Processor and MBO combination

[Vitamin Z]

Hello everyone. I'm thinking about upgrading my computer pretty soon so I'd
like some advice...

Which processor should I buy? (AMD/ Intel)

Should it be with 64-bit arhitecture?

How many MHz should it have (and would it pay out to overclock it then)?

What motherboard should I buy for that processor (ABIT, Asus, Epox, etc.)?

Should this mainboard have a PCI Express slot (would it be wise to plan
ahead and take this, if it's gonna replace AGP?)

I currently have a Radeon 9600 XT with AGP 8x and that normally wouldn't fit
in a PCI Express slot and I don't have money to buy a PCI Express graphics
card, so I kinda think that PCI Express isn't an option here?

Thanks for the answers!

Vitamin Z

 

[kony]

Hello everyone. I'm thinking about upgrading my computer pretty soon so I'd
like some advice...

Which processor should I buy? (AMD/ Intel)

Bad question, historically causes flamewars.
Buy the CPU that fits in your preferred motherboard. Buy
the one that benches faster at your specific most demanding
applications/uses (including app version). The generic
answer is that Athlon 64 is faster on average even ignoring
it's 64 bit support.

Should it be with 64-bit arhitecture?

It won't hurt to have that from Athon 64, but generally it
depends on how long you'll use system.

How many MHz should it have (and would it pay out to overclock it then)?

Depends on use and budget. Around 2GHz Athlon is the
current value range. Closer to 3GHz for Intel P4. Similar
performance from either (roughly speaking, see benchmark
remark above). Overclocking can have a VERY substantial
performance and/or value benefit, but it's only useful if
you have the knowledge and patience to "go it right", make
sure you have enough power, cooling, and stability....
without the stability you'll be better off at stock speed
and sometimes it's the worst kind of instability, data
corruption.

From your general questions I'd suggest you not overclock
unless you can set aside the new build for a while to test
and learn more about the new system's potential instead of
relying on it during that testing period... which is a hard
thing for some people, naturally they want to go ahead and
start using their new bits immediately for primary computer
tasks.

What motherboard should I buy for that processor (ABIT, Asus, Epox, etc.)?

Yep. ;-)

Buy one of the larger, better supported brands. Generally
that's Asus, MSI, Gigabyte, Abit, Intel retail, though other
makes like Epox, Shuttle, Biostar, seem better than they
used to be - but still more of a gamble IMO.

Should this mainboard have a PCI Express slot (would it be wise to plan
ahead and take this, if it's gonna replace AGP?)

Yes, unless you have a valuable AGP video card that you'll
want/need to reuse.

I currently have a Radeon 9600 XT with AGP 8x and that normally wouldn't fit
in a PCI Express slot and I don't have money to buy a PCI Express graphics
card, so I kinda think that PCI Express isn't an option here?

Seems like you already answered your own question. Your
video card is valuable enough to YOU. Indeed it won't fit
in a PCI-Express slot, but on a positive note, with limited
upgrade budget one may find mature AGP based boards are a
little less expensive too. In the long run PCI-Express is
the better solution but in the long run, you might want to
upgrade again someday and can then make the switch-over...
or sell the current card to recoup some funds.

 

[Mac Cool]

Vitamin Z:

Hello everyone. I'm thinking about upgrading my computer pretty soon
so I'd like some advice...

Tell us the main activities you use your computer for and what your budget
it.

 

[John]

Vitamin Z

Depends on your budget and where you live. Prices are getting
compressed so there isnt the stark differences in ranges now so it
depends on how much you have to stick to a budget.

After getting rid of my 2500/3200 barton Im using my old 1000 gig XP
and its surprisingly decent as long as I dont have to do anything like
compression and uncompression - RAR files or make MP3s etc and other
CPU intensive stuff its not bad at all. The other is games of course.
So a 2 gig AMD XP isnt bad at all for casual users. However Id give
the old recommendation of going with the Barton 2500 since the OEM is
around $85 - if you have a fan/htsink already or can get one cheap its
defintely worth it plus a cheap nforce2 or VIA motherboard that can
hit FSB200 - and if you have DDR 400/3200 already. If you can get the
MB and CPU for $150 or less around there then its a decent deal.

