I'd recommend an Intel CPU. AMD are coming back, but are not quite there as far as I can tell.

I'd recommend an Nvidia GPU, but ATI graphics cards really are just as good, I'm just an Nvidia...

Yes, there are different types of motherboards (called chipsets. AMD, Nvidia and Intel each have their own chipsets) and then different brands. Many brands (ASUS, MSI etc.) will make their own model,...

From here: http://murfsgarage.cybertechhelp.com/cmos.htm

Here's a photo: http://www.hermann-uwe.de/photoblog/laptop-cmos-battery

Sorry I can't be more help, I've never done open case surgery...

I agree with efmesch, but you have to relax somehow. Doing that with a few games rather than going out drinking etc. might be a good move.

I can't suggest a laptop but I will say that getting the...

I also thought of ram, but not the hertz.

I have had issues with the BIOS not detecting the timing of my RAM correctly. I researched the proper timings (in my case 5-5-5-15) and the proper volts...

yes, the USB is the way to do it.

I think ASUS have an online BIOS updater. Whatever you do DON'T USE THIS :)

Just goes to show, you don't get much for 2 cents these days ;)

If you're not getting to the BIOS, a CMOS reset is your only easy option left, that I can see.

My 2 cents:

Try loading the failsafe defaults in your BIOS. Maybe the optimised defaults.

LGA775 is the socket type, and tells you the broad family of CPUs you can use.

Each motherboard is set up to use a certain group of CPUs. When they want to add extra ones to the list, they release...

Disclaimer: the following was written while drunk after a long (8am - 8pm) day at work ;)

Brands are a bit of a personal choice thing. I like MSI, Gigabyte, Abit and EVGA but that's just me; can...

If I understand you correctly, these 2 links may help:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AMD#Processor_market_history
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_AMD_microprocessors

yes that does sound like a heat problem.

I suppose you're using the stock heatsink?

the clips on those are quite silly, that's where I'd look first. Are all 4 corners down into the mobo...

Ouch, that doesn't sound very good.

You have to press 'any key' (spacebar) for it to boot from the disk. That said, I've never seen the 'failure' message before. I would guess that your CD is not...

Nice looking setup.

I'd certainly go for the Q9300 out of those 2. It performs a little better, but it also supports SSE 4.1 which the Q6600 does not. Not much uses that instruction set now, but...

Whatever someone's willing to pay! (sorry, my idea of a joke).

It's difficult to say really, especially as the dollar is my country is worth a lot less than the pound.

I'd say 200-300 pounds,...

lochii's link to the Crucial website (and yours also) look good for your RAM; but if I were you I'd have a physical look at your motherboard and see whether you've got 4 RAM slots or 2, as there's a...

That's a gutsy move right there. Thanks for sharing, I'd never have the nerve to try that myself :) I'd be too worried about the hot water warping something.

I'm behind the curve on these new i7 motherboards, but I'm pretty sure the X58 chipset is the only one.
Here a roundup of a few. While all under $300 they are still quite expensive LINK...

I can't help but ask, why did you put your motherboard in a dishwasher?

Post # 8 does look a bit out of place

Your motherboard determines how much RAM you can have. CPUz is a good way to find out what mobo u have, download it here (http://www.cpuid.com/cpuz.php) (top left hand corner). You can then go to the...

http://www.wbuf.noaa.gov/tempfc.htm

But most programs have the option of displaying either Celsius or Fahrenheigt, might be worth looking for for this in the options; save u doing the calc. each...

EDIT: IN THE TIME IT TOOK TO WRITE THIS 5 POSTS APPEARED. YOU SEEM TO HAVE SOLVED IT ;)

Ah, yes the compound that comes with the fan would be enough if it's brand new. You still need to clean the...

hahahaha

Very good Suspishio ;)

Once it's dry (using whatever half-baked idea you decide on, lol) I'd give the electrical contacts a clean with some iso-propyl alcohol. Oh yeah, and cross your fingers, can't forget that step.

To make things simpler, try taking out all the RAM except for 1 stick.

If you're confident, have a look at the RAM settings it's detected to ensure it's detected the correct speeds and voltage.
...

If flashing it doesn't bring it back there's really only a couple of options (assuming you've tried a CMOS reset):

New mobo
Hot-flash (requires a duplicate mobo and some fiddling)
New BIOS chip...

I found this, which sounds like your issue:

http://www.clickykeyboards.com/index.cfm/fa/items.main/parentcat/11298/subcatid/0/id/179740

However I can't find any of these 'signal converters'...

I just noticed your 3.3 volt rail is down as well. It could just be a metering problem, or a Speedfan cockup.

But, if you have another PSU to try I think it would be worth looking at.

Here's...

Well obviously it's very hard to say, but my first thought was a network issue. Your computer may be getting lost trying to configure itself. Try changing your computer from auto to manual (setting...

No, not over the top, but there's something to be said for getting the best you can afford.

If spending an extra $50 gets you 10% more performance, you'd have to go for it.

Personally I got a...

You can SLI two of those cards, but only on an SLI motherboard like a 780i or an X58, not on an X48.

And yes, having 4 cards (well 2x2) is very pointless. Most games won't utilise it and NVidia...

Do you mean two 9800GX2s in SLI or just the one 9800GX2 because the X48 will take one 9800GX2 but not 2 of them.

The GTX295 is out now for about $500 USD which is the new NVidia dual card. Not...

There's a few basic categories of motherboards, then there's brands.

First choose a CPU, this will narrow it down. As jbennet says the Intel Core Quads perform better than the AMD, but are more...

Looks like a good budget choice. I don't know about onboard graphics (I've always had a graphics card). I'm guessing you could play a bit of half life 2, but BF2142 is probably not going to work.

I've actually got one here, it's a DL2032, 3 volts
http://images.ryman.co.uk/images/medium/2012610201.jpg

make sure you unplug the power cable from the back of you computer BEFORE taking out the battery :)

I have Vista64 with all the latest patches and I can use my full 4GB of RAM. If you decide to go that route, I'd suggest installing with only 2GB, getting all the Vista updates, then putting in the...

1) XP-64 does. You need a 64 bit operating system to use the full 4GB, but personally I wouldn't go XP-64. Vista was designed with 64 in mind, XP wasn't.
2) Vista-64 does. There is a 32 bit and 64...

Yeah you can install a 64bit o/s, your CPU supports it. A compatible CPU and motherboard are the requirements.

I can't give o/s recommendations, as people's experiences vary so much. Some love...