So my am3 mobo and/or Athlon II X4 640 cpu have died. But I suspect cpu is fine, but need to confirm. No POST or display when powered on.
Option 1: Replace mobo only, reuse old cpu (~$120)
Originally I was thinking of getting a old stock brand new 760G AM3 board to swap, like the MSI 760gm-p23.
Mobo $100
Diagnostic fee $10 (confirm mobo spoil n cpu ok)
Thermal paste $10
Total $120
Option 2: Replace with cheap brand new Intel cpu+mobo bundle
Intel Celeron G1610 dual core
Cheapest mobo with a pci slot n 4 or 6 (preferably) USB ports behind. Can recommend with estimated price?
Tentative cost seems to be around $140. Just $20 difference but downgrade to dual core cpu. Existing Athlon II cpu no warranty liao, used > 3 years.
So which option is better?
My current need is quite basic, so not future proofing n looking to spend the least. My usage is 90% web browsing and 10% office productivity, document scanning and printing. Previously using quad core Athlon II X4 640 it was smooth and fast enough for me. Normally open 3 to 4 tabs in web browser, at most 10 tabs. CPU utilization normally stay below 5%, while hitting 70% max during I/O intensive activities like virus scanning and zip compression. My memory usage in Windows 7 hovers at 1.3 Gb, and at most reach 1.8 Gb. So my 4 Gb RAM also comfortably handles that.
Reusing my SATA-2 500 Gb HDD, 2x2 Gb DDR3-1333 RAM sticks, n old PCI slot TP-Link WN751 wireless card.
Comments appreciated.
Option 1: Replace mobo only, reuse old cpu (~$120)
Originally I was thinking of getting a old stock brand new 760G AM3 board to swap, like the MSI 760gm-p23.
Mobo $100
Diagnostic fee $10 (confirm mobo spoil n cpu ok)
Thermal paste $10
Total $120
Option 2: Replace with cheap brand new Intel cpu+mobo bundle
Intel Celeron G1610 dual core
Cheapest mobo with a pci slot n 4 or 6 (preferably) USB ports behind. Can recommend with estimated price?
Tentative cost seems to be around $140. Just $20 difference but downgrade to dual core cpu. Existing Athlon II cpu no warranty liao, used > 3 years.
So which option is better?
My current need is quite basic, so not future proofing n looking to spend the least. My usage is 90% web browsing and 10% office productivity, document scanning and printing. Previously using quad core Athlon II X4 640 it was smooth and fast enough for me. Normally open 3 to 4 tabs in web browser, at most 10 tabs. CPU utilization normally stay below 5%, while hitting 70% max during I/O intensive activities like virus scanning and zip compression. My memory usage in Windows 7 hovers at 1.3 Gb, and at most reach 1.8 Gb. So my 4 Gb RAM also comfortably handles that.
Reusing my SATA-2 500 Gb HDD, 2x2 Gb DDR3-1333 RAM sticks, n old PCI slot TP-Link WN751 wireless card.
Comments appreciated.
