by the way it's a desk top and it 3 years old
2007-09-30 08:14:44 · 5 answers · asked by sophia b 1 in Computers & Internet ➔ Hardware ➔ Desktops
Unless you know what you are doing, replacing a systems motherboard can be a complicated thing for the novice to do.
Motherboards themselves only run about $140. Then if you reuse your present CPU, memory, sound card, video card, etc, you'll still have a 3 year old computer. If you decide to upgrade some or all of these components, the cost of those can start adding up quickly.
So you have to ask yourself, first am I capable, or do I know someone who is capable, that will do the work cheaply. Then is it worth putting money into a machine that is going to become obsolete and outdated a year or two down the line.
Guess it depends on your budget.
I suggest getting a new machine, taking your old hard drive out and placing it in the new machine as a "slave" drive. Or if that's not possible, buying a USB "hard drive case" and using the old hard drive as an external drive.
Either way you can transfer old files to the new computer, then format the old drive and use it for other storage.
2007-09-30 08:47:15 · answer #1 · answered by centsless 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Buying a new motherboard for a computer doesn't mean buying ONLY a motherboard. In most cases (like a 3 year old computer) technology has changed, and unless you buy the exact same motherboard, you most likely will also have to buy new memory and a new cpu. This adds to the cost.
You should search prices for a new board, memory and cpu (or a bundle -- try geeks.com or tigerdirect) and compare the cost of this to a new computer. You also have to figure out how much your time is worth to take apart your computer and put it back together.
If you buy a new computer, you can still save the hard drive from your old one and either install it as a primary or secondary internal drive or buy a case or cable to use it as an external backup drive.
These days, in my opinion, it's more cost effective to buy a new computer than to build one. However, the time involved in reinstalling all your programs may make rebuilding more time effective for you.
2007-09-30 15:34:59 · answer #2 · answered by realaud 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it all depends if you want to spend the money and buy a new computer and use it for another 4-5 years or buy a new motherboard and probably only use it for only 1-2 years. And it also depends on how much money you are willing to spend.
2007-09-30 15:18:53 · answer #3 · answered by Michael Y 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you dont install your new motherboard correctly, you may just be wasting your money. Might be better to buy a new one. Depends on how much you can spend.
2007-09-30 15:26:37 · answer #4 · answered by Nemo the geek 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Get a new laptop.
2007-09-30 15:22:11 · answer #5 · answered by scottclear 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