# Pc blew up ,need suggestion on parts



## Blackwing (Apr 12, 2008)

Hai guize.

So most of this fail pc from 2007 is unusable now as the motherboard found it funny to jihad on me, taking with it my 9800 GT :-\.
That eliminates a major problem however. I wanted to stick to intel for an eventual upgrade so I could migrate the card over and save money.

Now though I checked some ATI\AMD products and holy crap the prices are gorgeous. Mind you I still hate their drivers >.>

ANYWAy.

I don't have a definite price range, my friend will be the one hopefully sending some $$$ to replace the parts but I'd rather not build a nuclear power plant . I do have shame and pride you know.

That said...

I'm looking for either an intel or AMD based setup that is the most price-effective while [hopefully] meeting some criteria.
I don't need links or prices, your country is not my country .
All I need are item names so I can find the cheapest price here, add it up and see which of the 2 systems will come out ontop.

Criteria to meet :

-Must be Quad Core. I'm a gamer and dual cores are a laughingstock recently. Highly inept, hence it should be a dual core [but not a hexa or higher, obviously, I don't require it].

-The motherboard must support DDR 3 RAM. The reason for this is DDR 3 ram is, for some reason, cheaper where I live than DDR 2 RAM. 

-I do not want or need SLI cards, so any Radeon X2 solutions are automatically null. [reason being I want my ability to game back, not game on max AA giga-resolution mega-filtering etc etc]


Using these simple criteria, I will take names, check setup performance across my trusted websites \ friends and then look at the price. I may not pick the most optimum one as the favor is towards cheapness here, but as long as it works, I could care less ;-P.

For the record , my friend suggested a motherboard that only does DDR 2 but could house a pretty good setup otherwise.

Suggested by my friend : 

Asus SOCKET AM 3 motherboard [DDR 2 only, bad]
AMD PHENOM II X4 945
Radeon 4870 X2 [do not need and also for some reason I can't find a lot of 4XXX series cards]

That would mesh well with 4 gig Kingston DDR 3 that's about 23-35 euros.
I'm also looking for a harddrive for the simple reason that it clicks a lot and it's old. How old? ATA old. 1 TB WD for just under 50 euros somewhere, possibly 40.
Now, -because- I didn't see a 4XXX series radeon for comparison, I checked the 5XXX series and found 2 cards for a fair price that are both "Great" performance givers.

Sapphire Ultimate HD 5670 1GB DDR5 PCIe [85€] VS Sapphire Radeon HD5750 Vapor-X 1GB GDDR5 [98€].

All in all his recommended setup meshing with my idea would be , according to XE - The World's Favorite Currency and Foreign Exchange Site 's rates, 296 euros. That seems like a very friendly price to look at when you consider I'm practically getting a new pc!

AT this point I'd even be happy if you suggested a motherboard that was affordable and supported both AMD PHENOM II X4 and DDR 3 memory.

But hey like I said if you have better\cheaper, let the ideas roll! 

Thanks.


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## gcavan (Aug 13, 2009)

Take a look at our example builds. There are several builds at varying price points; AMD and Intel. They include links to newegg.com and are priced in US dollars, but the product name and description is there also. If you are not able to find a specific item at your preferred merchant, post back and we can suggest alternatives.

http://www.techsupportforum.com/for...evised-2011-and-updated-regularly-448272.html


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## Blackwing (Apr 12, 2008)

Update !

Looks like I'll settle for a DDR 2 motherboard with more expensive memory and instead of a DDR3 version of the 5670 I'll get one that's 22-28 euros cheaper [DDR 3 RAM].

Edit : ah, I didn't see your reply there!
Thank you for the advice, Gcavan. I'll do just that =3

Edit 2 : I did check, thanks. But your suggested setup has a stupidly expensive video card. It -starts- at 180 euros on a site that collects the local merchants prices and suggests the cheapest. I had a 310-ish euros end amount, it sounds ludicrous for me to ask my friend for more than half that solely for the video card o_o.
Not to mention the RAM [which my ideal motherboard won't support and yours is 40 euros more expensive].

STill, thanks.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

DDR2RAM Mobo's are getting scarce because it's older technology. Go with DDR3 to insure upgrade ability.
Our suggested build list is not written in stone. You can substitute parts to your liking (i.e. the GPU).


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## Blackwing (Apr 12, 2008)

Thanks for the reply, Tyree. 

I could potentially substitute it for a more expensive motherboard that does DDR3 - but I don't know of one. Not too smart with hardware names and branches down the motherboard line.
The one suggested in the thread is more expensive than switching to cheaper DDR 3 memory would save.
As such I could only really do that if I had 1-2 names to look for here..


