Upgrade to burnt out system

Supernaut

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New to this forum here and I'll make an effort to keep it brief.
The other day my generic optimax 450w power supply went up in flames. Sparks shot out the back like something from a movie. It was quite impressive. I figured, ok need new power supply, no problem. I picked up and installed a 500w Corsair unit that makes the old one look like it was built by 8 year olds at gun point.

I got it all in and rigged up with a smile on my face to find that... well not much of anything. The fans on the power supply, cpu, and video card run, an led lights up on the main bored but nothing else happens. I unplugged and plugged all components back in thinking I could have missed something and got the same result.

I'm guessing something beyond that old power supply fried, but I would like some advice to make a probable confirmation of this. I'm hoping maybe there is a reliable way to single out the problem. I tried to work out out logically. Fans run, led on main board gets power. Hard drive does absolutely nothing... but I might expect that if the CPU is gone. Also, the power swith on the front of the case will turn the unit on but you can not use that to turn everything off using the normal "hold in for x seconds." Lights on the front of the case do not light up, they're wired to main board. DVD burner does nothing, I can't even open the drawer with the button. I'm not sure if it requires some kind of data feed to make that happen or not. Also there is no signal at all going out to the monitor. Nothing looks physically damaged or burnt.

So I'm not a computer tech but not a complete novice either, I've swapped parts now and then and such. Unless someone has an explaination that I'm missing, I'm going to guess that the main board and/or CPU are shot. I suppose there could be more damage but I don't really know.

Now I am way out of the loop on computer hardware. I haven't really followed along since I bought my rig at the end of 2007. I know there is no point in dumping a ton of money into an old machine. However If I can get away with just a main board and Cpu for a few hundred bucks it might be worth it for a couple years service. I do a little gaming but I don't have to play the latest and greatest. I'm happy with what was late and great a few years ago considering what little gaming time I have, and time also spend on the xbox 360.

I'll just throw my existing specs.
Corsair CX500 Power Supply
Motherboard: ASUS M2A-VM HDMI
CPU: AMD 64 X2 Dual-Core (I think it was 3.3ghz)
Video Card: Geforce 9600 GSO
RAM: Kingston KVR667D2N5/1G (1gb X 2 sticks)
500GB hard drive.

I have questions about combatibility. I run Windows XP out of cheapness and stuborness. Does modern hardware have any issues running that?

My Geforce 9600 may be a bit antiquated but serves very well for my purposes, Beautifully running Silent Hunter 4 at the time of the great explosion. Could that card run into issues with newer hardware?

My RAM is probably pitiful. Is it worth using any longer or is an upgrade with that pretty well mandintory?

In better times I might say screw it and buy an all new computer. But its hurtin' times with shaky employment here. Unless I could have done something wrong causing the non running issue and my old machine is not screwed after all.
Advice is appreciated.
 
You call that brief? :lol:

Did you try resetting the BIOS?

I would say just get a new motherboard, CPU and RAM. Use what you can from the old system.

What is your budget? Are you an avid gamer?
 
You call that brief? :lol:

Did you try resetting the BIOS?

I would say just get a new motherboard, CPU and RAM. Use what you can from the old system.

What is your budget? Are you an avid gamer?



I can't even get an on screen image to look at the BIOS through either the video card connection or directly to the main board.
I play games sometimes but usually a few years old. Looking at prices I think I can get a quad core CPU and a main board for $300 give or take. I am most in the dark on the main board, unsure of what to look for in that regard. I would like something that is more geared toward gaming as it is the only taxing task the computer will ever have to do.
 
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