Ed: The following is a guest post by Ars CPU & Mobo forum guru Hat Monster. The post is based on an excellent thread on the same topic, which everyone who’s contemplating a motherboard swap should ...

As the true heart of your computer, the motherboard contains the interfaces for your hard drives, RAM, processor and other devices, and in some cases also contains video circuitry and on-board network ...

Replacing a PC’s motherboard takes time and more than a little sweat, especially if you’ve never done it before. You could trip on any number of little hurdles ...