one who assembled my PC. I've read the newegg reviews and it seems a lot of mobos have the same problem.

Also when we're talking about the chipset fan, are we talking about the cpu fan? Or is there also a fan for the North/South Bridge. Isn't the cpu fan the heatsink w/ fan? Should that be what I replace first? I can't take a look at it right now since I'm at work.

 

[Elbatrop1]

Yes, there are replacements for the fan. You could also try RMAing the motherboard. Of course, you will be out a mobo while it gets repaired/replaced. If you replace the chipset fan, then the warranty on the motherboard becomes void.

Skt 939 no longer has a Northbridge or Southbridge. There is only "The Chipset." The chipset should be one of two things attached to your motherboard that has a fan. The CPU is the other.