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General discussion

New Motherboard/CPU

by cde1l Sep 26, 2006 8:40AM PDT

I am in the market for a new motherboard and cpu as my optical drives are no longer detected. I currently have a 2.0 ghz system with 768 mb of RAM running XP Pro. I have a video card and sound card which I am very happy with so onboard sound/video is not necessary. I am looking to spend less than 200 dollars and am unsure of whether to go with AMD or Intel as well as which mother boards to look at. I need at least 4 pci slots, but more would not be better. I am afraid of buying a cheap bundle and having problems. I am somewhat ignorant when dealing with hardware so please bear with me. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Discussion is locked

4 Posts
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Exactly what HW...do you have now
by VAPCMD Sep 26, 2006 10:22AM PDT

Need as much detail as you can give re the existing HW to get a sense of what components can be moved to new system.

MB....make/mfg, model and mb revision #
PSU ....make/mfg and model# ...20 pin or 24 pin ?
Video...AGP 2X, $X or 8X (make/model)
RAM ....PC100, PC133 DDR??? (download CPUZ ...it;ll tell you about your current MB, CPU and RAM.

Have you tried uninstalling the CDs in 'Device Manager' and restarted the PC... sometime getting the CD back is as simple as that.

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My HW
by cde1l Sep 26, 2006 11:29PM PDT

MB -- Intel model D845EPT2 AAA83421-206 Rev. 0E chipset: intel i845E
Mainboard Video is AGP 4X but the card I use is a PCI Saphire Radeon 9600 XT
Power Supply -- 250 Watts Heat Disipation of 850 BTU
RAM -- slot 1= 512 mb PC 2700 (166 mhz) DDR
slot 2= 256 mb PC 2100 (133 mhz) DDR

The problem is no CDs show up in Device Manager or in My Computer. I hope this is enough info and it is what you wanted.

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Check cabling first
by samkh Sep 27, 2006 4:03AM PDT

Inspect the power supply and IDE connectors for good contact with pins on the CD drive. CD drives sometimes die, so check it on another PC before concluding your mobo is defective. And while you have the case open, press on all cable connections and DIMMs to ensure proper seating.

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It worked
by cde1l Sep 27, 2006 6:36AM PDT

I swear I checked the connections multiple times but one of them was loose. Thanks for all the help.

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