Is it possible to replace it with this?

Hi guys, i was looking on ebay for some parts but i came across this main board that comes with the bottom and its from the 3160us with the quad core cpu and 1gb ATI graphics, im really tempted to replace the mainboard of my 3210us with that, is it really possible? everything is working, it just needs the top and the LCD screen, do i need to reformat my HDD to cope with the new board? and will the recovery manager from this hard drive work with the new board? please let me know so i can bid on this item, thanks

AS-IS HP Laptop DV6 3160US 4 Core for Parts or Repair | eBay

 

As long as the CPU, you are putting in it is within the same family/compatible, then I shouldn't see why not. Though the boards that HP utilizes, are almost always geared specifically towards a certain CPU type (mostly in terms of power consumption). I personally would not try putting in a dual core CPU on a board meant for a quad. Nor would I try the opposite. You will likely run into major issues if you try utilizing a CPU rated at 85w with a board that is set at 120w. You also have to be certain that the OEM bios are equipped to handle it.

CPU aside, sometimes HP will use certain wlan adapters with specific board types. So make certain that your antenna is of the right type. You do not want to plug in your three-wire wlan antenna and find that there are only two on the board.

 

Well it comes with everything, CPU, fan, wireless card, bottom piece I reckon that its basically the bottom piece of the 3160us all it needed was a working LCD keyboard and top piece but could it be possible that the connections for the antenna on the screen is different?

And I do have the same generation dv6 just like the one on the link just to clarify

 

Does HP have Service Manual for your model available? Since they are same generation, probably same manual goes for both and you can easily see how many different motherboards there are and what other parts are different. Unfortunately HP model numbers themselves don't really explain hardware differences between models.

Actually, if you can zoom to the picture 7 on that auction you should be able to see the part number for the MB. Then compare that to your MB p/n, it's on the same place under the sodimms.

If the MB is same, pretty much everything goes plug'n'play then.

 

You can look at the model of the unit you are purchasing to get an inventory of everything it originally shipped with. Then do the same with yours to compare. I would probably use/download a copy of HP's maitenance and service guide for that model to use as a reference. But yes - odds are good that the same wlan antenna are used. I'm just one to err on the side of caution is all.

 

Alright well I'm moving my HD from mine to the new one anything I need to do to it? Do I reformat?

 

Just take backups of everything important first and switch the drive.

 

thanks, just won the item as well

i heard that i can do a successful swap since im going from an AMD Phenom II Dual Core to a AMD Phenom II Quad Core, only thing i need to do is reinstall the graphics driver, and all should be well is that true?

and ill be making backups as well

 

Depends what the graphics cards are. If it's the same/same series, probably even reinstall isn't needed. Few reboots could be enough.

 

going from DV6-3210US ----> DV6-3160US same generation

 

Quick google reveals:

HP Pavilion dv6-3160us NoteBook AMD Phenom II Quad-Core N950(2.1GHz) 15.6" 4GB Memory 640GB HDD 5400rpm DVD Super Multi ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650

HP Pavilion dv6-3210us NoteBook AMD Phenom II Dual-Core N660(3.0GHz) 15.6" 4GB Memory 500GB HDD 5400rpm DVD Super Multi ATI Radeon HD 4250

From integrated HD4250 to discrete HD5650, that might need a new heatsink/cooler if it wasn't included.

So yes from software side, HD5650 will work with the current drivers just fine.

 

ok, well i provided some screenshots to see if theres anything i need, but everything on the missing side i can take over to the new motherboard so i dont think theres anything else?

 

At least the new bottom has heatsink included. I believe you can see the difference between new and old ones, old wouldn't have an extra pad meant for the discrete VGA.

 

So what does this mean do I need to make any changes? Or am I set?