burningclown@burningclown.com wrote:
Hi - Would appreciate advice on this topic, if anyone has a moment to offer it.I've been happily running Debian for 2 years or so on a Dell Dimension XPS T700r.
> <snip re lightning-damaged mobo> >
My question is, given that this isn't a bleeding edge machine (hardly) anyway, should I try to find a motherboard for it or just consider it a metal ottoman and look around for something else?
If the case is a standard ATX case with a good power supply (200W min, 300W better), just get a new motherboard. If you then still experience issues, you can replace other things one at a time (hard drive, video card, etc). Of course, with a new mobo you'll have to get new RAM, and perhaps sound/video depending on integration of both old and new boards, etc. You may wind up paying just as much as you would if you bought a machine off-the-shelf, but you'll know what quality of components are in the case.
If the case is an AT case, or is proprietary, then shop for a new machine (or build your own completely).
Kent