Reasons To Consider Laptop Motherboard Repair

All computers will eventually fail if they are used often enough. Whether a speck of dust causes a short, a faulty chip finally gives way or a capacitor explodes, no piece of electronic equipment is completely fault-proof. Unfortunately for laptop owners, more often than not the part to fail is the motherboard. What are your options when your motherboard breaks? You could replace the whole computer, or you could consider laptop motherboard repair.

What is a Motherboard?

Every computer has a motherboard. The motherboard is the central piece of electronic equipment from which the rest of the computer is built. It controls all of the main functions of the computer. It uses the processor to perform calculations, the graphics card for displaying information, the RAM for storing information in the short-term and the hard drive for long-term storage. In a desktop computer, all of these parts can be removed for replacement. In a laptop, most of these functions -- video, sound, networking and sometimes even processing -- are built into the motherboard. That means when the motherboard breaks, so do most of the functions of the laptop.

How can a Motherboard Break?

Motherboards are complex pieces of electronics, which means they can break in a number of ways. As with any electronic component, dust can clog up the sensitive components. Dust makes it harder for the machine to shed waste heat, and overheating can cause any number of problems. Age can cause certain parts of the motherboard to grow brittle or develop small fractures that can interrupt the flow of electricity. A single battery on the board provides the power to store some important information, and that battery can die over time. Conversely, a power surge can fry sensitive components as too much power floods through them. Sometimes even the capacitors that help regulate power can burst.

How to Repair a Motherboard Yourself

Unfortunately, a motherboard is a very complex piece of electronics. If the issue is as simple as a dead battery, it can be replaced by hand. Nearly any other issue is not only hard to fix, but in many cases hard to even track down. Unless you have the spare chips and the knowledge of soldering necessary to remove and replace the faulty pieces, repairing a motherboard by hand is difficult if not impossible.

Manufacturer Laptop Motherboard Repair

Obviously, the manufacturer of your motherboard will be able to repair it. In many cases, when you send a laptop with a faulty motherboard in for repair, it will probably be replaced instead. It is easier and more cost-effective for the manufacturer to replace your part and send the defective part to a facility specifically designed to refurbish the broken motherboard. In most cases, the refurbished part will be sold as used on a secondary market. In some cases it may be used to put together a new computer out of refurbished parts, to be sold as-is.

The Costs of Motherboard Repair

The cheapest way to fix a motherboard is by hand, but it requires knowledge and time instead of money. If you don't know exactly what you're doing, you probably won't fix the device. Sending the laptop out for repair and having the motherboard replaced is the most cost-effective option. However, as the laptop grows older, it gets more and more expensive to repair. This is partly because of the scarcity of parts and the computer falling out of warranty, and partly due to the manufacturer encouraging you to buy a new computer from them. Buying a completely new laptop is an option, but it is more expensive than replacing all but the rarest motherboards. However, older and less powerful computers may be due for replacements anyway, and you never know what else broke when the motherboard died.

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