Re: Motherboard brand question/laptop questions

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1

jack belue wrote:
> Hi all
> I am thinking about buying a Sony VIAO with a Centrino processor. 1.4
> GHz with an 80 GB hard-drive. The owner says it is almost new but has a bad
> motherboard. I am thinking, for what little the owner is asking I could
> replace the motherboard and have a great, up-to-date laptop. My question for
> the group is, what brand motherboards does Sony use, what is the price range
> for the laptop motherboards, and about how much would a shop charge me to
> fix this machine? Is their a web site I could visit to get answers. The
> owner is asking $300 for the machine. I am A+ certified and have built
> desktop computers but have never tore into a laptop. Thanks for any help
> people. E-Mail: .
>
>

Motherboards for laptops are usually proprietary, meaning that Sony
makes their own motherboards to put in Sony laptops. This is not always
the case, but it's nearly impossible to buy a replacement laptop mobo
without going through the original manufacturer.

BTW, there is no such thing as a Centrino processor. "Centrino" is the
term Intel uses to brand certain computers whose manufacturers comply
with certain "mobile-friendly" innovations designed by Intel, such as
low-powered Mobile Celeron processors, built-in Intel wireless cards,
long-life batteries, and a motherboard that supports good power
management features. In short, "Centrio" systems use "Mobile Celeron"
processors.

In any case, I'd say it's probably not worth it. Chances are, the laptop
is too old for Sony to offer any cheap options, and about the only thing
you could salvage is the HDD, which you can buy for $100 or less.

I'd work the guy down to $150, and contact Sony to see what they offer.

Rainman
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: GnuPG v1.4.1 (MingW32)

iD8DBQFCyL+b9ZOMhmWO5XkRAmovAJ9HdjT4Axp5cS3qY6Ln+O Sg88sbWACfSTrG
TCLWdI40K63a4KFFIZ8vPqI=
=Prb/
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

rainman