Suggested motherboard/cpu

[jhawkins]

I need some recommendations regarding motherboards, processors and suppliers. I have a tower that contains a 300 watt power supply and I'd like to replace my current motherboard and cpu. I have a problem with either the motherboard or the CPU. I started having problems 2 weeks ago with system hangs and now it will not even boot. I've got a couple of systems and have swapped everything; memory, disks, cables; and it still won't boot. I've replaced the battery and tried a PCI disk controller. The only thing left (I think) are the motherboard and CPU. It currently houses a K7VMM+ mobo and an AMD Athlon XP 2000+. I already have a 512mb SDRAM stick that I'd like to reuse along with an AGP video card. This system is primarily used for business apps and some photoshop work.

Questions:
1. Recommended Suppliers
2. Suggested mobo / processor combinations

Regards,
jhawkins

 

[Nubius]

Well 300w PSU really isn't enough. Most people will recommend a decent Socket 939 motherboard and CPU which totalled up will cost around $300 for those two items, possibly a little less.

But without a better PSU I wouldn't be surprised if you had the same problems.

I'd suggest looking into a 350-400w with stronger rails, mainly the +12v to ensure the CPU, fans, and other major components get plenty of power.

This is especially true if you've put the components into another computer and they work fine. You could always swap out the mobos to truly find out if that is your problem, but obviously that'd be somewhat of a pain in the butt.

MSI Neo2-Platinum

ABit AV8-3rd Eye

are both good Socket A boards, BUT many will argue that you should go the PCI-E route, but since you'd like to reuse your AGP video card and you're doing business apps there's really no need to.

AMD64 3200-3500+ should be adequate for your CPU needs.

 

[xteam02001]

a recommended supplier would be Newegg.com they have always come through for me. fast shipping and amazing prices. i have spent close to $900 there and it was worth every penny.