My father turned off my computer over the weekend by holding in power rather than shutting down through Windows (ugh) and when I went to turn it back on when I got home, the computer refused to boot. He normally doesn't touch my computer, but he needed to turn off the breaker for the home electricity as he was working on some wiring in our garage. For all I know the problem is from either the method he shut it down or some other sort of power surge from when he would flip the electricity on and off to test whatever he was doing with our electrical. Regardless, hitting the power button does nothing and after I replaced the PSU today I still get nothing at all. For all I know the motherboard is fried, or even worse.
My dilemma is whether to replace the mobo or just replace the whole system. While I used to game on my PC years ago I haven't done too much of it since I graduated college, so a replacement system wouldn't need to be a fancy gaming rig. My current system is as follows:
E8400 processor
Gigabyte GA-P31-DS3L mobo
XFX 9600GT vid card
4GB DDR2 (2x2gb)
Corsair Builder Series CX5200 PSU (replaced Antec Earthwatts 500)
Antec Freezer 7 Pro
2 SATA hard drives
Lite-on DVD-RW
Coolermaster ATX case
While it may not be a solid gaming rig by today's standards, it definitely was snappy for what I seem to be using my computer now for, which is the web, video encoding, and using my computer as a home file/media server. I've been out of the loop for a few years now, so I'm not up to speed as to components might fit what I am looking for. Should I simply look for a replacement mobo or would I be better off replacing the mobo and CPU together? If so, any suggestions? I'm looking to at least keep the performance of my system above while not breaking the bank ($300-400?), and am not particular as to Intel vs AMD or Nvidia vs ATI. I'll be buying from the US, most likely from the FS/FT forums if I can save a few bucks, if not Newegg has always been my go-to. Finally I am perfectly fine with re-using components such as the drivers, and even the video card. Any input is appreciated!
My dilemma is whether to replace the mobo or just replace the whole system. While I used to game on my PC years ago I haven't done too much of it since I graduated college, so a replacement system wouldn't need to be a fancy gaming rig. My current system is as follows:
E8400 processor
Gigabyte GA-P31-DS3L mobo
XFX 9600GT vid card
4GB DDR2 (2x2gb)
Corsair Builder Series CX5200 PSU (replaced Antec Earthwatts 500)
Antec Freezer 7 Pro
2 SATA hard drives
Lite-on DVD-RW
Coolermaster ATX case
While it may not be a solid gaming rig by today's standards, it definitely was snappy for what I seem to be using my computer now for, which is the web, video encoding, and using my computer as a home file/media server. I've been out of the loop for a few years now, so I'm not up to speed as to components might fit what I am looking for. Should I simply look for a replacement mobo or would I be better off replacing the mobo and CPU together? If so, any suggestions? I'm looking to at least keep the performance of my system above while not breaking the bank ($300-400?), and am not particular as to Intel vs AMD or Nvidia vs ATI. I'll be buying from the US, most likely from the FS/FT forums if I can save a few bucks, if not Newegg has always been my go-to. Finally I am perfectly fine with re-using components such as the drivers, and even the video card. Any input is appreciated!
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