DeadSurvivor

http://www.ascendtech.us/itemdesc.asp?ic=MB64ECSKV2 http://www.barebonekit.net/itemdesc.asp?ic=MB64ECSKV2LITE Can I get some opinions on both these motherboards? I'm not sure what type of reputation ECS has in regards to motherboards? Also, I couldn't find out what the difference was between the LITE and the other motherboard. Is there a difference? Right now, I'm looking for something that I'll likely pair with a 3500+, 4000+, or a lower end AMDx2 processor. I'll probably buy a decent gaming in a year or two. Right now, I'm looking for something that'll get me through the next year or two but isn't a total piece of crap machine. My main reason for going with an AGP board is to use my graphics card.

Thanks for all the helpful replies. What I'm doing now is determining whether I should try to get my hands on a s939 AGP MOBO with 4 DIMMs for my 2G RAM. The system is only three years old, it was still good before I worked my dark magic on it, heh. So far, I haven't found a new s939 AGP board and doubt I will. The ones I found on e-bay ... errr, I'm not paying $60+ for something that may not work, most of them have something missing. I think I'll have to spring for a new PCI-E card. I'm not sure what mobo I want yet but I've found a few where I can still use my 4x512 RAM modules (I believe they are 184 pin). Right now, I don't do much online gaming (EQII) any longer but I may get back into it again in the future so I'm going with something that can handle it. Anyone have any suggestions while I continue my search? I plan on spending a few hundred, nothing major so I'm checking NewEgg and a few other places online and locally.

My PC Stats: MGE Viper Gaming Case 550W Power Supply AMD64 3500+ (2.2GHz) MSI K8N Neo2 Platinum Motherboard (NVidia nForce3 Ultra Chipset Based) 2G OCZ RAM (4x512) eVGA 256mb 6800 Graphics Card (AGP) Short Version Of My Story: About a week ago, my 256MB 6800 eVGA Graphics Card or my Insignia monitor were having some type of pixalitation issue. The pixals lines ran from top to bottom on the monitor screen with no movement, just there without moving. The only way I got rid of the issue was to shut my PC off for five minutes then start it back up and it would work fine. A few days later, the same issue happened again. This time I decided cleaning the inside of my PC from all the dust may help the issue. I cleaned the dust (and there was a ton of it) from within the PC. I noticed the processor heatsink fan was cluttered with dust so I used the duster spray (of air) but it only pushed the dust further into the metal casing that lies between the fan and the processor (the heatsink?). I removed the fan and the metal casing that lies between the fan and processor. The processor was stuck to the metal heatsink by the grease used to keep the processor cool. I removed the processor from this heatsink carefully and cleaned the metal heatsink from all the dust within it. I laid the processor back onto the motherboard without snapping it into the plastic casing right under heat then put the heatsink and fans on top and tried to snap the heatsink clamps back into place, which was pretty hard because taking it off was alot easier than putting it back on. After I clamped it back into place and turned the PC on. I heard two long beep sounds. I didn't listen to see if there were any more beeps. After the two beeps, I immediately shut the power off thinking there was something wrong with the way I put the heatsink and fan back on. Well, after pulling the fans and heatsink off, I had problems getting the processor to fit properly. I also noticed the plastic square (between the processor and motherboard) where the processor snaps into place was broken into two pieces. I fit the plastic piece back into place and before I put the processor back on, I noticed a few bent pins. I checked online and saw that a credit card could be used to slide between the pins to straighten the pins. Well, in my case, a few pins snapped off (I didn't use much force but I learned just how weak the processor pins can be) and a few pins were still bent. Fearing any further damage to the processor, I decided to snap the processor in on the plastic part that had broken into two that I put back into place. I powered the PC up not realizing AMD chips can burn out within seconds without the heatsink attached. The fans, power supply and fan, and graphics card fan worked but nothing else worked so I shut the power off again. I noticed my processor was super hot, hotter than any shower you I've ever taken. We're talking oven hot. I put the heatsink back into place and screwed it in and screwed the removeable side of the PC case back on and hoped for the best. Since that time, there are no more beeps to tell me what's wrong with the PC (I looked up some information after I screwed up my PC). All fans but one side fan connected to the case of the PC for airflow are working. The temperature gauge on the PC is working ans says the hard drive is operational but nothing is booting up ... I assume its a default display? Well, after doing some reading online I assume I've friend my processor and also friend my motherboard in the process of my stupidity. What I'd like to know is if there is a way to test my motherboard to see if I fried it along with my processor? Is it possible only the processor is fried and the motherboard may still be good? Also, the fan on my graphics card still works. Does this mean my graphics card is still good or will the fan on the graphics card still work even if I fried that also? ... As for the RAM, I assume I can have them checked at my local Best Buy to see if I screwed them up also or does the fried componens have nothing to do with the RAM? ... I am also wondering if I indeed fried my processor and mobo, would I be better off replacing the 3500+ with a new one (since they run about $40) and possibly a new Mobo (if its fried)? Any help would be greatly appreciated and sorry for the newbie questions. -Tone-