Changing the motherboard?

Ok about 5 months ago the PCI-express 2.0 slot on my motherboard broke. Everything else worked fine, except for the video card slot which rendered my Nvidia 8800 GT OC video card useless. I've put off replacing my motherboard all this time, but i've finally decided to fix it.



I'm not sure if i should get it repaired at a computer repair area or just do it myself. I know that PC repair shops overcharge for motherboard replacements.



I have an AMD processor, so i know i need an AMD comptaible motherboard. I also know how to install computer parts such as the Power supply, video card, RAM, etc.



I also know that if i change motherboards, i'm going to have to reformat my hard drive. I no longer have my windows XP install disc, so i'd probably need to buy one or something.



My question is, How hard is it to replace a motherboard exactly? I'm not really sure what kind of motherboard to buy, since I don't know how to check if it is compatible with the processor I have. The most i have really done with my computer was upgrade it by adding a new Power supply, Video card, and RAM.



I also am unsure how to reformat a computer's hard drive. I plan on backing up some data on an external hardd rive beforehand though, but I really don't even have a clue on how to reformat it.



When i called a local PC repair shop, they said the cost would be around "The cost of the devices, and about a $200 labor fee". Is installing a motherboard really worth paying $200?|||I suggest letting the shop do it. That way, if anything goes wrong, it is covered. If you attempt it yourself and simply break something - well there goes the idea of saving money. You might just end up paying them to fix what you have broken as well as the original motherboard.



I work as a tech in a computer store, and $200 sounds about right. Of course they will figure out which motherboard to put in your PC, and probably offer you a few to select from.



If you are confident you can get through it without breaking something then I suggest you look up the model number of your current motherboard on the manufacturers website. This will tell you what CPU's it is compatible with and give you an idea of what new motherboard to get. You can also look at the CPU itself for a model number. Usually laser etched in the metal surface on top.



You are going to need that XP disc. Once you change motherboards, while you probably won't need to format your hard drive - ( a bit of a myth if you ask me ) there is a good chance however that you will need to do a Windows Repair. This will allow Windows to detect all components of your new motherboard and hopefully run stable. Then you can run the new motherboard driver disc to install the necessary drivers. Fingers crossed and you might just have a stable system.



If not - of course - format and fresh install. Last resort obviously.



Good luck.|||Definitely do it yourself, it's not that hard just make sure you buy a ground wrist strap 200 dollars is ridiculous and you shouldn't have to format your HDD. You'll need an AM2 Motherboard for an AMD CPU or an AM2+ if you have a Phenom.|||You should just watch a few videos on Youtube and other video sharing sites on installing motherboards and do it yourself.



It is also worth buying an Anti-static MAT/pad and antistatic wrist strap to prevent zapping your PC parts since just puting PC parts on a table can zap them if your table is made of plastic or has static.|||It's not really that hard to do yourself but you'll need to do some research before you jump into it. If this is an oem system (HP, Dell, Gateway, etc.) the easiest thing to do would be to get the same motherboard from eBay or Amazon (or wherever). Everything that you have currently installed will work in it and there won't be any problems with front panel to motherboard connections. If you go with a different motherboard make sure it's compatible with your processors socket type and that the board is the proper form factor for your case (ATX, microATX, BTX, microBTX, etc.). If you use a different board make sure that before you disconnect the old one that you know EXACTLY where the front panel connections are made, too many times I've seen people who have disconnected the front panel connectors (power switch, power switch led, reset, hard drive activity led, etc.) and can't figure out how to connect them to a new board. This is why using a replacement of the original is usually easier.

If this is a custom rig the front panel connectors should all be marked so you'll just need to make sure that the new board is compatible with your existing components and case, unless you plan on upgrading to a board that uses different memory.

You can download CPUID to find out what socket type your processor uses and what model motherboard it has.

http://www.cpuid.com/cpuz.php

When you reinstall the processor you'll need to use a thermal compound between the processor and heatsink, I'd recommend Arctic Silver 5, it's the best in my opinion.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductLis…

Here's how to properly apply it.

http://www.arcticsilver.com/methods.html

Here's videos that show how to remove and reinstall an AMD processor.

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_qu…

And videos that show how to replace a motherboard.

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_qu…

Be sure to properly ground yourself before working inside a computer, an electro static discharge is deadly to a computer.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductLis…

To ensure device driver compatibility you'll need to reinstall the operating system, a reformat is automatic when installing the os.

http://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCategory.…

Good luck|||just repace your mother board fit like for like and you should have no problem

www.microrepair.eu the guys there are great and the fix most things free -