IF you start hitting $200 - the problem here is the compression of
price ranges between the 754 socket vs the 939. Generally I would say
get the 939 but it depends on how tight your budget is. Sometimes if
you are a kid or a student you CANT spend that extra $50-100. IF you
just cant eventhough the prices have gotten so close its generally not
worth getting the 754 there are some deals which might make it a
better deal for people who just cant spend anymore and have DDR
400/3200 mem. Ive seen some deals recently for combos -

Like this AMD 64 3200:
http://shop3.outpost.com/product/4304795

Generally its a ECS board one of the lowest makers of motherboards.
This is if you are in the US. The 754 will give you more options than
the older XP socket A boards though they are slated to be phased out
in a year or so. There are lots of sub $100 754 boards.

The best bet is to the 939 socket AMD 64 but the hot
chip 3000 AMD 64 939 is going up and down in price because of the
supply and demand situation. However if you look around you should be
able to get a retail version of $159 or so.

The big choice here is PCI express or not.
IF you pick an older AGP/PCI board its
NFORCE3 vs K8T880 VIA - and the prices can be cheap - sub $100
to $129 or so for the top rated MSI board. Theres lots of good boards
here that are OCeable etc but youll end up in the high $200-300 range.
About $100 more than the lowest 754 deals. Thats generally not a big
deal but it all depends on your budget situation. The nforce3 etc are
all reasonably mature boards that are full featured etc.

The thing is the PCI express boards - the makers have kind of put out
teasers - initially at least some low prices and claims of
availibility so for a bit more you feel like spending even more and
going for it. Thats what hooked me but frankly the availibility stinks
so far and Ive heard of some problems , you know theres going to be
more bugs reported as time goes on and prices are really fluctuating.
The boards were supposedly available in Dec - some SLIs the really
high priced units were and you can get those now - but the prices are
$200-300 ! The initial range was reported like this - nforce4 budget
less than 100 to 100 , nforce4 Ultras 100-150 and SLIs 150-200.
Anything below SLIs the inventory is spotty. The only I know is maybe
the Gigabytes - an ultra and budget. You can get the Giga budget but
they upped the price from 125 or so to 145 and up.

The one Chaintech which was briefly available in Dec but sold out and
not available - Ive read there might be some problems though the
consumer feedback at Newegg of the initial batch is good , was the one
Im look at - an ULTRA for 116 or so initially but thats been creeping
up to 129 now and still not available.

I finally see some MSIs listed at one place with an ETA of 1/19 so
hopefully by the end up this month there will be more choices ,
inventory that will bring prices down.

You can sell your AGP card and try to go all out for PCI Express -
theoretically it will cost you maybe $330 or so a bit more than a 939
AGP/PCI board and 939 CPU - slight difference in the MB once the
prices come down. However youll probably end up selling your AGP for
cheap and buying a 6600 for $100-130 or a 6600 GT $180-230. The 6600GT
PCI express is sold finally at COMPUSA this week for $220 so with PCI
express vid cards finally beginning to sell (its the first one at my
local COMPUSA which only sold AGP until this week) PCI express prices
and availibility may improve too. So right now we are right on the
cusp - frankly it stinks right now but theres a constant teaser the
last few weeks about how things will change any week now which makes
you want to just go for it.

If I had a brain Id just buy a nforce3 now - I dont have the PC I want
, Im stuck with a AGP 6800 I have to sell and I cant stand waiting.
Ill also end up spending probably 100-150 more. Im getting my LCD
Viewsonic tomorrow , if I went 939 + nforce3 I could order it right
now and have a PC in a few days and save 100-150. As it is ---- Im
still waiting for the Chaintech ultra or ANY other decent Ultra chip
nforce4 to get in stock at a reasonable price $130 or less AND itll
probably have bugs AND I have to sell my AGP AND I have to buy a lower
end 6600 GT or wait until 6800 PCI express - which sell for ridiculous
prices and are also hard to even find OR wait for this mythical ATI
800 XL and spend even more $$. Maybe weeks of more waiting and extra
$$. If the 800XL takes more than a month forget it then, the 6600GT
will be reasonable. Id rather get the 6800 PCI express since you could
possibly unlock the pipes and overclock it a bit. In stock form its
really close to the 6600GT.

I think a $230-240 6800 std 128 meg price is decent but the price now
is often a mindboggling $270-300 with an occaisonal deep sale down to
$230-240.

