The motherboard is the most important piece of a computer.
The world of computers evolves at a rapid pace. That makes it hard for you as the consumer to know what kind of computer to buy. If you don't want to buy a new computer every time a new component or technology comes out, you can do a personal upgrade or completely build your own computer from scratch. The first component to be upgraded or installed is the motherboard. This component is the brains of the computer and provides all of the processing power.
Instructions
Remove the Old Motherboard
1. Make sure that your computer is turned off and all of the cords are disconnected.
2. Lay the computer on a flat surface and remove the case. Be sure to have ample workspace because you will need to spread several components out around you. Some computer cases will come apart more than others. One might just allow you to remove the side panel, whereas another case might have the option to remove all four sides. Remove as much of the case as possible.
3. Disconnect and DVD/CD and hard drives that are connected. Leave the power and IDE cords attached to the rear of the drive and trace the cable to the location on the motherboard. Remove each cable from the motherboard and slide the device(s) out.
4. Remove any sound cards, video cards and wireless adapters from the motherboard. These will be stacked toward the rear of the case and connected perpendicularly to the motherboard. Loosen any mounting screws and set them aside; you will need them to remount the cards later. Gently pull the cards out and set them aside.
5. Disconnect any remaining cables from the motherboard. The only one remaining should be the one running to the power supply unit. You many need to remove the power supply unit, depending on the setup of your case. If you need to remove it, just locate the few screws holding it in place and set it aside.
6. Locate the standoffs holding the motherboard in place. A standoff is a small post with a screw that holds the motherboard in place. There should be about six, depending on the case design.
7. Unscrew all of the standoffs and set them aside. You will need them for attaching the new motherboard.
8. Gently pull the motherboard out after all of the standoffs are removed.
Install the New Motherboard
9. Place the new motherboard in the case and line it up with the standoffs. Also, make sure the expansion ports on the motherboard line up with the openings on the case. If there is an expansion port that you will be using, and the case opening is still covered, remove the cover at this time.
10. Line up all the ports and make sure they are fully protruding from the case. If they are not fully protruding, then the motherboard will not be seated properly.
11. Install the standoffs to the motherboard and tighten them. Use all of the standoffs to secure the motherboard.
12. Connect the power supply to the motherboard first. If you removed the entire power supply to install the motherboard, reinstall it. The cord coming from the power supply will attach to the motherboard in a slot that will be labeled something like "PW," "PS" or "Power SW." Connect the cord to that port. If you accidentally plug it into the wrong port, it will not cause any damage; however, the computer will not turn on if it is plugged into the wrong port.
13. Install any components in the expansion port. Such devices may include aftermarket video cards, sound cards and modems. These devices plug into any of the expansion ports (PCI, PCI-Express or AGP) and protrude from the rear of the case.
14. Reinsert the hard drive and any CD/DVD drives you removed. These should all still have the cables attached to the rear. Attach each cable to the location marked on the motherboard. The power supply cables will plug into the power slots, and the IDE cables will plug into the slim data connection ports. Newer motherboards and drives have been standardized with color-coordinated cables and ports to make hookup easier.
15. Close the case and reconnect all of the external cables such as the keyboard, mouse, Ethernet, power and monitor before using your computer.
Tags: power supply, plug into, from motherboard, them aside, will need