Hello,
I've had my Gateway DX4870 for close to a year and it's still under warranty, but when I contacted Gateway about the issue, they told me they will not honor the warranty since it was a refurbished unit. So needless to say, I will never buy a Gateway again, but the issue at hand is a few days ago, I was listening to music and the computer tower started emitting a horrid burning smell, and shortly after, the USB port that my computer speakers are getting power from quit recognizing anything in it. It still gives power, but anything that needs to be recognized like a mouse or keyboard will no longer work. I did a sfc /scannow and it said it found errors but were unable to fix them. So I am deducing that my motherboard has officially burnt up and is probably on it's last leg, so I am going to go ahead and invest in another motherboard, but here is where I need help at. Before that, here are the specs for the IPIMB-AR motherboard that comes stock with the unit:
Here is a link to a picture of what it looks like: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Acer-IPIMB-A...item20e2e502cc
My question is, if I get a new motherboard, can I get just any microatx board? If so, can I take the Core i5 that's in the old board and move it over to the new board? The heat sink and fan that are attached to the CPU are on top of 4 metal posts that are on the old board. On most of the new boards, I see there are just holes where the heat sink screws should go. Does that mean I will need to invest in a new heat sink and fan unit as well? I am hesitant about getting the same board again as a replacement because I don't want to re-live that dreadful moment it burnt up. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
I've had my Gateway DX4870 for close to a year and it's still under warranty, but when I contacted Gateway about the issue, they told me they will not honor the warranty since it was a refurbished unit. So needless to say, I will never buy a Gateway again, but the issue at hand is a few days ago, I was listening to music and the computer tower started emitting a horrid burning smell, and shortly after, the USB port that my computer speakers are getting power from quit recognizing anything in it. It still gives power, but anything that needs to be recognized like a mouse or keyboard will no longer work. I did a sfc /scannow and it said it found errors but were unable to fix them. So I am deducing that my motherboard has officially burnt up and is probably on it's last leg, so I am going to go ahead and invest in another motherboard, but here is where I need help at. Before that, here are the specs for the IPIMB-AR motherboard that comes stock with the unit:
ERCPU
Support Intel Socket: LGA 1155. (95W Max) (Ivy Bridge, Sandy Bridge)
* Core i7 3770 (K), 2700, 2600 (K)
* Core i5 3570 (K), 3450, 3330, 2500, 2400, 2300
* Core i3 3240, 3225, 3220
Chipset
Intel B75 Express
Integrated Graphics
Intel HD
Memory
4 * 240-pin DDR3 DIMM slots Supports Dual Channel DDR3 1333 non-ECC , un-buffered memory (Max 16GB)
Expansion Slots
1 * PCI Express x16 (3.0 Ivy Bridge), (2.0 Sandy Bridge)
3 * PCI Express x1 (2.0)
Storage
2 * SATAIII 6Gb/s connectors
4 * SATAII 3Gb/s connectors
Supports HDDs, Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
Audio
Realtek High Definition
Network Adapter
Intel (Gigabit) 10/100/1000Mb/s
Rear Panel
1 * PS/2 for mouse (color green)
1 * PS/2 for keyboard (color purple)
1 * PS/2 for keyboard (color purple)
1 * Audio I/O (Headphone /Microphone jack)
1 * RJ45 LAN port
4 * USB 2.0 ports
4 * USB 2.0 ports
2 * USB 3.0 ports
1 * VGA port
1 * HDMI port
Internal
1 * 4-pin CPU Fan connector
1 * 3-pin SYS Rear Fan connector
1 * 4-pin ATX 12V Power connector
1 * 24-pin ATX Power connector
1 * Front Audio header
1 * Front Panel header
1 * Clear CMOS jumper
2 * USB headers
1 * 3-pin SYS Rear Fan connector
1 * 4-pin ATX 12V Power connector
1 * 24-pin ATX Power connector
1 * Front Audio header
1 * Front Panel header
1 * Clear CMOS jumper
2 * USB headers
Form Factor
Micro-ATX
Here is a link to a picture of what it looks like: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Acer-IPIMB-A...item20e2e502cc
My question is, if I get a new motherboard, can I get just any microatx board? If so, can I take the Core i5 that's in the old board and move it over to the new board? The heat sink and fan that are attached to the CPU are on top of 4 metal posts that are on the old board. On most of the new boards, I see there are just holes where the heat sink screws should go. Does that mean I will need to invest in a new heat sink and fan unit as well? I am hesitant about getting the same board again as a replacement because I don't want to re-live that dreadful moment it burnt up. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!