Differences between socket 478 & socket 775

Hi,
This isnt exactly a Dell question but given the helpfull responces I have
been given in the past I thought I would ask anyway. Last night my parents
computer (a home brand P4 2.8Ghz ASUS P4P800-SE motherboard) stopped
starting. It was working on eminute then looked back and screnn was black.
Had to restart it but now no longer even reaches the BIOS Post screen. When
powered on the powerlights will start and fans will run (USB also has power)
but nothing else will run.

I have tried swapping Video, Monitor, Harddrive, as I have similar lying
around but was unable to test CPU, motherboard or RAM as I have nothing
comparible to swap with. I am looking at the motherboard as a likely culprit
to get replaced and was wondering what is the difference is with socket 478
& 775. Current board is 478 and I dont know whether to go same again, or not
knowing if CPU may also be dead to replace both at once and go to the socket
775 setup.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Regards

Robert

 

Well it sounds more like either a motherboard problem, a case short, or
a power supply issue. I'm fairly certain it doesn't have to do with
your RAM, but the CPU may still be at fault. If you have a local Frys,
or any other computer store with a good return policy, I'd try swapping
the case & the PSU first before touching the CPU. If it solves the
problem, great, and if not those items typically are easy to return.
You may also want to check the CMOS battery, just bring it into
Radioshack and ask to borrow a multimeter.

With regards to your main question, the two sockets are physically quite
different, so getting a 775 socket mobo will definitely require a new
CPU. The 478 is being phased out, so a 775 mobo will offer better
future upgradability. There's no really good way of testing a CPU
without a new, compatible mobo. However taking into account it's age
(I'm guessing it's 2-3 years old), that's a really odd time for it to
fail. Most CPU's die immediately or last for quite a long time (5-10
years).