Sometimes a motherboard upgrade is what the Doctor
ordered!
So you
want to do a motherboard upgrade in your computer. Ok, lets have a look at some
of the things you need, things you need to do before, then things you need to do
after the upgrade.
What you will need:
Patience
Back up
your data before you start this
procedure!! Your OS may crash when the system is started!!
Tools:
Screw driver, flat tip and a cross point (Philips)
Older motherboards use a metal stand off (this is a spacer that goes between the
motherboard and the computer case/tray) these were normally 1/4" hex made out of
brass or aluminum. A small adjustable wrench to hold the stand off while you
remove the screw that connects to the motherboard.
Anti-Static strap.
Caution: Before you take anything apart
insure you have a static ground strap and that it is
connected to a
known good ground.
ESDwill kill your project
before you get to power it up.
Preparations:
Read the installation guide for your new
motherboard upgrade, note the section on
processors and memory. It is easier to set jumpers and dip switches when the
board is out in the open than inside the case.
If you are new at this I suggest you take a picture of the inside of your
computer case, you can use it as a map on how the cables are laid out when you
are at the point of reconnecting your devices. The cables need to be neat
because having them in a jumbled mess restricts air flow.
Move your computer to a well lighted area with lots of room, you will have a
lot of parts to remove, you need to keep them ordered for when you start putting
them back in to the computer.
Removal of old motherboard:
Open the case, take your picture. Disconnect all cables from the old motherboard,
move them out of the way or remove them entirely from the case which ever gives
you the most room. If you are not reusing the processor or the memory you can
leave them on the motherboard for now. If you are reusing them remove them now,
put them in an anti-static bag, be careful with the processor,
one bent pin may
ruin it! Disconnect any of the wires for the reset, led, case fan(s), and
speaker, as you remove them note on them what they are for if they are not
labeled, some frosted tape works well. Remove any expansion cards, sound, video,
etc. You should have a bare motherboard by this time. Look at the motherboard,
you will see screws in the board at the corners, there may be one or two in the
middle of the board, remove the screws. (Some times the metal stand off will
unscrew from the case, if this happens when the motherboard is out of the case,
remove the stand off and put it back in the case before installing the new
mother board) This is where you have to be careful, slide the motherboard
towards the front of the case, it should move about a quarter of an inch. Now
you can pick the motherboard up out of the case, the board may be a little
bigger than the opening you are trying to take it through so you may have to
tilt it to get it out.
Installing the new motherboard:
Before you go any further you need to look at the installation guide andinsure that any dip switches or jumpers are set correctlyfor your processor and
memory.
Take the new motherboard out of the anti-static bag and place on top of the
bag, take the old motherboard and set it gently on top of the new board. Check
the mounting holes in the new board against the old board, all the same or are
some located in a different position? If they do not match look at the case, you
may have to move some stand offs to match the new motherboard, you may have to
remove some from the case because the new motherboard doesn't have holes for
them. Newer cases and motherboards have a template that covers the area for the
external ports, remove the old one and install the new one. Next set the
motherboard into your case, if you have plastic standoffs they should come up
through the holes in the motherboard, for the metal standoffs you should be able
to see the standoff through the holes. slide the motherboard towards the back of
the case, before securing the board put one of your expansion card into a slot
(this will align the motherboard with the case giving the expansion cards
clearance when the motherboard is secured). Secure the motherboard -
CAUTION -
Do NOTover tighten the screws. If you use to much torque on the screws you take
a chance of cracking the PCB (the material the motherboard is made of). If you
crack or break the PCB you may have ruined your motherboard so use extreme care
when tightening the screws.
Installing the processor -
Lift the Ziff Socket retainer lever, you should see the plate move towards
the hinge portion of the socket. Note the alignment mark on the socket, note the
alignment mark on the processor, it will only go into the socket with the marks
in the same position. Insert the processor with the utmost caution -
CAUTION - A
bent pin will ruin the processor! If the processor drops into the socket with
out any force, press the lever down and lock it on the tab. If the processor did
not drop into the socket check it for alignment, look at the pins make sure none
are bent! (Note: - The newer LGA 775 and up processors
use touch pads instead of the metal pins [Yea!} so you do not have to worry
about bending the pins! Also the processor has two alignment slots on the side
of the PCB so installing the processor the wrong way is eliminated!)
If the processor did not have a heat sink and fan attached
apply the heat
sink compound to the heat sink sparingly!
Then place it on top of the processor, attach the
fan, connect the fan connector to the correct fan connection header on the
motherboard. Lock the heat sink in place.
Installing memory:
Memory modules are manufactured so that they will only go into the socket on
the motherboard in one direction. Note the slots on the module, orientate the
module and set it into the socket. using both hands press both ends with equal
pressure, you should hear a 'click' and the locking tabs one each end of the
socket move inwards on the module. Insert the rest of your memory modules.
Wiring:
Connect up the case wiring, reset button (if applicable) led wires, speaker,
any other fans for the case. Next is the power connector. Now you are ready to
put all the cables back, hard drive controller cable, CD/DVD controller cable,
floppy drive cable.
Expansion cards
Insert each of your expansion cards, connect any wiring these require inside
the case, i.e.: Audio cable from cd/dvd drive.
Looks like you are done.........
Well how about a Quality Assurance check?
Check that the memory is seated, check your cables are seated, check your
cards are seated and secured. I usually pick the case up and turn it upside
down, if there are any loose screws or foreign materials inside the case they
will fall out or move and you will know they are in there and need to be removed
before you power the computer up!
Considerations before powering up your system:
The motherboard may have different features and devices that the old board
didn't. Sometimes Windows 2000, XP, or Vista (which ever OS you had installed)
may crash because the drivers are not available on the hard drive from
the original install. Sometimes it will start and ask for those drivers, they
should be on the CD that came with the motherboard. You may have to reinstall
the OS and your applications!
All good? Nothing loose, no spare screws? Ok, put the cover on the
case! The reason I say put the cover on the case is to preclude you from moving
a part while the computer is powered up. Moving a part while the system is
powered up could cause you extreme harm and certainly hurt the computer.
Connect all your external cables. Do you know how to get into the BIOS on the new
motherboard?
Power it up -
Did it start?
No -
Did the fan on the power supply spin up?
If not open the case and see if all the case wires, cables, expansion cards,
and memory is seated. Some thing has gone to ground.
If it did check the video cable, is it on the motherboard or the expansion
card? If it is on the expansion card and you did not get any video check the
installation guide on how to disable the onboard video, then restart.
Yes -press the appropriate keys to get into the bios, check that the
maximum amount of memory is there, check that the hard drive and cd/dvd are
listed. Set the time and date. Most newer motherboards will detect the processor
speed and the FSB speed so you should not have to change these. ( I will not go
into over clocking with this document) If the processor and FSB are not what
they are supposed to be check the installation guide for the correct settings
and where to change them.
Looks good? Save your settings and restart the system.
Note:
Because you have change a hardware component (maybe more) the drivers for
these components may not reside on the hard drive. This may cause the OS to
crash when it is started. It is rare that the OS will find enough generic
drivers to start, normally an upgrade of this magnitude requires a reinstall of
the OS.
When the system starts you should see a bios screen that gives you the
processor speed, the amount of memory and sometimes the expansion cards.
If the OS starts and asks for drivers very good! If you have to reinstall the
OS this is normal.
This site contains a lot of information. As
with any publication not all information is available due to space, time, or
subject constraints.
If you have a question that you did not find the answer
on this web site you a can
ask your question here and we will endeavor to get you the most up to date
answer possible!
