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How do I Deal with a Bad Motherboard?

G. Wiesen
G. Wiesen

The most direct way to deal with a bad motherboard is, unfortunately, to simply replace it with a new motherboard. If you do this, then you should be sure to find a new motherboard that can work with the existing hardware you still plan to use with your computer. You may also use this as an opportunity to make some other upgrades to your computer, and should be sure any motherboard you buy will also work with other new hardware you are buying. Before purchasing a new motherboard, however, you may want to take your computer to a computer repair or supply store that can run a diagnostic to determine if you do have a bad motherboard, or if it could be a different problem.

A motherboard is one of the central components inside of a computer, as all other hardware and devices are either directly or indirectly connected to it. This means that if you have a bad motherboard, however, your entire computer may not work or you might experience major issues with your computer. These could be frequent crashes, failure to properly start up when booting the computer, and other types of similar issues.

A computer motherboard.
A computer motherboard.

If you suspect that you may have a bad motherboard, then you might want to take your computer to a retail store or repair shop that can run a diagnostic on your computer. They may be able to do this while you wait or you may have to leave your computer for one or more days to have the testing done properly. This can help you determine if a bad motherboard really is the culprit or if you could have another problem such as bad random access memory (RAM), a faulty central processing unit (CPU), or issues with overheating and proper ventilation.

A computer repair or supply store can run a diagnostic to determine if you do have a bad motherboard.
A computer repair or supply store can run a diagnostic to determine if you do have a bad motherboard.

Once you know that you do have a bad motherboard, either through outside testing or your own observations, then you will likely have to replace it. As you look for a new motherboard, you should be sure to find one that can still support the rest of the hardware you have in your computer. Look for a motherboard with the proper hardware connectors, and one with enough slots for all the drives, cards, memory, and input devices you already use.

Motherboards can be replaced, although it requires knowledge about computer hardware.
Motherboards can be replaced, although it requires knowledge about computer hardware.

You can also use the replacement of a bad motherboard as an opportunity to upgrade some of your other computer hardware. A new motherboard may be able to support new video cards that your old one could not, or additional slots for RAM may provide you with an opportunity to increase your computer’s performance. While these sorts of upgrades may be somewhat costly, they can be a good way to turn dealing with a bad motherboard into a positive experience.

Discussion Comments

Vincenzo

If you do have to upgrade, certainly get the most RAM our motherboard will hold. And always upgrade your RAM to the max. RAM is very cheap these days and a RAM upgrade is the most cost effective thing you can do to speed up your computer.

Think about it. When 16-bit computers came out, they took twice as much RAM to run efficiently as did 8-bit computers. The same thing took place when 32-bit computers became standard and 64-bit systems are even bigger memory hogs. The more RAM you have on board, the less likely it is that you will have bottlenecks slowing down your system. Motherboards are made with that fact in mind and do run a lot more efficiently when RAM is maxed out in them.

Markerrag

Fortunately, motherboards do not fail that often. If you are having computer problems, you are probably dealing with something else that is easier to fix. It seems that hard drives, RAM and other things fail a lot more frequently than motherboards do, and replacing those items is quite inexpensive.

Still, the article nailed it. If a motherboard is bad, it is best to replace it. Those critters are more complicated than they look. Identifying the exactly problem is a chore and once one component breaks down, it is a safe bet that other won't be far behind it.

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    • A computer motherboard.
      By: VIA Gallery
      A computer motherboard.
    • A computer repair or supply store can run a diagnostic to determine if you do have a bad motherboard.
      By: mickyso
      A computer repair or supply store can run a diagnostic to determine if you do have a bad motherboard.
    • Motherboards can be replaced, although it requires knowledge about computer hardware.
      By: Monika Wisniewska
      Motherboards can be replaced, although it requires knowledge about computer hardware.