I'm looking to replace the motherboard on my Asus Rog Strix Hero II (GL504GM). I found some listings on AliExpress for motherboards compatible with my model, including ones that come with a better GPU like the 2070. I'm curious if it's feasible to upgrade to one of these boards, as I've already found guides for swapping the HDD, RAM, and fans, but not for the motherboard itself. Does anyone know if this is something I can do? Are there any specific guides available?
2 Answers
Swapping motherboards in laptops is way more complicated than in desktops. Is it possible? Sometimes, yes! I've done it with mixed success. It's risky though—something might go wrong no matter how much you prepare.
Honestly, I wouldn’t recommend it unless you're swapping for another motherboard that's identical in layout and power requirements. If the heatsinks aren't compatible, you could end up with an overheating laptop! Trust me, I've watched a ton of YouTube guides and tried it on cheaper machines that I don’t mind experimenting with. But for my everyday laptop? No way!
It's definitely a fun project if you have older hardware to play around with, though.
Here are a couple of videos that might help you out since I couldn't find a single guide that covers everything:
1. You can check out a video on how to remove the bottom cover and see the accessible parts like the RAM and drive [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1ky08EJ03k).
2. There's also this motherboard repair video that includes steps for removing the motherboard [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ML0Usnrdus).
Just a heads up: when working on laptops, having a good screwdriver set is crucial. If you damage the screw head, removing it can be a real hassle. And make sure to disconnect the battery right after you've removed the bottom cover.
I made a swap once between a Dell N5030 and an M5030. I got the M5030 super cheap because it had an AMD motherboard, which tends to fail more. The Intel board from the N5030 had survived a pretty crazy accident. The change went smoothly, and it's been running fine for over a decade—just had to switch the cooler over.