Replace motherboard on 1 yr old advent system - advice required

[MarkPW]

I'm having problems with an Advent computer that is only a year old. The system continually freezes when playing games and a lot of the time, when switching the computer on, no signal is being sent to the monitor (it remains in sleep mode); even though the computer boots as normal.
A computer place concluded that the problem was the motherboard, so therefore I'm looking for a new motherboard and whatever else you guys would recommend.

This is the first time I'll replace a motherboard so I don't really know whether I will have to replace the CPU aswell, and whether it's worth getting a new case.

The current specs of the system can be found at the following URL: Advent T9304

Could somebody recommend what the best solution would be?
What type of motherboard I should get; whether I need to replace the CPU, and if so, which CPU (something that closely resembles the current P4 Prescott 3.2Ghz;whether or not I need to/should bin the advent case for a new one w/ PSU?

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[LanceCrossfire]

the graphics card might be a problem... the X740L has an addition composite and scart adaptor add on that is mounted to the advent chassis. So if you did change the case then you wont be able to fully utilise the graphics I/O ports.

 

[J.B]

Most sites list their Mobos in sections of what CPU they take so finding a replacement one should be easy as long as you look for the right type of CPU.

Assuming that the computer shop is right and it is infact the mobo which is the problem it should be relativly easy to replace. I've never used an Advent machine myself so they may have different connectors on the psu (although this underhand tactick is normally only used by dell)! Type in ATX connector into google images, if this is the same as the one you have then there shouldnt be to much trouble.

Likewise with the case, one can only assume that the good folks at advent are using standard case configuration (they probably are)

You can take the cpu, ram, cpu fan off the old board and put them straight on the new one, dont forget to get a mobo which can support PCI-E! It might be a good idea to count the number of pins on the ATX connector (20 or 24). most new mobos need 24 pins this is sometimes called ATX 2.0

I think the graphics card sounds like the defecter! Might be worth buying a cheap one just to check. or asking a different computer shop

Lets hope the computer shop were right on this one!

 

[Sir Random]

If it's not the gfx card at fault, and you need a new mobo, then you should definitely look for a mATX board that supports Conroe!

Even if you don't want a conroe cpu right now, your current cpu and DDR2 ram should work fine in the conroe mobo (LGA775), but you'll have the ability to upgrade to conroe whenever you want.

Btw, a 2.4Ghz conroe is a lot faster than a 3.2Ghz prescott.

EDIT\
If the Advent case is standard size, then you can probably fit any ATX mobo in there, and not just m-ATX.

 

[MarkPW]

Thanks for all your replies Three GFX cards have been tried, and it makes no difference, so looks like it's time for a new mobo.

Love the sound of this conroe CPU, but it isn't essential just yet. However, just incase I change my mind, a mobo that supports Conroe upgrade would be nice depending on the price.

Now, what would you recommend I get, bearing in mind I need M-ATX, with PCI-Express support? The exact CPU specs are on the link above.

Also, my current PSU appears to have a 20 pin ATX connector, but the current mobo is a 24 pin, leaving 4 pins free.

Thanks for your help guys!

 

[Sir Random]

I don't have first-hand knowledge of any m-ATX boards, but I would recommend getting a good brand with an Intel chipset.

I like Asus mobos, so I checked the OcUK shop and found this mobo:

Asus P5B-VM Micro ATX (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard (MB-176-AS)
Price: £79.99 (£93.99 Including VAT at 17.5%)
It uses the Intel® G965 / ICH8 chipset, so it should allow you to overclock nicely (if you want).

There are much cheaper options, like the Asus P5VD2-MX (£44 incl VAT), but that uses a VIA chipset, and only supports single-channel DDR2.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_Asus_177.html


Your 20-pin PSU might be a problem though, as most modern mobos are 24-pin. It's strange that the PC came with a 24-pin mobo and only a 20-pin PSU.

 

[Gusev]

Almost all the Advent machine cases are m-ATX cases.

 

[MarkPW]

I think I'm going to go for the Asus P5B-VM Micro ATX, however before I do - will this support the extra ports on the front of the Advent, such as the card reader and internal bluetooth card?

Thanks again.

 

[Ray.uk]

Looking at the specs for your pc am I missing something,cannot see where it says it is DDR2 memory.

 

[MarkPW]

The current mobo supports DDR2 memory but 1GB of standard DDR is installed. Will the above not support standard DDR memory?

 

[Sir Random]

No, that mobo needs DDR2, and DDR won't work in a DDR2 slot.

I assumed you had DDR2, because of these mobo specs:

MSI 7091
System Memory
Supports four DDR2 SDRAM memory modules.
Supports up to 4GB memory size.
Supports Dual channel DDR2.

If your PC has 1Gb of DDR, then the mobo description must be wrong, as DDR and DDR2 are not interchangeable.

There are other Conroe m-ATX mobos that take DDR2 and DDR:

P4M800Pro-M (V2.0) mATx Core 2 Duo-ready LGA775 Motherboard

P4M890T-M2 v1.0b 775 mATX Motherboard

There may be others out there, new conroe mobos are appearing all the time.

 

[MarkPW]

Oh dear I could really do with getting something from Overlockers if possible so I can get it picked up.

I'm not too fussed about the Conroe support - as long as it supports all the hardware in the T9304, that's all that matters.

I've had a look through the website and I really do not know what I should be getting to ensure everything will work ok, so anymore suggestions would be helpful.

Cheers

 

[Sir Random]

Here ya go:

Asus P5GV-MX Intel 915GV Micro ATX (Socket LGA775) PCI-Express Motherboard (MB-136-AS)

- Intel LGA775 Pentium 4 CPU
- Intel 915GV chipset
- Dual-Channel DDR 400
- PCI Express Architecture

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_Asus_177.html
4th from the bottom of the page.

It uses the same 915 chipset as the advent mobo, so your current XP install should boot up ok.

 

[MarkPW]

Great! Thanks for the assistance sir random.. I appreciate it.