Inspiron 8200 Motherboard replacement

I am planning to replace this. It started with being unable to read the hard drive. Local experts said try replacing it, I did and it could not read a brand new one.
Took it to a tech and he said the MB was faulty and because they were pricey and the computer has 2-3yrs on it - it would not be economically feasible to repair it.

I have had it all apart and I think I can replace it, I see them for sale on ebay and other place for about 200$.

My question would be, how can I be sure to get the correct one?
What things about a new MB should I make sure are correct and compatible?

My thanks,
Dave

 

the only way to be sure you get the right one is you have to make sure it came from the same model computer as the one you have.

 

When you say Model, do you refer to the 8200 part? Because I understand there are many configuration differences within that number. Perhaps there is another number to reference?
Thanks for your reply, this is the crux of what I am after.

 

sorry, i meant the 8200 model that you have

 

bah, ive been keeping my i8200 out of the dumpster for years......first of all, the same motherboard is used in the latitude c840 and some other thing think it was precision m50. just a matter of what bios you flash. all components of these 3 and some older 8xxx series stuff are cross compatible just a matter of the bios.

ok, time to start troubleshooting. did your hard drive make noises and then stop working? is your hard drive pushed all the way in? is the connector tab on top of the hd firmly pressed in? do you get any bootup message?

ill post more to this later. my bf showed up with chocolates and invited me to chinese food. i love chinese food. dont go buying anything yet. all too many time i got a second opinion on something and somehow managed to get mine to work.

 

No noise on the HD, did you see where I posted that a tech looked at it, tried a brand new HD and it did not work either?
Thanks

 

If the new hard drive doesn't work I am going to go with the hard drive controller, which would most likely mean a new motherboard. That is just my experience.

I hope it gets fixed soon.

 

OK so back to how to select a motherboard....
I am told a motherboard is not a motherboard is not a motherboard..... Any ideas on how to nail which one this is??
Call dell and get a PN? Take it apart and look for a number?
Eyeball the exact setup?
What is a Bios, how are they different, how many kinds are there and how do I tell them apart?
Is there another site for those who dismantle their computers to ask these questions?

 

you can trust the techie if you like.......but im a techie also and a techie that owns and still uses her 8200. i worked tech phone support for a month but i quit cause it was the worst job you could possibly imagine and worked computer repair for while at CPU Doctor and quit cause i was tired of being hit on by the guys there and felt lazy and wanted to relax for while. im in college working on biological science major and only got the job so i could build a new computer. i also dont really care to charge people for computer help and i do this more cause i actually enjoy fixing the problems and like helping people fix their babies. i mean half the problems would take 10-20 mins of tinkering and the problem would be fixed. unless it was something awful. like some woman brought in a computer that had been in a fire and it took forever to do the job she requested. which btw, the tech with her job was able to retrieve almost all her data off of her 80 gig western digital even tho it looked like a burnt up metal blob.

just saying from my own first hand experience that i got this issue several times and it WASNT something wrong with the board. people fail to realize that there are other things to look at before simply saying "its the board". it could be a faulty board but i wouldnt rule it out that easily. im only disputing this because i think if you discover it was some other problem you will save around 150 + or - dollars by not buying a new mother board (if you ebay it, is 300-600 refurb on some sites). btw, the part number is 6G040.

now getting back to earlier. ive owned this laptop for 4 years. ive had this error personally due to 1) dead hard drives 2) the connectors that fit the top of the drive were worn and the motherboard couldnt read it 3) the hard drive wasnt pushed in good (i took it out and firmly pushed it back in again).

As for the other questions. ) a bios is basic input/output system. meaning cutting out all the jargon it is a necessary bottom stepping stone (in my case the most important) to controlling your computer. boards already have their bios in a chip on the board just newer ones have to be flashed in order to use some things. to get supporting bios, drivers, etc for 8200 go here. put in your model you want and it takes you to an archive of things for the computer and if anyone ever needs further help just send a message and if im around ill try to help.

http://support.dell.com/

bios's are different in that some have WAY more options and offer more control. like if i wanted to turn my 1.6 p4 chip into a 2.4 chip i can up the clocks and have more power without blowing more money. or if i wanted to up my ram timings i could. which btw you guys. when looking at a computer dont always get sucked in by OOOOO it clocks at 3.0 ghz as most speed gains are seen with more RAM. im perfectly happy with 1.5 and abover ghz unless im doing movie editing or some other such cpu intensive task.

 

couldnt turn more lights on cause my bf is asleep.

 

Yah here I am by my computer too but I think we are getting off topic.
I guess I will just look for a 6GO40 motherboard and hope all the ports etc are in the right place and such. Anyone? Bueller? Anyone?

 

just showing i have it. have fun with the mobo replacement.

 

Hello DaveInTexas,

I have problem with my Inspiron 8200. It shut itself off and won't start again and that's why I'm looking around on the web to see anyone have similar problem. Since there are only a few components in a laptop, it ealily makes me think of replacing the MB. Digging around and sent some emails found that there are different MB part# (0K638, 1J824, 9P053) for Inspiron 8200. This link http://store.yahoo.com/impactcomputersmiami/dell-laptops-by-category-internal-parts-and-assemblies-system-boards.html has several different 8200 MBs with various prices. I asked them if the MBs are new and why they are of different prices. They said price differs by part# and they are all new. So, get to your question. You have to ask Dell to give you your MB part#. (If you are the owner, that would be easy otherwise you have to ask the original owner to do a ownership transfer. Dell tech support # is 1-800-847-4096 ). I got my MB part# from Dell and I think this would be safe, just in case diff. part # has diff. outcome. Also, you can download the service manual here http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/ins8200/en/index.htm#online_documentation

Hope it helps.

 

Stupid question: is it possible to put in a totally different motherboard in the Dell 8200, or (better yet), actually put in a faster CPU and Graphics card? the 1.7 GhZ is very long in the tooth, and the graphics card GeForce 440 doesn't do well w/Vista, I hear.

Thx!