Can I Install a New Motherboard in My HP Desktop?
A motherboard is the key piece of circuitry in a computer, linking all the other hardware components together into an operational system. Installing a new one is about as intimate as it gets when it comes to working with your computer, due to all the work involved, but the process itself is fairly easy.
Determining Hardware Compatibility
Since all the other hardware in a computer is linked together though the motherboard, make sure that your new motherboard will be compatible with any existing hardware you wish to continue using. This applies to the central processor, memory, power supply, video card, sound card (if you have one), hard drives and everything else that is physically plugged into the motherboard. It does not apply to hardware which is plugged into ports off the motherboard, such as USB or FireWire devices, speakers, printers, your modem and your monitor. For example, your motherboard has to have exactly the right socket size for your central processor, as well as a supported bus frequency.
You can get this information from your hardware components' user's manuals, or on the manufacturers' websites. You don't really need to know what all the numbers mean (although it helps); you just need to check the motherboard specs against the hardware component specs to make sure they match up. If they don't, you could end up with an expensive paperweight.
Making Upgrades
A motherboard upgrade is a great opportunity to upgrade other hardware as well. You're going to be disconnecting everything anyway. Computer hardware also becomes outdated quickly. If you're running older hardware, you may not be able to find a suitable motherboard replacement and may have no choice but to upgrade other hardware. Even if you do have a choice, the fact is that an on older-model motherboard holds back your ability to make hardware upgrades or additions in the future. If you plan on upgrading or adding core hardware in the future, buy a motherboard that will support it.
Buying a Mainboard
Use the Internet to do your homework. Motherboards have many technical specifications, different physical layouts, and varying reputations. You'll need to make sure you buy a compatible motherboard, and you'll also want to make sure you buy a good one. Read in-depth reviews of the specific models that you're considering. You can visit your favorite tech sites and search for reviews there, or you search the whole Internet by googling for the model number of the motherboard under consideration and adding "review" to your search query.
Installation
First, back up your hard drive to an external one, in case anything goes terribly wrong.
When you are ready to conduct the installation, unplug your computer. Clean your hands. Ground yourself. Don't directly touch any circuitry directly at any point in the process. Open up the computer tower. Disconnect as many of the hardware components as you safely can, and place them on a clean, uncharged surface. Dismount the mainboard from the inside of the tower. Remove all the remaining components, such as the CPU, and set them with the other hardware. Take your new motherboard out of its packaging and follow the installation instructions.
It is a good idea to only install the key hardware necessary to get your computer to the point where you can boot the operating system. This way, if you have problems, you'll have fewer pieces of hardware to wonder about. If it works, you can then install the remaining hardware.
Tags: other hardware, make sure, hardware components, your computer, your motherboard, back your, central processor