Damaged Motherboard - Replace or buy new laptop?

Morzadec

Hi

I spilled a lot of water on my laptop recently and I've been told the motherboard is damaged and needs to be replaced, which will cost 220e.

My laptop is relatively new (about 18 months old) and was running pretty quickly beforehand, really had no problems with it at all, battery life was still good too. As far as I know it doesn't really have any serious viruses or anything. It is a Lenovo Idea Pad and cost about 600 euro at the time.

What I'm trying to weigh up now is if it's worth 220e to get this problem fixed or should I just scrap it, because it seems like a massive amount of money and for a couple of hundred more I could get a brand new laptop. (Data retrieval isn't really an issue here by the way, I basically just use my laptop for the internet.) Would the value in laptops have increased dramatically over the last 18 months or is it about the same?

Thanks in advance for advice.

johnmcdnl

get a new one

you can pick up a new laptop for 350-400 no bother at all these days....

try Elara

SaveonLaptops gets quoted a lot by people around here but I can't speak from experience what there like...


But tbh I wouldn't even bother getting it fixed because it wasn't an "amazing" laptop to begin with and as you say for an extra couple quid you'll have a new laptop

hearny

Buy a new one and try to sell working parts on adverts / ebay (the screen / RAM / Processor / Hard Drive).

Jackena

Stick it in the hot press for a week and come back to it!
Seen it work a few times but more often then not it doesnt but worth a try!
Take out the battery first tho!

Jack

starlit

You could replace the motherboard and get a new one but if you are going to be spending that kind of money on a new one then you be better of buying a new laptop no guarantee the new motherboard would work it has to be somewhere-what compatible with the laptop same as anything external/internal needs to be compatible with a laptop. Buy a new laptop, it be worth it! Basically don't fix someone if it ain't broke but if it broke fix it otherwise get a new/or replace it. Buy a new laptop be money well spent!

Morzadec

Thanks for the advice, much appreciated

liptonvillag

If I was you, I'd just buy a new one. From my experience, once electronic items get any water in them they never work properly regardless of replacements. i'd be surprised that your laptop would run 100% even after replacing motherboard. I've found that i get about 3-4 years out of my laptop and just buy a new one. I broke my own rule there last month. The hard drive went in my Samsung. Paid 120 to get a new one installed. Computer still gave me problems. Wireless Reader card went day after new hard drive went in and bought a wireless adaptor. Operating system went 2 weeks later and couldn't upload back up discs. Wasted 140 euro repairing and replacing and in the end had to buy a brand new Toshiba for 385 euro. 220 euro is a gamble on a new motherboard still find its given problem. You said you spilt a lot of water on it so chances are other small parts may be affected and the laptop may generally work but also act like their ghosts in the machine. add 200 more and you'll get a nice new laptop instead of wasting 220 to fork out another 400 a few weeks later.

the_syco

Morzadec wrote: »

I spilled a lot of water on my laptop recently and I've been told the motherboard is damaged and needs to be replaced, which will cost 220e.

Who told you this?

bonzodog2

LENOVO S10 IDEA PAD 1.6GHZ WINDOWS 7 NETBOOK LAPTOP on ebay for 149.99 GBP. Might be a different model to yours

yoyo

liptonvillag wrote: »

If I was you, I'd just buy a new one. From my experience, once electronic items get any water in them they never work properly regardless of replacements. i'd be surprised that your laptop would run 100% even after replacing motherboard. I've found that i get about 3-4 years out of my laptop and just buy a new one. I broke my own rule there last month. The hard drive went in my Samsung. Paid 120 to get a new one installed. Computer still gave me problems. Wireless Reader card went day after new hard drive went in and bought a wireless adaptor. Operating system went 2 weeks later and couldn't upload back up discs. Wasted 140 euro repairing and replacing and in the end had to buy a brand new Toshiba for 385 euro. 220 euro is a gamble on a new motherboard still find its given problem. You said you spilt a lot of water on it so chances are other small parts may be affected and the laptop may generally work but also act like their ghosts in the machine. add 200 more and you'll get a nice new laptop instead of wasting 220 to fork out another 400 a few weeks later.

Who installed the new hard drive, the reson the wireless probably failed to work is due to no/incorrect drivers being installed. Also new hard drives can fail sometimes soon after being installed, rare but possible but even more likely the person who fixed your machine used a second hand drive!

Nick

PapaSierra

Also you need to know that this 'new' mb is in fact a used mb. I'm in this business for years so I know what I'm talking about. There is no such a thing as new laptop mb for 220 including labour. Thats just over half price :O of new mb and a bit too much for used.

freestyla

PapaSierra wrote: »

Also you need to know that this 'new' mb is in fact a used mb. I'm in this business for years so I know what I'm talking about. There is no such a thing as new laptop mb for 220 including labour. Thats just over half price :O of new mb and a bit too much for used.

That's goodpoint. You could get this "new" mobo but it could have something slightly different than yours original.. e.g. Lenovo has way too many laptop models thus some little component or chipset version or BIOS or smthg is different which might not be as 100% compatible with CPU and RAM and other devices