How do I tell what motherboard I have?

Question

My HP computer's motherboard just died and I don't know the model of my motherboard. I would like to know in the hopes that I can buy its replacement.

I'm unable to run any programs on the machine as it freezes on the Windows start up screen.

Answer 1

(When a motherboard dies, it usually doesn't boot... are you sure it is the motherboard?)

Otherwise, take it out and find the actual model number, and order on that. You should be able to find it printed on the 'upward facing' side of the board.

Keep in mind that subtle differences between models, even on the same 'base' board could cause you some headaches. (e.g. if you have a built in graphics card, make sure the motherboard you get also has the built in graphics and doesn't expect you to have an external card)

ebay is usually your friend for this kind of thing.

btw, here is a link that shows what this might look like on the board itself: Motherboard Identification (tech-republic / safe for work)

Answer 2

You'll need to open up the case and take a look at the board itself, though if you get as far as the start up screen it's more likely to be something else at fault.

Can you hit the "setup" key (usually F2) when first booting and get into the BIOS? If you can then the motherboard is OK and the problem will lie elsewhere, most likely memory or graphics card.

As there are different types of motherboard, the number won't necessarily be in the same place or the same format.

This page has a good picture of a motherboard and where it's serial number is located.

Answer 3

You may have success using HP's PartSurfer tool.

Most parts can be purchased directly from the website, if needed, or you can Google the part number and shop around.

Answer 4

Most HP desktops use a custom motherboard (usually a modified version of a commercial model), and most of the time getting a replacement board from HP is ridiculously expensive. When my motherboard died in my HP desktop, they wanted 380 dollars for their replacement. The computer was only 800 new. So I just bought a new case and motherboard for 120 bucks and transferred everything else over.

Although, as the others have said, it doesn't sound like a motherboard failure to me as usually in those cases it won't boot at all. If it locks up in the same place every time during boot, it's more likely a corrupt driver or something of that nature. If it locks up at random intervals, my guess would be memory that has gone bad or a fan has died and the CPU or memory are overheating.