Replace 5740 motherboard with 5738

Hello, I have a kaput Acer 5740 and I am trying to replace the moterboard. So far the prices for the 5740 area around the $200 dollar mark so I was looking for an alternative. I have had a look at 5738 motherboards - they're a lot cheaper. The chassis components are the same as the 5740. The internal connectors are in the same place but the layout of the board is different (eg graphics chip and processor are in different places). However, I don't think this would matter. The 5740 I have has the HM55 chipset and an i5 processor.

My question is does anyone know if I can substitute a 5738 board for the 5740? As always, I am grateful for help and guidance.

 

I've replaced several acer motherboards with others from different models.

The rule is, if the screws line up, if you can cool all the components, and if you either have a dremel or if the ports match up, then it will work.

Of course, you can't use your i5 in it because its a core 2 chipset.
And, I'm not sure if you can use your RAM in it but probably not because I think the 5738 is ddr2.

Theres a good way to find out if its compatible (usually). There are Compal (the ODM) model numbers which cover the chassis rather than the individual models, for example my Gateway is KAYF0, my Acer is HBL50 and this covers all the motherboards that it can fit.

If they don't have the same Compal model number then its unlikely they are compatible. I'm not sure what you can do if they are wistron machines (usually have a green board).

You'll need a new heatsink.

Sometimes there are little pieces of the case that need to be modified, it just depends. You don't absolutely need a dremel if say, there is a little piece of plastic covering up a webcam connector that wasn't there before, but if you have to add holes for a DVI port or something then you should probably get one. Still, its amazing what case modding you can do with wire cutters, pliers and a knife. If you have a cordless drill you can pretty much get by.

Anyway if all the ports match up then you really have nothing to worry about or much to prepare for at all.

The one other thing you might want to check is your power adapters wattage/amperage. If its already 90 watts (~4.5 amps) then I'm sure you'll be fine, unless you get a 5738g motherboard and a quad core or something.

There is always a small chance some of the cables will be different pinouts, which would really suck, but like I said a small chance.

Lastly, if your into gaming, I recommend you get a 5738g motherboard with dedicated graphics. You can also get one with an MXM slot and get a very powerful graphics card for it like the 6770m gddr5. But I'm guessing you aren't into that as you're going for low cost.

Good luck!

 

Thanks, That post was really useful. Everything does line up, even the little ziff connectors but your point about RAM and processors has shaken me up a bit. This would add to the cost if I have to buy different ones of these, although I'd probably come out on top selling the i5 etc. All food for thought. I have a couple of sources that will get back to me when new supplies of the 5740 become available but I might have a look at the prices of these other processors. Great stuff, thanks again.

 

No problem. The processors are very cheap. I think they are both ddr3 and you can use the same RAM.

Here, this is a decent CPU Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 2.4GHz 3M 1066 SLGFD | eBay