Buying replacement motherboard, question about integrated graphics card

[GerardP88]

Hey guys,

I own a HP Probook 4520s. I was going to replace the cooling paste again, but I accidentally ripped the fan connection off the motherboard, rather than just unplugging it... Very dumb indeed.

Since it is beyond repair, I am looking at replacing the whole motherboard. I looked up the motherboard spare part number on the motherboard itself (628795-001). I found many sellers in China through www.aliexpress.com, which sell for around $75 US. The thing is, they all mention in their description "Graphics Card Type: Non-Integrated", while my service manual specifies my motherboard as "System board with ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5470 graphics for use in 4520s models".

My question is therefore: are the Chinese sellers mistaken and are the motherboards identical, i.e. the ATI Radeon is there anyway, or do they really have a motherboard with the same number but without graphics card?

If the latter is the case, were the motherboards produced like that, or did they somehow remove the graphics card? And am I correct to assume that I can still put an external graphics card in there if necessary?

Thanks so much for your advise.

Regards, Gerard

 

[meat_loaf]

Well Gerard, there are couple of really problematic issues facing you on whether or not on the compatibility and the sellers. From my google search the Radeon card seems like a dedicated graphics chip instead of a integrated card. So on that account the sellers are correct. However searching for your laptop, they all seem to indicate intel with HD graphics which is integrated. So you have to double check yourself and make sure is it dedicated or not. If you still have the original documentation or search it from HP support site it may give you a clue.

The second problem is the sellers. There is a chance that the product you will buy on Aliexpress will not match the description. These things happen quite often since aliexpress is just like ebay. The second problem is for $75 there is a big unknown factor of the motherboard you receive will be dead or alive. Like ebay, many of these things are pretty much battered up and used motherboards. I generally advise people to stay away from buying used computer parts because there is absolutely no guarantee.

If there is a local computer thrift shop or laptop repair shop, it'd can be better to take it to those places and get a replacement without the unknown risk. At least if things don't work you can get a refund. Prices might be a little higher than DIY from aliexpress, but you are paying a little premium to waive the possibility of buying DOA parts and wasting money.

 

[GerardP88]

Hi meat_loaf,

Thanks for your answer. Based on your recommendations I decided not to buy a Chinese motherboard. I went to two laptop shops earlier and they mentioned sums of 300-400 dollar US... Bit overpriced. I looked around for 2nd hand laptops in my country instead, and found the exact same model for a reasonable price. That way I should be able to keep it going for quite a while with a complete set of spare sparts.

Thanks for your help

 

[jarotech]

Hi, you can always solder the wires from the fan on the motherboard.

 

[FALC0N]

That sounds like the better solution to me

 

[GerardP88]

I asked several repair shops, but based on photos of the problem some said they couldn't do it and others gave a price that was close to buying a new motherboard and still could not guarentee results.

Thanks for your suggestions, though! I've got some options to choose from, it'll work out in the end

 

[jarotech]

I did not saw the damage on the motherboard, if you have lift some of the traces connecting to the connector, sure, it will be more difficult to repair.

 

[meat_loaf]

Hi meat_loaf,

Thanks for your answer. Based on your recommendations I decided not to buy a Chinese motherboard. I went to two laptop shops earlier and they mentioned sums of 300-400 dollar US... Bit overpriced. I looked around for 2nd hand laptops in my country instead, and found the exact same model for a reasonable price. That way I should be able to keep it going for quite a while with a complete set of spare sparts.

Thanks for your help

Hi, you can always solder the wires from the fan on the motherboard.

Soldering wires may not be the best method and can introduce further issues. Laptop has one of those 2 pin connectors same as those used on GPU. The wire holes are so small, your soldering pen may not even fit and plus you run the risk of having solder in the entire wire socket short circuiting the positive and negative.

The fact that when Gerard pull the computer apart, there is a chance the pins are already ripped from the socket itself, that makes it potentially useless trying to repair it. Might as well buy a new laptop since its pretty cheap these days to find one with a dedicated gpu.