How safe and reliable are generic/non-brand motherboards?

[kapalik]

Processor: Intel Core i3-4130 CPU @ 3.40 GHz
Motherboard: Asus H81M-E
Memory: Transcend 2GB DIMM DDR3 1333 MHz
OS: Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 32 bit

Dear friends,

More than 3 years back my pc had a intel core i3 first generation processor in intel motherboard. Both the processor and motherboard had 3 years warranty. Unfortunately, the motherboard died out just after 2 years and I got a small refund from the distributor since that exact model of motherboard was unavailable. I looked for a compatible motherboard for the processor but to no avail. Then I was forced to buy the present processor and motherboard which I am still continuing to use without any major issues or hassle.

That time and present day, many generic/non-brand motherboards were available which could be used to run the first generation intel core i3 processor but I could not trust the reliability of those motherboards. I read in few sites that generic motherboards might burn internal parts (i.e. hdd etc) and damage the processor.

Now I still have the first generation processor unused. Is it safe and reliable to use the processor in a generic motherboard if I plan to make another pc? In my place there are generic motherboards like winbird, starex etc all made in china. It would be great if anyone having or not having any kind of experience or expertise with generic motherboards would share their views and thoughts here.

Thanks in advance.

 

[spdragoo]

If you're planning for it to be a secondary PC, then yeah, it's probably OK. Now, when you say "1st-generation core i3", I'm assuming you mean something like the i3-530/540/550 CPUs. If so, just realize they're not going to be good for much more than surfing the Web & watching movies, as they're pretty far down the tier list (http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/cpu-hierarchy,4312.html) -- pretty much even an early FX processor or APU from AMD is going to beat them in performance.