Replace Motherboard
 

I have an old AMD Athlon XP system and I want to replace the motherboard. I purchased a new motherboard and would like to put the old CPU from the old motherboard on the new motherboard also.

This is a system I put together myself but the old board came with the case. How hard is it to remove the old mobo and put in the new mobo & CPU? I have the new mobo, cpu & some thermal paste, is there anything else I would need?

Any suggestions will be helpful.

Thnx.

It's pretty easy, really. Google something like "replace motherboard" and you'll probably find some pictures. In your case, there are some "standoffs" that hold the motherboard away from the case at the point where you put in the screws. The better quality cases use spacers that screw into the case, and you screw the screw holding the motherboard into those.

First, figure out where you're going to do this. Usually, I use the floor, and take my shoes off to eliminate any possibility of static hazard. Always touch the case before you touch anything else to drain off any harmful static charge that builds up anyway.

Disconnect all the cables, and then look carefully at the motherboard you are putting in. Compare it to the one that's still in the case. Do you see the holes in your motherboard? Are they identically placed to where the screws are holding your existing motherboard in?

Now, unscrew the 4-6 screws holding the motherboard down. Compare the new motherboard against the standoffs. Are any of them in the wrong place for your new motherboard? If so, move them. Your new motherboard will probably specify 6 screws. The holes to put the screws in are usually surrounded by a ring of shiny solder dots.

Read the instructions that came with your motherboard one more time. Place it over the standoffs. Do you see every single one of them in a hole? If not, move them around until they are all accounted for under a hole. Don't screw it in just yet.

Follow the motherboard directions and install the CPU and put the paste on it. Clip the heat sink to the socket. On Athlons, you have to be very sure that you don't have the heatsink backwards. If you do, things will go boom. There is a step in the heatsink. That goes over the high point on the socket. Follow the install instructions. Be careful of snapping the clip on. Don't accidentally let your screwdriver pop off and damage your motherboard.

After you're satisfied that the CPU and cooler are on properly, then put the memory on. Remember, keep grounding yourself if you move. A place to ground yourself on the bare board is those dots surrounding the screw holes. If you don't wear any shoes during this operation you probably won't have any worries.

Now you have a motherboard with the CPU, cooler, and memory. Check one more time that the standoffs are in the right place. Put the motherboard on and put in the 6 screws. They should be very snug, but you aren't trying to win a strength contest. Don't crush the board or strip the threads. The best way IMO is to use 2 fingertips and a thumb on the screwdriver. Tight with that method is just about right.

Check your work over to this point, then consult the manual about installing cables and booting up.

Good luck!

Furthermore, make sure you ground your self with a wrist strap so you do not damage the CPU with static electricity. I assume that the new motherboard is compatible with the old CPU since you did not post any make/model numbers.

Thanks for the replies. Well, After looking over the old motherboard and removing it, I see I will have one screw left over out of seven. The 6th hole will be used by a standoff.

Looking at the old amd athlon xp cpu (Socket A-462), it needs to be clean from the old thermal paste. What can I use to clean it with?

So far so good. I appreciate the help.

I use 99% isopropyl alcohol. I would not use the drugstore stuff since it will leave a residue.

Use 97% isopropyl alcohol or go to Radio Shack and get some Flux Remover, if they have it, to clean off the old paste. Anything that cleans it without leaving a residue behind is fine. It doesn't have to be squeaky clean all over; just the surface of the chip itself.

I should have asked these questions first. I was at Radio Shack earlier when I bought the paste. I will get some alcohol.

Another question. The old mobo had the heatsink and a fan next to it, but the new mobo doesn't have a place similar to the fan on the old one, but this black thing, similar looking to the cpu heatsink.

Do I need to do anything with it? It is next to the cpu slot.

Here is a picture of the new mobo.

http://www.barebonekit.net/mmBBK/Images/102732.jpg

Nope, nothing.

From that picture, the cutout step in the heat sink would be to the right.

One thing not mentioned is that you probably got a 2X5 (or so) panel with the motherboard that has holes cut in it for the connectors. The one in the case should snap out after removing the old motherboard, and just snap the new in, in its place. Don't get it upside down and backwards. :)

Thanks again for the help. I believe I have everything put back correctly and came time to start it up, I get no power whatsoever.

One thing got me confused is the front power connections wires. The new mobo is somewhat different from the old mobo connections and I'm not sure which wire go where.

This was an OEM board so I have no documentation for it. I didn't think of all that, since this the first time I'm installing a board myself. Live and learn I guess!

I did email the FIC and see if they have documentation for the board, but I didn't see any on their site.

Try this: http://www.elhvb.com/mboards/oem/ema...-64_manual.zip

It looks like it will open, but I have not looked into it.

Added:
OK, I looked into the file. It contains a good pdf, and it looks like it's the manual for this board.

A few points.

1. I hope that that link is your motherboard manual. Unlike others, FIC seems to give no help online in the form of documentation or BIOS updates.

2. Were you careful to mount all of but only the stand off pins corresponding to the holes in your new board. Any extra will likely short out and kill your board at some point.

3. When building a new system or replacing any piece of hardware a failure to start usually means that something is not seated or connected properly. Check not only the wires to the "on" switch but also that any other connections are correct and that the RAM sticks and stick cards are all the way in.

4. You did use a wrist strap for this project and are thereby sure that you havn't killed the new board with static electricity. Maybe not; maybe this time you were lucky

This caution is overrated. Yes, static will kill a board. However, if you do it exactly like I said, the possibility of static is pretty much nil. I don't own a strap. I've built and modified lots of computers. The key is the shoes.

That's not quite my motherboard but the layout looks similar. I will check it out when I have more time next week.

Thanks and I'll keep you posted on the outcome, Quakeboy02.

Hi,
You like to live dangerously don't you? A low cost piece of equipment such as a wrist grounding strip is a wise investment. Heck, you can make one with a 10MΩ resistor, some wire 18 GA comfortable length , two small alligator clips.

The potential does exist to damage even if you work barefooted. You can build a charge potential difference depending on environment conditions. Wood floor vs carpet. Tile vs wood floor or any other generator. Even your clothes will potentially cause you to build a charge. So when you handle sensitive devices that could cost you hundreds to thousands of dollars then why gamble with poor practices.

BTW, don't wear panty hose! :)

The key is not the shoes but the shoes can cause potential problems so use a wrist strap to keep you at the same potential as the MB/chassis.

Onebuck,

[sarcasm]I hadn't realised that things were so dire. Could you give me some idea of the numbers we're talking about here? Surely there are thousands (or is it hundreds of thousands) of motherboards and CPUs sold every year to Joe Consumer. Given the widespread lack of understanding of the seriousness of the problem (and general cussed refusal by the American male to read the instruction manual) surely there must be large numbers of blown motherboards and CPUs being returned to the stores each year. If the odds in favor of static really are that high, I wonder why the mfgs don't include a cheap wrist strap with each box? It can't be that hard to print carbon on one side of a piece of plastic tape.[/sarcasm]

There is a tendency within this industry to blow every possibility of a problem, no matter how small, out of proportion until it's perceived that the sky will surely fall. Microsoft makes a LOT of money selling FUD. Don't succumb to it.