Hot take: I hit 500 motherboard repairs last month and realized most people are replacing parts way too early

I tracked every single repair in my garage for 4 years and found that over 60% of dead boards just needed a simple capacitor swap or a bios reflash, not a whole new unit, so has anyone else noticed how often shops jump straight to replacing instead of actually diagnosing?

3 comments

3 Comments

wade_anderson1d ago

Not every shop is gonna have 4 years to sit around tracking dead boards though. Sounds like a solid niche for you but most people just want their PC fixed and gone by the weekend.

kimdixon1d ago

Yeah, isn't it crazy how many shops skip the easy fixes first?

jesse_smith101d ago

Point me to the specific signs or tests you look for that most shops skip. I see plenty of local repair guys swapping PSUs and motherboards without even checking the voltage rail or the caps with a multimeter. Are you pulling boards off the bench and checking for visible swelling or burnt pads first, or do you have a more standard checklist you run through before you even think about a swap?