Finding A Motherboard for an i7 2600 cpu?

[verycheap]

I'm using a very old PC that has many issues:
.i7 2600 CPU
.GTX 750 ti GPU
.8GB ddr3 (4 X 2GB)
.100GB SSD
.500GB HDD

I mainly use it for playing older titles and strategy games. I'm on a tight budget and can't justify spending much on gaming. I was planning on replacing the motherboard and power supply, as that's where I believe most of the problems come from. As far as I can tell from the tests I've been able to run, the CPU, GPU, drives and memory are all still fine. But I've learned that they no longer manufacture motherboards compatible with that CPU?

Can anyone tell me a way of getting hold of a new compatible motherboard for a reasonable price? Or even a decent refurbished one? Or is my only alternative to get a new CPU along with it? I might be able to stretch to that (as long as it was compatible with all the other old components), but it seems a shame to junk the only half decent part of the PC, even if it is ancient.

I suppose ultimately what I'm looking for is the cheapest/least hassle solution that allows me to play Crusader Kings without issues. Any advice greatly appreciated (or if you can direct me to anywhere more appropriate to ask this kind of thing.)

 

[verycheap]

I had an Asrock Z68 mobo which was good, you should find one s/h.

Thanks, any tips on finding one in decent condition? Worried about replacing one dodgy board with another.

 

[verycheap]

You can also use a z77 motherboard , your just gonna have to take a chance in the second hand market. If you can take a look at the cpu socket for any bent or missslighned pins.

There are more motherboard to choose from this will explain , look at socket 1155 which you need.

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.digitaltrends.com/computing/what-are-intels-lga-processor-sockets/?amp

Thank you, that's really useful to have a full list of the chipsets that have the compatible socket.

 

[verycheap]

As mick says it is a bit pot luck and they do go wrong, previous Z68 Gigabyte bricked hence Asrock replacement, but that was fine. Even though old, there will still be some good boards out there though!

Thanks, I've found a couple of cheap HP boards on ebay listed as new/unused which say they're compatible (a Q65 & a Q67.) Now just trying to check they'll work with everything else, and figure out a new power supply and case for it all - any recommendations?

 

[verycheap]

I think I might have a rampage iv gene kicking around somewhere, if I can find it without ripping the entire house apart you can have it for free. Postage on you ofc.

That's very generous of you, are you sure? I wouldn't want to put you out (especially in these COVID lockdown times.)

 

[verycheap]

Be careful with HP boards sometimes they have custom power connectors and have very few BIOS options which is a nightmare when trying to fault find

Ah that's the kind of thing I was worried about. Is there any way for me to check compatibility for that kind of connection?

 

[verycheap]

no guarantee i'll find it looking for a few other bits that are lost in boxes after moving house anyway. if it turns up you can have it, better than sticking it into landfill or waiting 2 million years for rats to become sentient then get confused about the cultural and religious significance of an intel motherboard

Thanks, if it does turn up that'd be great. Happy to give you the small amount I'll pay for an old board otherwise as some compensation for your time, on top of postage obvs.

 

[verycheap]

I think I might have a rampage iv gene kicking around somewhere, if I can find it without ripping the entire house apart you can have it for free. Postage on you ofc.

After a quick google, it seems like the rampage iv gene has a 2011 socket rather than a 1155? Not to look a gift horse in the mouth or anything, but did you maybe mean the maximus iv gene (which apparently does support i7 2600)?

 

[verycheap]

no idea mate, i'm not an archaeologist. it had a 2500k in it. It came out in 2011 and you can stick a sandy or ivy bridge CPU in it

Ok great. Figured I'd check (still struggling to get my head round all the different variations tbh.)

 

[verycheap]

I ended up getting a used Intel board from ebay in very good condition (Q67 chipset.) Cost me more than I'd like - £40 - but you could get significantly cheaper if you're confident using a Dell or HP board with your other components. If you buy from a reputable seller then it should be tested and working (look for small specialist retailers rather than users selling their old stuff.) One thing to mention is that Intel apparently no longer support BIOS updates for boards that old - I think you might be able to find legacy versions online, but as mine was working fine I didn't want to mess around with it.

Another thing I'll say (only if you're a newb like me) is to make absolutely certain your RAM is good. Although one of my old mobos RAM slots was broken, I was still having issues with the new board. Sometimes PC just wouldn't turn on, sometimes it would crash out of nowhere. Turns out 2 of the 4 sticks I was using were bad, but they would only fail occasionally, so it was hard to tell which. It was only through exhaustively testing each stick over and over that I found and replaced the dodgy ones.