Sourcing a replacement motherboard help

Author	Post
Drew Black broken crankshaft 8009 Posts 9/99	Posted - Jun 11 2008 : 11:46PM Lightning took out some of our stuff last night here at home. The motherboard in my primary workstation is toast. It's a Dell Dimension (3200 I think.) I've tried google and ebay looking for the exact replacement part but no luck thus far. Is there a good resource out there that can help me find a replacement that will use all of my existing pieces parts 3.0GHz P4 LGA775 processor, 2 GB 800MHz (4 x 512MB, may be DDR), at least 2 sata ports and one ide. PCI-E x16 slot for the graphics card too. I think it's the ATX form factor but it's been so long since I've paid attention to this stuff I don't know for sure if that's the case. I'll try to snap a picture of it if I can. The only part numbers I can find on it are E210882 which I think is a generic family descriptor from looking at photos of other motherboards matching this number. I think the intel part number is AA C83148-502 but that didn't turn up anything either. This is the second time I'm replacing it due to lightning. I've already ordered a new system but I'd like to fix this one if I can. [Link]
Drew Black broken crankshaft 8009 Posts 9/99	Posted - Jun 11 2008 : 11:51PM I ran upstairs to check. It's actually a Dimension 8400. [Link]
Harry Joystick Member 740 Posts 8/02	Posted - Jun 12 2008 : 3:37AM So this will be the third motherboard going into the same (Dell) case? Dell uses proprietary motherboards and parts. Sorry, I can't help you. I'm just surprised you were able to find a replacement the first time. [Link]
Bob All-Star Member 5516 Posts 3/03	Posted - Jun 12 2008 : 4:26AM Here's a link to a PDF of the Owner's Manual for the Dell Dimension 8400 Series. Just to be sure, does your motherboard conform to the motherboard pictured on page 71? If so, the relevant specifications for a compatible motherboard are on pages 107-109 -- the main things being that you need a motherboard with an Intel 925X Express or 925XE Express chipset, with a system bus of 800MHz, supporting DDR2-400 or DDR2-533 RAM, depending on which frequency you have. Because Dell uses proprietary motherboards, if the compatible motherboard you get isn't a Dell part, it may not fit into a Dell proprietary case -- but if you can use a standard case then that won't be a problem. If you can confirm the info above, I can dig around some more. ----------------------- Edited by - bob on 6/12/2008 4:27:01 AM [Link]
Bob All-Star Member 5516 Posts 3/03	Posted - Jun 12 2008 : 4:46AM Off the cuff, it looks as if the Foxconn 925A01-8EKRS LGA 775 Intel 925X ATX Intel Motherboard, on sale at Newegg.com for $49.99, would be mechanically compatible with your components, although it's not exactly the same motherboard as the one in your Dell Dimension 8400. [Link]

Drew Black broken crankshaft 8009 Posts 9/99	Posted - Jun 12 2008 : 8:52AM Harry Joystick wrote: So this will be the third motherboard going into the same (Dell) case? Dell uses proprietary motherboards and parts. Sorry, I can't help you. I'm just surprised you were able to find a replacement the first time. Click to expand Yes, third one into the same case. We have two buildings on our property. The old house which is basically a 4-season hunting cabin and the barn that we renovated/converted into our house. There's a bundle of cables running underground between the two buildings. I lightning storms these cables can be problematic. We've lost a half-dozen cheap 5 port 10/100 network switches in the past three years. I don't know why this Dell is the lightning target after the switch. (The path for the surge goes through the wire, through the switch and zaps the motherboard in the 8400 through the Ethernet port. Yes I have lightning suppression on the power supply and the underground network line and it still gets nailed.) [Link]
Drew Black broken crankshaft 8009 Posts 9/99	Posted - Jun 12 2008 : 9:08AM Bob wrote: Just to be sure, does your motherboard conform to the motherboard pictured on page 71? If so, the relevant specifications for a compatible motherboard are on pages 107-109 -- ... If you can confirm the info above, I can dig around some more. Click to expand That's my system. I think I may have found something on [ invalid url ] that looks like it should work. It's not the exact item but I think it will be OK. [Link]
Zoid Senior Member Boobies and Anal 2004 Posts 5/04	Posted - Jun 12 2008 : 9:10AM Apparently, you won't be able to fit 3rd party motherboard into a Dell case, so you either need a new case as well, or you need to find a replacement Dell mobo. [Link]
