Thanks, but I figure a new MB, plus HD will still cost me $250 all in vs $400 for a new PC. This is not a high performance machine, just managing our household.
That's right if you buy a new mobo, but mobos that accept that processor are relatively old (electronics get "old" and lose price quickly, so "old" is a relative term, what matters is that they
dramatically lost price), so you'll find one for 40$ or so (
here an example list). You have both processor, RAM, case and PSU so that's cash you don't need to pay again.
You need to look for motherboards that have
socket AM2+, which is the connector for the CPU. A brand I personally recommend is "AS Rock", as I keep finding tons of their mobos that still work after 5+ years. Also the Motherboard must support the kind of ram you have, either DDR2 or DDR3, in case you don't know,
this image will help you figure out the kind of ram banks you have.
Don't forget to buy a good thermal paste to put between the processor and heat sink. Must state "non-conductive", so even if it oozes on contacts it won't short-circuit (=fry) anything.
THis is a good one, but you don't need so much, try to find smaller containers.
In case you don't know how to remove the processor or RAM (and reassemble and apply thermal paste properly, you can find tons of videos by just googling for "remove/replace AM2+ processor" or similar.
Plus, would I be able to reinstall Win 7 if it's not a MB specific for the Aspre 1301?
The licence is valid only for the specific motherboard that is now dead (so either you find the same motherboard or it won't work). The name of the motherboard is printed on it, so if you open the computer you should see it near the banks of RAM.
Still, quite a few people with similar issues and a OEM windows 7 used the
phone activation, and explaining their issues managed to get a new activation anyway. I suggest to call them BEFORE deciding if buying replacement parts, because if they refuse to give you the code, you need to pay another 80-100$ for a OEM windows 7 (that costs less than a retail version but has the same one-motherboard limit as your old win 7)
So total would be 150$ (plus shipping) if Microsoft is kind and gives a new activation code, or 250$ (plus shipping) if you have to buy a new code.
In any case, decision is up to you.
Silly question though, this is a triple core CPU, but new units I'm seeing are double core. But I imagine the newer ones are still better.
Not necessarily true, only benchmarks can shed some light on what is more powerful.
But mind me, "better" is more "best suited for the job", than "powerful".
Really you can go out and pay up to 1000$ in a 8-core CPU but if all you want to do is office applications, web browsing, very light games and maybe some movies you don't need a better CPU.
