Motherboard Problem

[#1]

My computer shutdown the other day I had a blank screen and there was a solid amber light on the corner of my screen I had the Dell man out to see the problem and he fitted a new motherboard I have had my computer for nearly three years I just wondered how long this component lasts because there is a warranty of three months on this new part.

[#2]

They last as long as any piece of electronic equipment these days. Usually it is capacitors drying out that cause problems, but if your pc is 3 years old now you should get an other couple from it, unless you decide you want to run a new M$ os it 

[#3]

A new motherboard should have at least a 12 month warranty and in any case is covered by the Sale of Goods act.
The only way it could only have a 3 month warranty is if he put in a second hand or used item

[#4]

Given the original was 3 years old it is probably refurb hence 3 months.

[#5]

A brand new pc can fail or it can last for 5 plus years without a hitch, but 3 years is about the norm for failures from the ones I have had.  Less if its in a dusty room, they are a dust magnet which kills them if left to build up.
At that stage with mine currently when I am expecting my second major failure, its currently 5 years old but its on its second motherboard, first died just under 3 years old and thankfully still under warranty, now 2 years later and waiting for the inevitable failure.

[#6]

Well my main pc is a dell 9200 that I got from freecycle, I have had it for about 2+ years now and it wasn't new then.
Keep them clean and they will work, smoke is the biggest killer as it coats the fans with tar.

[#7]

The motherboard which I had fitted Wednesday as not worked I am having the same problem which is the screen freezes and I have to switch off my computer from the desktop,and when I press the button to start the computer I get the solid amber light on the bottom of the screen,the only way to get things working again as normal is to switch the power off and wait a while and power up again  and things are back to normal.I have contacted Dell and they are going to send their computer man on Monday with a new motherboard and a new battery why on earth they are bringing a new motherboard I do not know,I will hope he will sort this problem out

[#8]

The only 2 things is is likely to be is the psu or the motherboard, if the replacement (2) mb still doesn't work then I would say the psu is faulty.

[#9]

Buy a cheap PSU tester, takes a minute to test.  Run the manufacturers test on the harddrive (download it from their website) run memtest86 to check system ram.  Locking up can mean ANY component in the system can be at fault.  I have had front usb ports causing lockups, dvd drives, hard drives, ram, cpu, mainboard, vga card etc etc.
It is only by a process of elimination and of testing all your hardware first that you can pinpoint the failure. 
Its worth getting a psu tester, they can be had from ebay for £5 and are easy to use.  If the psu is faulty then you can get a very high quality one for £30 with a 3-5 year warranty, takes 10 mins to fit and cable tie nicely, job done.  Really isnt rocket science.

[#10]

would love to know where i can get a high quality PSU from for £30  unless you mean CIT < or powercool 
a decent PSU you should be looking about at least £50 to get some sort of reliability

[#11]

I've found cheaper PSUs to have poor line stability with the various voltages dropping considerably under load.

[#12]

Quote

would love to know where i can get a high quality PSU from for £30  unless you mean CIT < or powercool  a decent PSU you should be looking about at least £50 to get some sort of reliability

When I built my mother's PC earlier this year I bought a Coolermaster GX RS450 PSU with 5 year warranty from scan.co.uk for £30+postage.  CIT are not quality. I have had powercool PSUs fail within 12 months aswell.  I have always fitted Corsair PSUs in my system builds but then I probably spend alot more cash on my rigs than the average Joe who wants to do everything on the cheap and expect it to last for 10 years.
Scan are doing a Corsair CX450w psu at the moment for £35.32 inc vat.  2 year warranty.  They also do a 450w Antec PSU £30.54 inc vat 2 year warranty.  Aria.co.uk do a 500w 80+ certified, 3 year warranty for £35.94 inc vat.

[#13]

nice AI3x , my bad i was looking at over 500w psu 

[#14]

np rongtw.  Nice rig spec you have there. 

[#15]

I found that tower units that sit on the floor (where its cooler) tend to fail rather quickly. Leave them up somewhere higher where they don't get much opportunity for damp and they seem to last longer.