Bob All-Star Member 5516 Posts 3/03	Posted - Jun 12 2008 : 10:36AM I think I may have found something on [ invalid url ] that looks like it should work. It's not the exact item but I think it will be OK. Click to expand That one is definitely compatible and comes with with a proprietary I/O shield, so it will also fit into your case. Good hunting! [Link]
Drew Black broken crankshaft 8009 Posts 9/99	Posted - Jun 12 2008 : 10:53PM I hope it works. I ordered two so I have a spare. [Link]
RandomPrecision Senior Member Enjoy! 8175 Posts 3/06	Posted - Jun 13 2008 : 1:38AM Drew Black wrote: Yes I have lightning suppression on the power supply and the underground network line and it still gets nailed.) Click to expand Maybe you could install a lightening rod somewhere to draw the lightening away from the cables. [Link]
Bob All-Star Member 5516 Posts 3/03	Posted - Jun 13 2008 : 5:31AM Drew Black wrote: I hope it works. I ordered two so I have a spare. Click to expand It will definitely work unless it's defective. [Link]
Drew Black broken crankshaft 8009 Posts 9/99	Posted - Jun 13 2008 : 8:03AM RandomPrecision wrote: Maybe you could install a lightening rod somewhere to draw the lightening away from the cables. Click to expand I went with a wireless repeater solution instead. No more underground cables. The buildings are connected with a Netgear 108Mb/s repeater. [Link]
Drew Black broken crankshaft 8009 Posts 9/99	Posted - Jun 17 2008 : 7:12PM The replacement motherboard arrived today. (I bought two so I have a spare.) It's similar but not quite the same. It's too long by about 3MM on the bottom side of the case. A little massaging of the metal tray and it's installed and working. The replacement motherboard is from a Dell XPS Gen3 system according to the POST messages. It's basically the same thing as my Dimension 8400 but intended to be in a gaming system case. It's expecting three internal fans (CPU, rear and front). I only have a CPU fan so at POST the BIOS snivels and makes me press F1 to continue. This is a pain in the ass since I need this system to reboot to the O/S in the event of a power outage while I'm away. It won't do that with the F1 problem. I looked for a BIOS setting to ignore POST errors but there's nothing. So what do I do? Is there a way to "fake" these two fans or should I just install a couple of fans? I don't really have room for them but might be able to cobble something together. Any recommendations on fans if that's the way to go? [Link]
Bob All-Star Member 5516 Posts 3/03	Posted - Jun 17 2008 : 7:57PM The Antec SpotCool may be a good way to go if you don't have a lot of room in your case. It attaches to the motherboard via a mounting screw. It has a flexible stem and a swiveling fan, so you can twist them and point them in the direction you want. It's quiet. The only slightly annoying thing is that it has a flashing blue LED, but that's neither a plus nor a minus unless you have a see-thru case panel (which I don't). I use one to help cool my northbridge. -------------------------- Edited to fix link. Edited by - bob on 6/17/2008 8:09:42 PM [Link]

Drew Black broken crankshaft 8009 Posts 9/99	Posted - Jun 17 2008 : 8:01PM Apparently these Dells use a 4 pin keyed fan connector. Do you know if the SpotCool is a typical 3 pin or a 4 pin? [Link]
Bob All-Star Member 5516 Posts 3/03	Posted - Jun 17 2008 : 8:03PM Double post. Edited by - bob on 6/17/2008 8:10:06 PM [Link]
Drew Black broken crankshaft 8009 Posts 9/99	Posted - Jun 17 2008 : 8:03PM I found a review with a picture. It's the 3 pin type. [Link]
Bob All-Star Member 5516 Posts 3/03	Posted - Jun 17 2008 : 8:04PM ^^^ Ahhh. Didn't know that about the Dells. What a pain in the ass! ----------------------------- Edited by - bob on 6/17/2008 8:07:20 PM [Link]
Bob All-Star Member 5516 Posts 3/03	Posted - Jun 17 2008 : 8:06PM Antec 3-pin to 4-pin Adaptor -------------------------- Edited by - bob on 6/17/2008 8:15:27 PM [Link]
Drew Black broken crankshaft 8009 Posts 9/99	Posted - Jun 17 2008 : 8:44PM I ended up finding a couple of case fans for the XPS Gen 3 on Ebay for $12.00 shipped. The 4 pin is a higher density type, not the power supply type. They are another "unique" Dell feature. [Link]
Bob All-Star Member 5516 Posts 3/03	Posted - Jun 17 2008 : 8:56PM ^^^ These proprietary products that lock you into proprietary accessories are the Devil's handiwork. [Link]
Drew Black broken crankshaft 8009 Posts 9/99	Posted - Jun 17 2008 : 10:06PM Yeah, but I really don't like screwing with this stuff any longer. It's just too cheap (?) and easy (!) to get a system from them and be up and running in no time. Well that's how it usually works anyway. [Link]