 

[John]

Vitamin Z

Depends on your budget and where you live. Prices are getting
compressed so there isnt the stark differences in ranges now so it
depends on how much you have to stick to a budget.

After getting rid of my 2500/3200 barton Im using my old 1000 gig XP
and its surprisingly decent as long as I dont have to do anything like
compression and uncompression - RAR files or make MP3s etc and other
CPU intensive stuff its not bad at all. The other is games of course.
So a 2 gig AMD XP isnt bad at all for casual users. However Id give
the old recommendation of going with the Barton 2500 since the OEM is
around $85 - if you have a fan/htsink already or can get one cheap its
defintely worth it plus a cheap nforce2 or VIA motherboard that can
hit FSB200 - and if you have DDR 400/3200 already. If you can get the
MB and CPU for $150 or less around there then its a decent deal.

IF you start hitting $200 - the problem here is the compression of
price ranges between the 754 socket vs the 939. Generally I would say
get the 939 but it depends on how tight your budget is. Sometimes if
you are a kid or a student you CANT spend that extra $50-100. IF you
just cant eventhough the prices have gotten so close its generally not
worth getting the 754 there are some deals which might make it a
better deal for people who just cant spend anymore and have DDR
400/3200 mem. Ive seen some deals recently for combos -

Like this AMD 64 3200:
http://shop3.outpost.com/product/4304795

Generally its a ECS board one of the lowest makers of motherboards.
This is if you are in the US. The 754 will give you more options than
the older XP socket A boards though they are slated to be phased out
in a year or so. There are lots of sub $100 754 boards.

The best bet is to the 939 socket AMD 64 but the hot
chip 3000 AMD 64 939 is going up and down in price because of the
supply and demand situation. However if you look around you should be
able to get a retail version of $159 or so.

The big choice here is PCI express or not.
IF you pick an older AGP/PCI board its
NFORCE3 vs K8T880 VIA - and the prices can be cheap - sub $100
to $129 or so for the top rated MSI board. Theres lots of good boards
here that are OCeable etc but youll end up in the high $200-300 range.
About $100 more than the lowest 754 deals. Thats generally not a big
deal but it all depends on your budget situation. The nforce3 etc are
all reasonably mature boards that are full featured etc.

The thing is the PCI express boards - the makers have kind of put out
teasers - initially at least some low prices and claims of
availibility so for a bit more you feel like spending even more and
going for it. Thats what hooked me but frankly the availibility stinks
so far and Ive heard of some problems , you know theres going to be
more bugs reported as time goes on and prices are really fluctuating.
The boards were supposedly available in Dec - some SLIs the really
high priced units were and you can get those now - but the prices are
$200-300 ! The initial range was reported like this - nforce4 budget
less than 100 to 100 , nforce4 Ultras 100-150 and SLIs 150-200.
Anything below SLIs the inventory is spotty. The only I know is maybe
the Gigabytes - an ultra and budget. You can get the Giga budget but
they upped the price from 125 or so to 145 and up.

The one Chaintech which was briefly available in Dec but sold out and
not available - Ive read there might be some problems though the
consumer feedback at Newegg of the initial batch is good , was the one
Im look at - an ULTRA for 116 or so initially but thats been creeping
up to 129 now and still not available.

I finally see some MSIs listed at one place with an ETA of 1/19 so
hopefully by the end up this month there will be more choices ,
inventory that will bring prices down.

You can sell your AGP card and try to go all out for PCI Express -
theoretically it will cost you maybe $330 or so a bit more than a 939
AGP/PCI board and 939 CPU - slight difference in the MB once the
prices come down. However youll probably end up selling your AGP for
cheap and buying a 6600 for $100-130 or a 6600 GT $180-230. The 6600GT
PCI express is sold finally at COMPUSA this week for $220 so with PCI
express vid cards finally beginning to sell (its the first one at my
local COMPUSA which only sold AGP until this week) PCI express prices
and availibility may improve too. So right now we are right on the
cusp - frankly it stinks right now but theres a constant teaser the
last few weeks about how things will change any week now which makes
you want to just go for it.

