If you have a bad motherboard, we replace it — the right way. Dave's Computers in Somerville, NJ diagnoses the real problem first, sources the correct board for your system, migrates your CPU, RAM, storage, and Windows, and hands your computer back fully tested. Building and repairing PCs since 2011.
Fans spin but nothing on screen, or the machine is completely dead with a known-good power supply.
Restarts before reaching Windows, endless BIOS resets, or random shutdowns under light load.
USB ports, Ethernet, or audio jacks that stop working in groups — a classic failing-board pattern.
Storage or memory that appears and disappears between boots, or slots that stopped working.
Visible scorching, bulging capacitors, or a burnt-electronics smell. Power it off and bring it in.
Repeating beep patterns or a debug LED stuck on CPU/DRAM — we read these as part of the diagnostic.
Some motherboards fail more than others. These are the models and platforms with documented, widely reported issues that come across our bench — a few are recalls, a few are BIOS-fixable, and knowing the difference matters before anyone sells you a new board.
Dozens of reports of Ryzen 9000 CPUs — especially the 9800X3D — dying suddenly in these boards. ASRock confirmed BIOS settings were involved and shipped fixes (BIOS 3.20+). If you own one: update the BIOS now. If it already failed, bring both board and CPU in for testing.
A batch (~10,000 units, serials starting MA/MB/MC) shipped with a reversed capacitor that can overheat, melt, or burn. Officially recalled. If yours is affected, pursue the recall — if you're outside it, replacement is the fix.
The Ryzen 7000X3D burnout issue: boards pushing SoC voltage past safe limits, burning CPUs and sockets. AMD capped voltage at 1.3V via AGESA 1.0.0.7. Boards still running 2022–23 BIOS remain at risk.
Same class of problem as above — X670/B650 boards from any vendor that never got a BIOS update. We check BIOS version as part of every AM5 diagnostic.
Intel's 12th–14th gen socket design can bow the CPU, causing poor contact, thermal problems, and symptoms that look exactly like a dying board. Sometimes it's fixable with proper mounting; sometimes the socket is damaged and the board needs replacing.
The 2024 Intel 13900K/14900K instability saga: board BIOS defaults ran these chips far past spec. Machines come in "board dead" when it's degraded CPU, board, or both — we test both before quoting.
The 2021 chipset-wide USB disconnect issue was fixed in firmware, but boards that never got updated still show it. Often a free fix — not a replacement. We'll tell you which.
Fine boards, but EVGA wound down its motherboard business. When one fails out of warranty, there's no support path — replacement with a current board is the practical answer.
Proprietary sizes, connectors, and power designs mean no off-the-shelf substitute. We source the matching OEM board — or talk honestly about whether a rebuild into standard parts makes more sense.
Same story: proprietary boards and pinouts. When they fail, it's a matched-part replacement — and we handle the sourcing so you don't buy the wrong revision on eBay.
Walk in — no appointment needed. Tell us what it's doing (or not doing).
$75 diagnostic confirms it's the board — not the PSU, RAM, or CPU. Credited toward the repair.
$149 labor + the board. Everything moved over, BIOS set up, Windows reactivated, fully tested.
Need it fast? Rush service (+$100) gets same or next-day turnaround.
Work machine down? Mid-tournament? We get it. For $149 labor + $100 rush + the board, your replacement goes to the front of the bench for same-day or next-day completion, part availability permitting — we'll confirm the timeline honestly before taking the rush fee. If we can't hit the window, we won't charge you for it.
Our labor is a flat $149, plus the cost of the replacement board. Boards range widely — roughly $80 for basic desktop boards to $300+ for high-end gaming or OEM-proprietary boards — so your total depends on the part your system needs. We quote the exact board and total before any work starts. Rush same/next-day service adds $100.
You usually can't from the outside — a dead power supply, unseated RAM, or a failed CPU look identical to a dead board. That's exactly why we diagnose first with known-good test parts. The $75 diagnostic is credited toward the repair when you proceed.
For desktops, we replace. Board-level faults on modern desktop motherboards are rarely worth repairing: the part cost of a replacement is usually close to (or less than) the bench time of a component-level fix, and a replacement is a permanent solution instead of a patch.
No — and it's a deliberate choice, not a missing skill. Modern desktop boards are assembled by factory machines that place and solder components with a precision hand rework can't reliably match. The parts around the CPU socket and power delivery are so dense and fragile that a hand-soldered repair there is often a temporary fix at best. Laptop boards are a somewhat different economic story since so much is integrated, but for desktops we believe a properly installed replacement board is the honest, lasting repair — so that's the service we offer.
No. Your files live on your storage drives, which we move to the new board untouched. If your drives themselves have problems, our data recovery service handles that separately.
Windows ties its license to the motherboard, so a swap can deactivate it. Reactivation is part of our service — digital licenses linked to your Microsoft account usually transfer cleanly, and we handle the exceptions before pickup.
Often, yes — and sometimes it's smarter. If your platform is old, the same money can move you to a newer socket with an upgrade path. Heads up: changing platform generation may also mean new RAM or CPU, which changes the math. We'll lay out both options; our custom PC team does this all day.
Yes — bring the board with your computer and the $149 labor applies the same. We'll verify compatibility before we open anything, because the wrong socket or form factor is the most common reason self-purchased boards don't work out.
We test the CPU separately during the diagnostic — critical with the recent ASRock AM5 failures, where the CPU often dies along with (or instead of) the board. If both are gone, we quote both honestly before you decide.
Yes — CyberPowerPC, iBUYPOWER, Skytech, NZXT BLD, and the rest. Most use standard parts, which makes replacement straightforward. See our gaming PC repair page for the full brand list.
We replace those too. OEM boards need exact-match sourcing — proprietary connectors and power designs mean a generic board won't fit or power on. We find the correct OEM part, or if the machine is old enough, we'll talk about whether rebuilding into standard parts is the better investment.
Yes, quoted individually — laptop boards integrate the CPU and often the graphics, so pricing varies by model far more than desktops. Start at our laptop repair page or call with your model.
Standard service is typically 2–3 business days once the board arrives. Rush service (+$100) is same or next day when the part is available — we confirm before charging the rush fee.
Sometimes — the ASUS Z690 Hero recall and manufacturer warranties are worth checking first, and we'll tell you during the diagnostic if your board qualifies, because a free manufacturer replacement beats paying us. If warranty's expired or the vendor's gone (looking at you, EVGA), we take it from there.
No — walk-ins welcome at 75 N Bridge St, Somerville NJ, Mon–Fri 10am–5pm, Sat 9am–2pm. Behind Bank of America.
$149 labor + the board · Rush same/next-day +$100 · Diagnosis first, always. 75 N Bridge St, Somerville NJ · Mon–Fri 10–5 · Sat 9–2.
📞 Call 908-428-9558 📝 Request Service