Drew Black broken crankshaft 8009 Posts 9/99	Posted - Jun 17 2008 : 10:10PM I picked up a 3.6GHz processor for the new MB too tonight. I'll swap it with the 3.0 and keep the 3.0 for the spare MB. I wonder if I'll notice a difference in 3.6 vs. 3.0? [Link]
RandomPrecision Senior Member Enjoy! 8175 Posts 3/06	Posted - Jun 17 2008 : 10:49PM ^What exactly do you do with the system? [Link]

Bob All-Star Member 5516 Posts 3/03	Posted - Jun 17 2008 : 11:27PM Drew Black wrote: I picked up a 3.6GHz processor for the new MB too tonight. . . . I wonder if I'll notice a difference in 3.6 vs. 3.0? Click to expand Let us know. I'm curious too. [Link]
Drew Black broken crankshaft 8009 Posts 9/99	Posted - Jun 17 2008 : 11:59PM RandomPrecision wrote: ^What exactly do you do with the system? Click to expand Write emails. Edit code. Occasionally I process audio and video files. [Link]
RandomPrecision Senior Member Enjoy! 8175 Posts 3/06	Posted - Jun 18 2008 : 1:34AM In that case, you can probably use all the processor you can get. The emails and stuff wouldn't take much but video editing eats puny computers for breakfast. [Link]
Drew Black broken crankshaft 8009 Posts 9/99	Posted - Jun 18 2008 : 2:23AM I'm processing AVCHD files which require some serious processing power. [Link]
Drew Black broken crankshaft 8009 Posts 9/99	Posted - Jun 20 2008 : 5:50PM I'm having a really strange problem with the new XPS Gen 3 motherboard. If I plug in any USB devices other than a keyboard or mouse the system will completely hang about 8 - 10 seconds later. It appears to be right when it would start doing "new devide found" plug-and-pray business. When I say "hang" it's well-hung. No crt+alt+del, no mouse movement, nada. The only thing that it will respond to is pulling the plug. I've attempted the usual stuff like downloading the latest drivers and installing them, etc. Still no luck. Anyone ever run into something like this before? [Link]
Zoid Senior Member Boobies and Anal 2004 Posts 5/04	Posted - Jun 20 2008 : 6:19PM Did you check if your Plug and Play windows service is running? edit: lots of results on this in Google. Seems like it can be anything. Edited by - Zoid on 6/20/2008 6:52:25 PM [Link]
Drew Black broken crankshaft 8009 Posts 9/99	Posted - Jun 20 2008 : 10:14PM Yeah, it's been a real PITA. I think I'll need to reinstall XP in order to fix it. It appears that the problem stems from an issue with Dell's BIOS in these systems. I went from a motherboard for a Dell Dimension 8400 to a motherboard designed for the Gen 3 Dell XPS. They are very similar boards, same chipsets, memory , processor, etc. However when I installed the XPS system board Windows XP did it's Plug-and-Pray thing detecting new hardware and installing a bunch of drivers. I now have four different USB drivers trying to load to handle a single USB controller instance in Device Manager. I think that's where the problem lies. I've spent far too much time working on this already. I'm not going to waste any more time on it for a while. I can do without USB ports on this system. I really just needed it functional so I can get all of the registered software over to my new system at some point. [Link]
RandomPrecision Senior Member Enjoy! 8175 Posts 3/06	Posted - Jun 22 2008 : 12:17AM Drew Black wrote: I'm having a really strange problem with the new XPS Gen 3 motherboard. If I plug in any USB devices other than a keyboard or mouse the system will completely hang about 8 - 10 seconds later. It appears to be right when it would start doing "new devide found" plug-and-pray business. When I say "hang" it's well-hung. No crt+alt+del, no mouse movement, nada. The only thing that it will respond to is pulling the plug. I've attempted the usual stuff like downloading the latest drivers and installing them, etc. Still no luck. Anyone ever run into something like this before? Click to expand All I can say is good luck. USB is great when it works right but when something goes wrong, it's a nightmare. [Link]
Drew Black broken crankshaft 8009 Posts 9/99	Posted - Jul 1 2008 : 12:21PM Bob wrote: Drew Black wrote: I picked up a 3.6GHz processor for the new MB too tonight. . . . I wonder if I'll notice a difference in 3.6 vs. 3.0? Click to expand Let us know. I'm curious too. Click to expand Just an update. The 3.6 might be a faster. It's hard to quantify since I didn't run any before/after benchmarks. I'm processing noise out of podcast files at the moment and the process appears to run faster. I process these files in WAV format. A typical podcast is 150 - 250 MB of data. It's able to apply the noise filtering in about 30 seconds now, it used to take longer. [Link]
Bob All-Star Member 5516 Posts 3/03	Posted - Jul 1 2008 : 9:55PM Thanks for the update, Drew! [Link]