Replacing the motherboard because the PCH is damaged. (15-bs0xx / i3 7th Gen)

[ashan_devin]

My laptop is i3 7th generation 15-bs0xx. Its PCH is damaged. So I looked for a motherboard for the laptop and I found an i5 7th Gen 15-bs0xx motherboard. Is it okay to put that motherboard in my lap...? Does it affect the cooling system? Also mention the pros and cons in detail.

[WAWood]

Many folks posting here seem to think that replacing a motherboard is a simple matter like replacing a memory stick or a disk drive.

It is NOT!!!

Before you spend any money to attempt to replace the HP motherboard, you need to be aware of the issues involved with doing that.

First, HP does not sell motherboards.

Second, any motherboard you buy elsewhere will be USED, having been taken from another PC. Those often do not work, or have internal problems that the seller does not disclose. So, you need to buy it from a seller that will refund your money if the motherboard does not work properly -- many of them will NOT do this because the item is USED.

Third, the licensed Windows version that came preloaded on your PC is an HP OEM Version -- and that license is tied to the original motherboard, not to the PC owner. When you toss away that motherboard, you toss away the license -- and HP will not provide you a second license. Since the versions of Windows you can buy will not activate with the embedded HP OEM license, you will have to buy a Retail version of Windows, and a license to go with it. You will then have to replace the installed Windows version on your laptop with the version you bought and license it. We are not able to assist in any of that work.

Fourth, if you are replacing the motherboard in a laptop, since the already installed Windows will not reactivate, and yhou have installed a new version, that version is most likely from Microsoft so it will not have the HP drivers needed for the laptop. If you can not get those drivers from the HP product page for your PC, and no one provides a link to them on this forum, you will now be stuck with a laptop whose hardware is no longer fully functional -- with no way to fix that.

The bottom line is the process is a lot more difficult than simply swapping one part for another; thus with all this aggravation and the added cost of buying Windows, it is generally a better solution just to replace the laptop than to replace the motherboard.