Motherboard Repair & Replacement (2024)

You might need a nerd if…

• Your computer begins to boot up very slowly.

• Peripherals on your computer start to become unreliable.

• You see odd behavior on your monitor, in the form of flickering, lines on the screen or unexpected freezes.

• When you plug a flash drive into your computer’s USB port it sometimes fails to initialize.

• Increased frequency of “blue screen of death” errors.

• A burning or melted plastic smell.

Motherboard repair: When Is It Needed?

Your computer’s motherboard (also referred to as a mainboard) is a complicated piece of circuitry which forms the main hub of your computer. Everything your computer does, from working with peripherals to using memory, to sending data to your monitor, depends on the motherboard.

If your laptop will not turn on at all, it could be because of a faulty motherboard. Many laptop owners assume they need to buy a new laptop when this happens. But there are many circ*mstances where a motherboard can simply be repaired. In other cases, you may be able to replace the motherboard without replacing your other components, saving yourself a lot of money in the process.

This page will explain how we at Nerds On Call diagnose and repair faulty laptop motherboards. If you would like this service performed on your laptop, call us at 1-800-919-6373 or fill out our contact form.

Three things you should know about your computer’s motherboard

1. Motherboard problems are tricky to diagnose and fix

The difficulty aspect of a motherboard problem is that it when something is going wrong with it, that problem can then trickle down to many parts of your computer in unusual ways.

The only way to reliably isolate the problem is through a careful process of elimination which takes time and know-how. Fixing a motherboard is also quite involved because everything in your computer needs to be stripped out before the motherboard can be replaced.

A highly knowledgeable nerd (like us!) is typically your best bet for accurately diagnosing and fixing a motherboard issue.

2. They’re surprisingly fragile

Because they’re such a complicated piece of electronics, many different variables can put a motherboard out of action.

Electrical spikes and surges are like motherboard kryptonite. Pet hair, dust, and other foreign objects sucked into your computer by your fan can also do all kinds of damage to your computer’s motherboard.

3. You can’t simply replace your motherboard with any old off-the-shelf substitute

If you do need to replace a motherboard, it’s really important to make sure it’s compatible with your computer’s existing hardware. A motherboard that is incompatible with your other hardware will wreak havoc on your computer.

Not only will an incompatible motherboard place strain on other components, it may also mean you will need to reformat your hard drive, resulting in complete data loss.

This is why if your computer does have motherboard problems, it’s really important to go with a nerd you can trust. If you are experiencing all kinds of weird computer failures we recommend you talk to us. We know what we’re doing. Just call us at 1-800-919-6373 or fill out our contact form.

Signs of a motherboard problem

While it can be hard to pin down from symptoms alone whether your motherboard is failing, here are a few tells to look out for.

• Your computer begins to boot up very slowly.
• Peripherals on your computer start to become unreliable.
• You see odd behavior on your monitor, in the form of flickering, lines on the screen or unexpected freezes.
• When you plug a flash drive into your computer’s USB port it sometimes fails to initialize.
• Increased frequency of “blue screen of death” errors.
• A burning or melted plastic smell.

The key thing you may experience as a motherboard begins to fail is a frustrating unpredictability.

Nerds On Call can handle your motherboard repair or replacement

At Nerds On Call, we can fix or replace your laptop motherboard so that you don’t have to worry about it. Just send us your laptop in the mail, or drop it off at one of our seven stores in California or Oregon. We’ll have your laptop repaired quickly, so you can go back to working on it or having fun with it. Fill out our contact form today, or call us at 1-800-919-6373.

We hope you’ve found this guide to be helpful in understanding how we do laptop motherboard repairs. If you’d like more info about this subject, you may want to read our full page on laptop repair.

Questions nerds often hear about Motherboard Repair & Replacement

My laptop won’t turn on at all, does that mean the motherboard is fried?

Not necessarily. It could be a faulty DC jack, battery, AC adapter, or any other component causing the problem. For more info, read our page on laptop power issues

If my motherboard is not working, can it be repaired or do I need a new one?

It depends. In some cases, the motherboard may have just one capacitor that is not working. If so, we can desolder the old one and solder on a new one. But if several parts of the motherboard are bad, we will need to install you a new one. Read on to learn more