If I had a brain Id just buy a nforce3 now - I dont have the PC I want
, Im stuck with a AGP 6800 I have to sell and I cant stand waiting.
Ill also end up spending probably 100-150 more. Im getting my LCD
Viewsonic tomorrow , if I went 939 + nforce3 I could order it right
now and have a PC in a few days and save 100-150. As it is ---- Im
still waiting for the Chaintech ultra or ANY other decent Ultra chip
nforce4 to get in stock at a reasonable price $130 or less AND itll
probably have bugs AND I have to sell my AGP AND I have to buy a lower
end 6600 GT or wait until 6800 PCI express - which sell for ridiculous
prices and are also hard to even find OR wait for this mythical ATI
800 XL and spend even more $$. Maybe weeks of more waiting and extra
$$. If the 800XL takes more than a month forget it then, the 6600GT
will be reasonable. Id rather get the 6800 PCI express since you could
possibly unlock the pipes and overclock it a bit. In stock form its
really close to the 6600GT.

I think a $230-240 6800 std 128 meg price is decent but the price now
is often a mindboggling $270-300 with an occaisonal deep sale down to
$230-240.

 

[John]

If I had a brain Id just buy a nforce3 now - I dont have the PC I want
, Im stuck with a AGP 6800 I have to sell and I cant stand waiting.
Ill also end up spending probably 100-150 more. Im getting my LCD
Viewsonic tomorrow , if I went 939 + nforce3 I could order it right
now and have a PC in a few days and save 100-150. As it is ---- Im
still waiting for the Chaintech ultra or ANY other decent Ultra chip
nforce4 to get in stock at a reasonable price $130 or less AND itll
probably have bugs AND I have to sell my AGP AND I have to buy a lower
end 6600 GT or wait until 6800 PCI express - which sell for ridiculous
prices and are also hard to even find OR wait for this mythical ATI
800 XL and spend even more $$.

I take it back .................Im that close to doing the Ren and
Stimpy Happy Happy Joy Joy song and dance............
My PC is getting closer to completion.................

 

[Vitamin Z]

Vitamin Z:


Tell us the main activities you use your computer for and what your budget
it.

Well, see, I'm not in America. I'm in Croatia in Europe.
I mainly use my computer for games and so on. My current configuration is:

ECS P4VXASD2+
INTEL Celeron 1.7 GHz, Williamette
512 MB DDR RAM, PC2100
Maxtor 6E040LO 40 GB, 7200 rpm
Sapphire ATi Radeon 9600 XT, 128 DDR, AGP 8x
Codegen 300W power supply
....

I'm experiencing only one problem. And that's freezing.
My computer tends to freeze up now and then. And I hate it. I'm suspecting
at the voltage on either somewhere on the mainboard or maybe the CPU. I've
changed every component from the start of that problem, except the mainboard
and CPU, so I guess they're not exactly best friends. I've also heard that a
VIA chipset and an Intel processor are not exactly the best combination out
there.
But when I was buying this, I unfortunately didn't know that.
As for the chipset, it's a VIA VT8753A Apollo P4X333.
It's also possible that the chipset is overheating. Is there any way to see
that? There's a passive Cu cooler mounted on it.
It might not be enough. Would it help if I installed an active cooler on the
chipset? As it is for the budget, I must say it's not very high. I could
maximally give up to 400$...
Sorry, but the financial situation in our country...well, it's not best.

Vitamin Z

 

[kony]

Well, see, I'm not in America. I'm in Croatia in Europe.
I mainly use my computer for games and so on. My current configuration is:

ECS P4VXASD2+
INTEL Celeron 1.7 GHz, Williamette
512 MB DDR RAM, PC2100
Maxtor 6E040LO 40 GB, 7200 rpm
Sapphire ATi Radeon 9600 XT, 128 DDR, AGP 8x
Codegen 300W power supply
...

Starting with those parts, you'll need more than just CPU &
mobo. You'll also need faster memory, "likely" a better
power supply too. For everyday uses, you might find the
biggest performance increase comes from a faster hard drive.

I'm experiencing only one problem. And that's freezing.
My computer tends to freeze up now and then. And I hate it. I'm suspecting
at the voltage on either somewhere on the mainboard or maybe the CPU.

If the system has temp monitoring, check those temps.
Check the fans and the voltages... at least with the onboard
monitors (if present) but better still with a multimeter.

I've
changed every component from the start of that problem, except the mainboard
and CPU, so I guess they're not exactly best friends. I've also heard that a
VIA chipset and an Intel processor are not exactly the best combination out
there.

