Old motherboard in new(er) computer

I have a Dell Inspiron 5150 and recently had the motherboard replaced. I have since found out that the guy who replaced it did so with an older motherboard from a different Dell model. Is this allowed? The guy didn't even tell me he was doing this. He just went ahead and did it.

Thanks for your help!

 

What do you mean by that?

A lot of Dell laptops use the same chassis with only minor cosmetic modifications and subsequently motherboards from an older model may very well work with a newer model if they share the same base. I can already think of two more Dells off the top of my head that share the same case with the 5150, those being the 5100 and the 1150, so I'm pretty sure, mechanically, that this is allowed.

Now whether or not the tech should have done this swap is up for debate. The 5150 is a pretty old model, so a motherboard specifically for the 5150 may not have been available and the tech replaced it with an equivalent board. I don't think performance should have varied too much between anything in this particular line of machines, especially if you ported your own processor, memory, etc.

 

Well my original motherboard had a wireless card built in. The one that replaced it doesn't so I have a wireless card in my PCI slot - which is very annoying. Also, the computer is running much hotter, and the fan is always on. I know that Inspiron's have an issue with their cooling system but it seems a little excessive. The reason that I am questioning this repair is that they forgot to A) put my EMI shield back on and B) screw down my video converster. Also, recently, I haven't been able to charge the battery because the AC connector on the motherboard is not working. So, I guess I am asking "Is that allowed" for two reasons; mechanically and ethically.

Once again, thank you for your help!

 

Yeah... that tech didn't do a very good job.

Wireless card, EMI shield, video card all seem to be pretty typical tech mistakes, but if the power regulation on the board isn't working, he gave you a dud motherboard. That's definitely unethical in my book. Give the repair folks a ring and have them do something about it.

Concerning heat, did you have your processor replaced as well?

Although in the grand scheme of things, this generation of Inspirons all use NetBurst based processors which should not have found their way into laptops (In fact, should not have been made in the first place) as they are notorious for high power consumption and high thermal dissipation.

 

Hello,

How did you determine what motherboard was installed in your 5150 computer. A motherboard from an I1100 or an I1150 can fit into an Inspiron 5150.

Was the motherboard replaced by Dell?

Regards,

Richard B
Dell Online Community Outreach

 

I was determined because the new AC connector on the motherboard was a 3-prong connector. When I got the motherboard replaced, and got it back that was the new kind of connection. The old connector had a single prong in a circular hole. They gave me a new adaptor and cord ofcourse.

I did not get it replaced by Dell. w

Also, yes, the processor was replaced.

 

You definitely got an older board then, and probably an older processor.

The 1100 and 5100 both use the last generation 3-prong connector, and the 1150 and 5150 both use the current generation single-prong connector.

You probably got an older Mobile Pentium 4 or Celeron, which on top of NetBurst's high power consumption, does not have SpeedStep. My Brother has an 1150 with a Celeron and the fan always runs as well.

 

It seems like I need to replace the 3 prong connector on my motherboard. Is this a hard task?

 

From your posts I gathered that:

1) You originally had a single-prong connector.
2) You had your motherboard replaced.
3) You now have a three-prong connector.

Thus, a three-prong connector is already placed on your motherboard?

 

I meant to say "replace" instead of "place" on my last thread. My computer won't charge, and I figure it's the connector (3 prong). So, I need to replace it When I wiggle or move the cord while inserted into the connector I can sometimes get the green "charge" light - but it's hard to do.

 

It'll be a reasonably tricky task to replace the connector if you aren't good with a soldering iron, BUT I'm pretty sure you can't just replace the 3-prong connector with the single-prong connector. You will need to replace the entire motherboard. And you should probably coerce the folks who "fixed" your laptop to replace it free of charge, since they screwed up the first place.

 

I concur; don't mess with trying to correct a service you have already paid for.