[mythtv-users] Hardware death - CPU vs motherboard?

[Kawayanan]

I have a mythtv box that I have been using for almost 2 years now.  It is
based on a Asus Pundit P1-AH2, with a Athlon X2 4000+ CPU.  Recently, when I
got up one morning it was not running.  When I tried to reboot, it would
freeze up during boot (generally somewhere shortly after POST).  I checked
the BIOS setting and everything seemed fine.  To see if it was a OS problem,
I tried to run an Ubuntu live CD.  This also froze during boot.  My first
guess was a RAM problem (I couldn't get a RAM test to boot up enough to run
though).  I got ahold of a different stick of RAM, and that didn't fix
anything.  Somewhere in all this testing it went from freezing in boot
(sometimes during post), to not even getting evidence of POST activity.
Now, when I turn it on, the fans start but nothing else happens (no beeps,
no video).  To try and diagnose the problem, I removed everything I could
(except the CPU).  Without RAM, it get the beep code for bad/no RAM.  If I
install the RAM, I get nothing (no beeps, no video, just fans turn on).

My question is whether there is a way to determine if this is a CPU or
motherboard problem?  I don't have access to a different CPU to test, and I
don't want to buy a CPU and have it turn out to be a motherboard problem.
If its a motherboard problem, I guess that means starting over with a
effectively new system (the Asus is a barebones with most everything
onboard).

Any suggestions?  My wife and kids are missing DVR. :(

Thank for any help!
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