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Please list what components you have, what you need and a budget price.


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## Blackwing (Apr 12, 2008)

Current [completely wasted setup]

ASUS M2N-MX motherboard [fried]
AMD ATHLON 64 dual core 2.4 GhZ [fried]
2 Gig DDR II RAM 667 MhZ [atleast partially fried]
Geforce 9800 GT [does not function but not fried]

Current setup for 270-330 euros that I intend for an upgrade : 

Asus M4A78LT-M LE [€42 - this is the DDR 2 motherboard]
Sapphire HD5670 1GB DDR3 - DirectX® 11PCIe [€59 and on special offer, may go up to 80 if I miss it]
4 G DDR 2 RAM [€37]
AMD Phenom II X4 965 Socket AM3 [€99]
1TB SATA II WESTERN DIGITAL [€46]

That's about it.


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## gcavan (Aug 13, 2009)

Umm . . . that board takes DDR3 memory, only.


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## Amd_Man (Jan 27, 2009)

What make, model and wattage power supply do you plan on using?


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## Blackwing (Apr 12, 2008)

Hello AMD_MAN, thank you for your interest.

I hold an untouched Jeantech 650W power supply. I beleive it to be adequate but hey I'm not the expert here 

@gcavan : The website lists that motherboard as only taking DDR 2 memory , my friend who suggested it confirmed it by saying he "only" has DDR 2 memory, himself.
However.

ASROCK M3A770DE sAM3 takes PHENOM II X4 processors and has DDR 3 compatibility for less than ten euros more. This will be what I settle on as a motherboard.


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## gcavan (Aug 13, 2009)

I won't argue with your website, but this is what Asus says:

ASUSTeK Computer Inc. - Motherboards- ASUS M4A78LT-M LE


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## Amd_Man (Jan 27, 2009)

I concur with my teamate gcavan. It is absolutely a DDR3 motherboard.
Here's what Asus has in the memory specs for that board.

2 x DIMM, Max. 8 GB, *DDR3* 1800(O.C.)/1600(O.C.)/1333/1066 ECC,Non-ECC,Un-buffered Memory
Dual Channel memory architecture
*AMD AM3 100 and 200 series CPU support up to DDR3 1066MHz


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## Blackwing (Apr 12, 2008)

Interesting...

Could it be possible this is a "pre-updated" version of that motherboard?
I read today that most of the Socket AM3s didn't support DDR 3 until something changed.
Of course my memory is godawful -_-. I'll have to ask the store I suppose.
<3 Thanks for the replies so far.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

I also find the ASROCK M3A770DE sAM3 accepts only DDR3 RAM.
I would suggest you figure a good quality PSU into your budget.


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## Blackwing (Apr 12, 2008)

Hmmnn...650W isn't enough? 
I'll see if there is a website that calculates wattage based on parts and their use.
Thanks for the heads-up, I'll try to verify this. Last thing I want is a full PC that has less juice than it needs.

I put most of the details in and got that 259 W should be enough. Which...feels like a joke.
I'll try another website to be sure.


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## Amd_Man (Jan 27, 2009)

They all have support for DDR3 memory. That was the whole purpose of them switching to socket AM3. They also support DD2 memory also. The upcoming socket F1 will only support DDR3 memory.


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## Amd_Man (Jan 27, 2009)

Blackwing said:


> Hmmnn...650W isn't enough?
> I'll see if there is a website that calculates wattage based on parts and their use.
> Thanks for the heads-up, I'll try to verify this. Last thing I want is a full PC that has less juice than it needs.


Don't put much faith in those PSU calculators as they in no way reflect real world scenarios. I would add 30% to whatever rated wattage PSU they list. Low quality PSU's will never ever push their rated wattage under load conditions.


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## Blackwing (Apr 12, 2008)

I understand, thanks for the reply. Guess they typo'd it on my end then. Hmmmm +30% well I got 259. So +78 to that would make 337 Watts. Still sounds like a my pc should be using more than that. But it's not like I have SLI, many harddrives and such.

EDIT! 

Newegg's own calculator output 409 Watts which I can beleive. + 123 to that for the 30% and it's within range of my Jeantech.
Relief.


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## Amd_Man (Jan 27, 2009)

I would use no less than a quality 550w PSU for your setup.