Combinations of Via board and Intel CPUs will not cause this
problem alone, there is something else causing it rather
than the board chipset. That doesn't necessrily mean the
board isn't to blame if it were failing, or that there isn't
some software or other configuration problem. You've cut
corners with the motherboard and power supply, and now have
more variables, potential problem spots.

Determine the nature of the lockup. I mentioned voltages
and temps, but examine the board for failed capacitors too.

But when I was buying this, I unfortunately didn't know that.
As for the chipset, it's a VIA VT8753A Apollo P4X333.
It's also possible that the chipset is overheating. Is there any way to see
that? There's a passive Cu cooler mounted on it.

Is it mounted with tape alone or with push-pins through tabs
on the 'sink? If it's just push-pins, pull the sink off and
check the interface. If it's using a thermal phase-change
pad you might need to scrape it off with (something like a
credit card) and some petroleum solvent, then put some
thermal grease on it. I doubt it's overheating though,
particularly at the 100MHz (DDR400) used with a Celeron it
should have good tolerance for stability at high temps.

It might not be enough. Would it help if I installed an active cooler on the
chipset? As it is for the budget, I must say it's not very high. I could
maximally give up to 400$...
Sorry, but the financial situation in our country...well, it's not best.

Try leaving the side-panel off the system and point a fan at
it. If that helps, focus on better cooling for specific
parts. If that doesn't help, consider trying another power
supply... you'd probably need it anyway for the CPU &
motherboard upgrade, so if you bought it now you'd have a
better idea if that was the problem.... after checking
temps and voltages, all above things.

 

[Vitamin Z]

Starting with those parts, you'll need more than just CPU &
mobo. You'll also need faster memory, "likely" a better
power supply too. For everyday uses, you might find the
biggest performance increase comes from a faster hard drive.

Memory? What brand do you recommend?
As for the HDD, perhaps a Western Digital or a Seagate should also be good?
I'd say that a 120 GB capacity should be enough?

If the system has temp monitoring, check those temps.
Check the fans and the voltages... at least with the onboard
monitors (if present) but better still with a multimeter.

Yeah well, see, I've used both the internal BIOS temperature monitor and
AIDA32's temperature monitor and, when I play games for a while and suddenly
exit, I catch the Mainboard at a 38°, and the CPU 51°. The temperature
immediately starts falling when I exit the game, and holds itself about 42°
(CPU) and the Mainboard holds at a 34° to 36°.

Combinations of Via board and Intel CPUs will not cause this
problem alone, there is something else causing it rather
than the board chipset. That doesn't necessrily mean the
board isn't to blame if it were failing, or that there isn't
some software or other configuration problem. You've cut
corners with the motherboard and power supply, and now have
more variables, potential problem spots.

Yeah, well, maybe. But as I afore mentioned, I've changed every component
since the start of this problem except the CPU and MBO, even the power
supply, although I've only switched the manufacturer, not the strength. I've
had 300W before, I have 300W now as well. So this is not excluded as the
problem.

Determine the nature of the lockup. I mentioned voltages
and temps, but examine the board for failed capacitors too.

I already did that. Everything seems to be fine. But you know what, I
recently did some cleaning on the inside of the case. I totally dismounted
the CPU fan both active and passive, and cleaned it, it was full of dust.
Perhaps it was choking. I don't have thermal grease or anything between the
passive and the CPU, but I was told it wasn't neccessary for a processor of
my type. As a matter of fact, I didn't a single freeze from then, but we'll
see.

Is it mounted with tape alone or with push-pins through tabs
on the 'sink? If it's just push-pins, pull the sink off and
check the interface. If it's using a thermal phase-change
pad you might need to scrape it off with (something like a
credit card) and some petroleum solvent, then put some
thermal grease on it. I doubt it's overheating though,
particularly at the 100MHz (DDR400) used with a Celeron it
should have good tolerance for stability at high temps.

I think there is some sort of grease on it. I don't see any pins or
anything. It's probably sticked. But the passive Cu seems a bit warm as
well. Does the chipset temperature account under ''Mainboard Temperature''?

Try leaving the side-panel off the system and point a fan at
it. If that helps, focus on better cooling for specific
parts. If that doesn't help, consider trying another power
supply... you'd probably need it anyway for the CPU &
motherboard upgrade, so if you bought it now you'd have a
better idea if that was the problem.... after checking
temps and voltages, all above things.

