Motherboard question

I need some help!

I am going to lose my computer... G/f moved out.

I came across a friend that has a 2 year old compaq. She said that its broke, took it in, and they say the motherboard is shot. They quoted her like 250-300 bux to get it fixed. She doesn't want to stick that much into a 2 year old computer. Thats where I come in, Since I need a computer, and they never hardly used it, it would be great.

I've never done a motherboard, but I have installed ram, cd roms, etc.

Couple questions...

Is it even worth it?
Do I need to use the same exact MB, or can I get a different one and "rebuild"?

Any suggestions would be great, Thanks!

-Jared

 

Thats way to much, especially for the age. If you upgrade it would be smart to buy a motherboard bundle or something. As of now, if you just buy a mobo, then you would have to find one that matches the ram and cpu that you got. You shouldnt have any trouble finding a motherboard for that compy, since its not that old, but 250-300 is just rediculous! IF they want that much, that sucka should have RAID, Firewire, and SATA on it! take a gander on the web for some good prices. Basically, just make sure that you get one thats compatible w/ whatcha got.

By the way, Sorry to hear about your chick movin out...

 

Jared, be VERY careful before buying this "compaq" PC. Most OEM system builders like Compaq, Dell, IBM etc use proprietary hardware that is dedicated to the system's case design.

This basically means that you will require the exact same board as replacement which is only available from compaq (hence the extortionate repair cost).

It may be cheaper to go for a refurbished system (with warranty) from a reputable dealer.

 

I agree, don't invest money in the compaq. You can go to pricewatch.com and pick up a linspire computer for less than $300.

Now if you have a savy friend that's good on PC's, you might be able to use some of the components from the compaq and piece together a PC. Maybe use the compaq's drives/floppy, and combine it with a decent inexpensive case, and a new upgrade kit motherboard/CPU/Memory kit. Those can be had for less than 200 bucks (DOTDOTPC.com or again pricewatch.com).

If your friend is really savy, he might help you pick up a used combination through some local dealers, just make sure if you do that, you can return it if it doesn't work. Having a friend that's knowledgable to help you through the process the first time is reassuring, and might save you some heartache/money/beating head against the wall incidents. Good luck!

wuf@bark.arf

 

grizzly if you could post more info about the computer,most importantly the number of the compaq,finding out whats inside,and wether its worth it should be easy.

 

Don't let these guys confuse you. I've worked on plenty of compaqs. If its only a couple years old you're probably safe. The older compaq computers did use a proprietary board and case. The newer ones I've worked are using generic cases which should accept about anything. If you can recognize the standard ATX form factor layout then you can tell just by looking at the back of it. You can buy an upgrade kit from dotdotpc.com for about $160. You'll need to load windows and the kit comes with a driver disk with auto setup. The whole job is a little time consuming but not difficult. I don't think the $200 they quoted was that out of line if you consider the parts and the labor. I don't work for free, do you?

 

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