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How to change the motherboard inside your PC
Replacing an older motherboard with a newer, more powerful upgrade is easier than you think. Unlike building an entire system from scratch, everything is already in place for (almost) a straight swap. In this guide, we'll be running you through how to choose the right replacement, how to remove an old motherboard, and how to install a new one. After following these simple steps and carrying out the process, you'll find everyone approaching you for PC support.
How to choose a new motherboard
Not all boards are built the same
When swapping out your motherboard for a new one, it's important to choose a replacement that works with your processor and system memory. An AMD motherboard will not play well with an Intel CPU, especially if you have DDR4 RAM. The most vital step is to check the hardware attached to your motherboard. Remove the RAM module(s) and see if you're working with DDR4 or DDR5. Next, the CPU cooler can be carefully removed to reveal the processor with its model number printed on the top — the thermal paste will need to be cleaned off with some isopropyl alcohol.
If you have an AMD processor, let's say an AMD Ryzen 7 7700X, and some DDR5-6000 RAM, you will need to buy a motherboard that supports these two components. Luckily, all AM5 motherboards only work with AMD Ryzen 7000 and 8000 series processors and DDR5 RAM, making the selection process much easier than Intel. For Intel, it depends on which generation processor you have and whether your RAM is DDR4 or DDR5. We've also got a collection of the best Intel motherboards.
5 features to look for in a new motherboard
Planning to buy a new motherboard? Here are some quality-of-life features you should keep an eye out forHow to remove the old motherboard
Ripping everything out (not literally!)
Before we're able to play with the new motherboard, we first need to remove the old one from the PC. If you have a prebuilt PC, I would recommend looking up the manual for the CPU cooler before proceeding as we'll need to remove it from the CPU socket. Take notes of where all the cables were connected to. Most motherboards have a standard layout, but headers and other parts may be located elsewhere on the PCB. As for physically removing the motherboard, here's how to go about it:
- Rest your PC on its side on a flat surface.
- Remove the CPU cooler if using an AIO liquid kit.
- Disconnect all cabling from the motherboard.
- Remove all the screws securing the motherboard to the chassis.
- Carefully extract the motherboard out of the case.
- Remove the CPU, RAM, and storage drives from the motherboard.
Your PC is now ready for the new motherboard.
How to install the new motherboard
Do as much as you can outside the PC case
We've written a comprehensive guide on how to install a motherboard inside a PC, but I'll give you some quick reference steps here to get you on the right track. As noted in our excellent guide, I would strongly recommend installing as much as you can onto the motherboard before attaching it to the motherboard tray inside your chassis. This makes it easier to attach the CPU cooler (or at least prep it for installation with the necessary brackets), install the M.2 storage drives, and ensure you've got the RAM modules the right way up.
Now that you've got a few components installed onto the motherboard, it's time to move it to the PC case.
- Rest your PC on its side on a flat surface.
- Move all the cables out of the way.
- Carefully lower the motherboard above the standoffs, matching them to the screw holes on the board.
- Gently rest the motherboard atop the standoffs.
- Screw the motherboard to secure it in place. (Follow an X pattern when screwing, start in the top-right, then do the bottom-left, etc.)
- Tighten all screws, but don't apply too much force!
- Plug all the old cables in.
- Turn on the PC!
The system should work as normal. If you're running Linux, the OS should boot without any issues. For Windows, the same should occur as we've not swapped out anything other than the motherboard. A trip into the UEFI BIOS may be required to configure case fans and ensure XMP or EXPO is activated for the system memory.