I have an additional fan inside. I had two of them, but one of them started
to make noises, and I took it out. After a while I put it back, and then it
lasted two days and I guess it overburned itself. It just stopped working.

 

[kony]

Memory? What brand do you recommend?

Yes, nothing modern uses the (now slow, relatively speaking)
PC2100 memory. I suggest whichever name-brand is most cost
effective in their budget-grades of PC3200. I don't know
the market in your area.

As for the HDD, perhaps a Western Digital or a Seagate should also be good?
I'd say that a 120 GB capacity should be enough?

We can't predict how much data you'll have. If you feel
120GB is enough, then so be it. A liquid-bearing (quieter)
8MB cache model would be preferred. Seagate has the 5 year
warranty so they're somewhat preferrible to the WD, though
neither is the highest performance option, rather a good
value-priced upgrade.

Yeah well, see, I've used both the internal BIOS temperature monitor and
AIDA32's temperature monitor and, when I play games for a while and suddenly
exit, I catch the Mainboard at a 38°, and the CPU 51°. The temperature
immediately starts falling when I exit the game, and holds itself about 42°
(CPU) and the Mainboard holds at a 34° to 36°.

Those temps are not high enough to be alarmed about, if
they're accurate. The motherboard and CPU should remain
stable at those temps, especially running at stock speeds
opposed to overclocking.

Yeah, well, maybe. But as I afore mentioned, I've changed every component
since the start of this problem except the CPU and MBO, even the power
supply, although I've only switched the manufacturer, not the strength. I've
had 300W before, I have 300W now as well. So this is not excluded as the
problem.

Your current power supply is known to be low quality, lower
than 300W actual capacity (300W is closer to a peak, not
sustained rating). For this reason the power supply has not
been ruled out, both of them might've been insufficient for
the system.

Since the CPU is running the system, that's not likely the
problem. Additionally, it should have a thermal throttling
such that temp doesn't cause this kind of problem unless the
heatsink had entirely fallen off.

The motherbaord, it's hard to say... I despise ECS boards as
they seem able to cut so many corners that things normally
taken for granted, might go wrong on one. I suppose one
issue is whether you're upgrading simply because the system
isn't currently stable, OR if you also wanted a performance
increase. Certainly a Celeron 1.7 is slow by modern
standards, indeed it's not much if any faster than a Pentium
3 1GHz for most uses. I don't recall how well a Radeon
9600XT plays modern games, but there's a pretty good chance
the Celeron is holding it back, is the primary bottleneck.

I already did that. Everything seems to be fine. But you know what, I
recently did some cleaning on the inside of the case. I totally dismounted
the CPU fan both active and passive, and cleaned it, it was full of dust.
Perhaps it was choking. I don't have thermal grease or anything between the
passive and the CPU, but I was told it wasn't neccessary for a processor of
my type. As a matter of fact, I didn't a single freeze from then, but we'll
see.

I don't quite understand what you meant but I'll provide the
following to hopefully make the situation clear:

The northbridge heatsink should have either thermal tape,
phase-change "goo", or thermal paste under it. It should
not be a 'dry' heatsink to northbridge contact. If it had
thermal tape or phase-change "goo", then once you remove the
heatsink, that interface material cannot be reused, it needs
to be removed completely as it won't make a proper bond
anymore. In it's place you should use grease. Grease will
provide the best heat transfer of the three, but it should
be used sparingly, only a little bit on it.

As for the CPU, it's the same situation. The heatsink
should not sit 'dry' on the CPU with nothing inbetween the
two. A retail 'sink should've came with a phase-change pad
already on the heatsink base, but some aftermarket heatsinks
might not. Regardless of which yours is, the temps you
reported are low enough for it to be stable. The remaining
question is whether those temps are accurate.

I think there is some sort of grease on it. I don't see any pins or
anything. It's probably sticked. But the passive Cu seems a bit warm as
well. Does the chipset temperature account under ''Mainboard Temperature''?

Yes, usually the chipset temp is called the "mainboard" or
"system" temp. Occasionally a motherboard will have a
separate sensor for that, but usually not. Try pointing a
fan into the system, see if it makes any difference.

I have an additional fan inside. I had two of them, but one of them started
to make noises, and I took it out. After a while I put it back, and then it
lasted two days and I guess it overburned itself. It just stopped working.

It probably needed lubed, a drop or two of heavyweight oil
in the bearing.