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## Blackwing (Apr 12, 2008)

Jeantech isn't bad though. Not amazing but not bad either.
Most people say it's a stable, reliable one that has its' supply well within operating range with no hiccups or errors.
They're happy with their Jeantech.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

The brand was my concern. I have no idea who makes JeanTech and that usually points to low quality. Foe the 5670, you'll want a 550W minimum good quality PSU. 
SeaSonic-XFX-Corsair (TX-VX-HX-AX) are top quality.


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## Blackwing (Apr 12, 2008)

Perhaps, but it's less wattage for MONEY. Money my friend is giving me. I'm not going to go up and arbitrarily say, Yo dude my PSU needs to be worse please send like €40 more.

"Seasonic" appears to be very ...bad here. Most of the big stores I checked that retail a ton of hardware stuff know about it but aren't selling any.


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## Amd_Man (Jan 27, 2009)

Seasonic are the best power supplies on the market period. The top tier brand power supplies are all made by seasonic, Corsair and XFX are top tier and also made by Seasonic. I wouldn't put a Jeantech in my tester computer much less a computer I use and game with everyday.


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## Blackwing (Apr 12, 2008)

So instead you suggest giving out extra money for a poorer-performing PSU based simply on the fact that you had zero experience with the product versus Google saying most feedback is positive about the item's stability.
...at this point you're not really helping any more.


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## Amd_Man (Jan 27, 2009)

I've got 16 years in the computer field so I know exactly what I'm talking about. Go to my link below and Seasonic gets mostly gold awards for their performance under severe testing. Oh and two silvers. You won't even see a Jeantech PSU there because they don't test junk.

PSU / Power Supplies Reviews | [H]ard|OCP


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## Amd_Man (Jan 27, 2009)

I'm trying to help you from purchasing a inferior PSU, but your not hearing me.


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## Blackwing (Apr 12, 2008)

Um, -you- ignored me. Twice.
I said I HAVE a PSU. There's literally no reason to go out and -WASTE- money on an inferior product with lower output when I have one that's worked fine for the past 3-5 years.


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## Amd_Man (Jan 27, 2009)

I'm not ignoring you at all and I'm trying to give you proper advice. You seem to think that Jeantech is good and it simply is not. Seasonic, Corrsair Tx HX Ax, XFX are far superior power supplies and your telling me that their inferior to Jeantech and that is quite simply nonsense. Use you Jeantech that has low quality interior parts and hope for the best. Good luck as I've tried my best to inform you>


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## Blackwing (Apr 12, 2008)

It's not good because you never heard about it.
Which is like saying this 9.8 rated game must be awful since I have never heard of the name before.
They -are- inferior. I HAVE one. Now. Here. Free. HAD this for 3-5 years. It works. It has surge protection and a LOT of extras . I do not have to -waste- money buying ANOTHER one when this is here. Now. It works. Also 650W not 550W.
I looked at one of YOURS. Yeah, I want your red wine too. But I'm not going to pay €80 just for a PSU that's of lower capacity than the one I have.

Or , more accurately, "dude I arbitrarily need a new PSU can you give me €80 more for absolutely no good reason" sounds like a douchebag's thing to say. I'm already intruding on my friend's kindness with the fact that I'm taking it. The idea of having to tell him to up it for an invalid reason pisses me off :-\.
you're forcing your opinion pretty hard, basically.


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## Old Rich (May 31, 2007)

It 's your money and you can spend it however you want. But our power supply reccomendations were developed by folks who build systems for a living and have learned the hard way about using less than top of the line Power Supplies. The ratings on the lable frankly mean nothing unless they tell you the temps that they were measured under. 

Before you make a mistake that could cost you the whole system, please look at our Power Supply Selection posting:


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## koala (Mar 27, 2005)

From post#10:


Blackwing said:


> Hello AMD_MAN, thank you for your interest.
> 
> I hold an untouched Jeantech 650W power supply. I beleive it to be adequate but hey I'm not the expert here


Please listen to what Amd_Man is saying. He's giving you good advice and trying to save you money in the long run. A weak PSU is more likely to damage your new graphics card and motherboard when it dies.

The Jeantech 650W is a low quality unit, not suitable for your new gaming computer. It has a low efficiency rating and two 19A +12V rails giving a combined total of about 30A, too low for your PCIE graphics card.

A good quality 650W from Corsair/XFX/SeaSonic will have a high 85% efficiency rating and a single 52-54A +12V rail.


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## Blackwing (Apr 12, 2008)

That's just it, it's not my money. I would feel like a royal *** trying to get my friend to fork over 80 more euros for what has previously worked.

