Adding components to a mobo

I recently pruchased 2 mobo's.. an Intel D865PERL and an ASUS P4PE and I noticed that they have spots (holes filled with solder) for components like RAID controllers and Firewire, and i was wondering if you can just solder in these components and use them just as if they were the version of the board that included those components?

 

your welcome to try, but its highly unlikely its ever gonna work & work well. Thats very high precision soldering.

 

It shouldn't really be attempted, unless it's a hobby and you're fairly good at electronics repair. Older boards, that have drill throughs, like your board, can have the solder removed, a socket soldered in and the appropriate "chip" inserted. What will usually dissuade you is the cost. Gold plated PGA sockets, will retail for $10 or more and the "chip" itself (quantity of one) will sell for 5X the wholsale price(quantity of 1000). Another complication - sometimes the "chip" is only available as a "surface mount" design. While, I've done this work as a professional, I also had the benefit of specific training, and an entire suite of specialized tools at my disposal. However, if you are still willing, then I tip my hat to you, and wish you the best of luck.
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