Powersupply or motherboard???

Hi, I'm on a mission to patch together some kid's emachines T2682 P4 pc. I'm pretty sure the motherboard is toast, I managed to get it running once, began a defrag, then the screen went to "no signal" (I could hear it was still running) and on reboot, no beeps, no post, no signal. The fans run, so I think the power supply is ok. I removed the ram, still no beeps, no video signal. I'm set to order another board, but I read where in most cases the power supply is what causes the mboard failure. Should I get a power suplly and try that first????? Is there a way to just check the ps?

 

It's been my experience that most EMachine's of the 2400, 2500, and 2600 series have faulty power supplies that don't last. And when they fail, they tend to take the motherboard down also. The only true way to test a PSU is to hook it up to a multimeter and check the volts, amps, watts, everything. I've had PSU's pass voltage tests but still not power up a PC due to low amp output. Since decent PSU's can be purchased for under $50 (under $40 on special), it's not a bad idea to get one anyway to be on the safe side. Why take the chance with a brand new motherboard? Even if the old PSU still works, it's grossly under-powered and has years of use already on it. Those stock EMachine PSU's are notoriously weak.

 

thanks, I'm going to search ebay for one!

 

You should be able to get a new MATX motherboard with a socket 478 for under $70.00. DO NOT buy a used motherboard! You'll be back in the same your in now before you know it, unless the used board comes with a decent warranty. ECS, BioStar, FoxConn, and GigaByte are just a few manufacturers that still make socket 478 motherboards.