Corsair CMPSU-600CXV2EU 600W is avalaible for +66 euros.
You speak nicely and use facts, not personal opinions. I can understand and respect that.
At this point I have no idea what to do though. It really does feel like a d*** move to just tack on €66 out of the blue. Timezones being what they are [3 AM right now] I'll see if I can run it past him tomorrow.

Thank you for your assistance so far.

Edit : Oh right. My PC tower is very small. It housed an ATX motherboard that was pushing the limits. As such the PSU has to be ATX-sized as well.


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## Amd_Man (Jan 27, 2009)

I was never giving you my personnel opinions. I was giving facts from many years of being in the field. I never once spoke badly to you. I was merely frustrated that you were not hearing what I was saying.


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## koala (Mar 27, 2005)

One option is to use the Jeantech for now, treat it as a temporary PSU, and start saving for a better quality one over the next few weeks. This way you won't offend your friend who is helping you out, and you'll get a new unused PSU.

Just remember though that there's a risk that the Jeantech PSU won't last long under heavy stress and it could easily damage the rest of your computer. This is something we see fairly often. Youtube is full of videos showing weak PSUs blowing up when stress-tested.


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## Blackwing (Apr 12, 2008)

@Koala : Sent a PM explaining my uh, situation.
Lots of people are saying the new hardware would be at risk which annoys me because it's a trademark of things on my end. STuff likes breaking or going wrong. I have seriously bad luck, sometimes I wonder if I'll ever get a cartoon theme music to go along with it.

I'll ponder over what to do , this development troubles me.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Any information you received referring to SeaSonic PSU's being in any way bad is just plain false. 
The 600W Corsair is OK, and by far superior to the JeanTech, but it will be a CX (Builder's Series) or GS (Gaming Series) and those are not ones we recommend near as highly as the SeaSonic built TX-VX-HX-AS Series.
There have been no personal opinions offered to you that are not factual and based on experiences from professional users/builders.
My best suggestion would be to explain the probable damage, as has been relayed to you, to the other components by using a low quality PSU and let them decide if the extra money is a worthwhile investment.
To me, that would be the action of a good friend.


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## Old Rich (May 31, 2007)

> [Blackwing;3351912. I have seriously bad luck, sometimes I wonder if I'll ever get a cartoon theme music to go along with it.




Luck is usually a function of choices we make . . Particularly true in this case.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

JeanTech PSU's are very poor quality. Using a low quality PSU only puts the rest of your components in jeopardy.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

Tyree said:


> The brand was my concern. I have no idea who makes JeanTech and that usually points to low quality. Foe the 5670, you'll want a 550W minimum good quality PSU.
> SeaSonic-XFX-Corsair (TX-VX-HX-AX) are top quality.


If I remember correctly they are made by the same group as winpower and powerman with the odd bit from FSP thrown in just for fun. So to be avoided at all costs.


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## Blackwing (Apr 12, 2008)

Oh, it's fine.
I still have no parts because I still have no $$$ and infact the PSU did stop working.
Atleast I think that's the culprit.
When the motherboard died, my friend let me use his really old, really bad motherboard and 1 gig of ram to atleast be able to stay in touch with people.

during operation, for no reason, it just turned off and would never turn on again.
So yay :-\


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## Amd_Man (Jan 27, 2009)

Blackwing said:


> Oh, it's fine.
> I still have no parts because I still have no $$$ and infact the PSU did stop working.
> Atleast I think that's the culprit.
> When the motherboard died, my friend let me use his really old, really bad motherboard and 1 gig of ram to atleast be able to stay in touch with people.
> ...


That's exactly why I was so vocal on the quality of Jeantech power supplies.


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## Blackwing (Apr 12, 2008)

Meh. It's worked for 4-5 years fine, I can forgive it for dying simply because it didn't pop or short brutally.
IN any event I don't really have a pc right now, so whee.

Edit : I meant yeah sure it died but atleast it didn't do something worse.


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## Johnny1982 (Oct 15, 2010)

Blackwing said:


> Edit : I meant yeah sure it died but atleast it didn't do something worse.


It could've damaged other components in the pc as well. That's what low-quality PSU's normally do.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Blackwing said:


> Meh. It's worked for 4-5 years fine, I can forgive it for dying simply because it didn't pop or short brutally.
> IN any event I don't really have a pc right now, so whee.
> 
> Edit : I meant yeah sure it died but atleast it didn't do something worse.


Consider yourself more than fortunate it lasted anywhere near that long and hopefully no damage was done to other components as is common when low quality PSU's die.


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