Question on K7MNF-64 MOBO

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Jethro

This MOBO is offered on EBAY for some $50, but there are other EBAY
offerings for seemingly same MOBO for twice as much. The latter are
specified as for the Emachines, as if they might be different.

I'm wondering what the difference might be. I have a Emachines W3052
case, as well as a socket A Sempron 3000+ CPU plus 512 DDR.

Thanks

Jethro
 
This MOBO is offered on EBAY for some $50, but there are other EBAY
offerings for seemingly same MOBO for twice as much. The latter are
specified as for the Emachines, as if they might be different.

I'm wondering what the difference might be. I have a Emachines W3052
case, as well as a socket A Sempron 3000+ CPU plus 512 DDR.

Thanks

Jethro
Click to expand...


It's not uncommon for a board to be produced in both retail
and OEM forms. Whether the OEM version is exactly the same
or a little different can vary and you'll have to research
that if it's important.

One possible issue is that the OEM board almost certainly
has a different bios, at least different enough that it has
the particular OEM's vendor ID embedded in it such that
*Quick Restore* types operating system recovery discs may
only work on the same OEM board or another very similar OEM
board (from same OEM). In some cases it is possible (but in
others, not reasonably possible) to flash the OEM bios to a
retail board or vice-versa, but you have to be sure the
boards really are identical "enough" (enough meaning that in
whatever areas they differed you may lose that particular
functionality... depending on what the difference is, or
even have a then dead board, it won't POST).
 
It's not uncommon for a board to be produced in both retail
and OEM forms. Whether the OEM version is exactly the same
or a little different can vary and you'll have to research
that if it's important.

One possible issue is that the OEM board almost certainly
has a different bios, at least different enough that it has
the particular OEM's vendor ID embedded in it such that
*Quick Restore* types operating system recovery discs may
only work on the same OEM board or another very similar OEM
board (from same OEM). In some cases it is possible (but in
others, not reasonably possible) to flash the OEM bios to a
retail board or vice-versa, but you have to be sure the
boards really are identical "enough" (enough meaning that in
whatever areas they differed you may lose that particular
functionality... depending on what the difference is, or
even have a then dead board, it won't POST).
Click to expand...

Makes sense. Thank you. I had already cannibalized a defunct
Emachine
and wanted to replace its MOBO to use with its still working CPU in
another case.

Thanks

Jethro
 
Jethro said:
Makes sense. Thank you. I had already cannibalized a defunct
Emachine
and wanted to replace its MOBO to use with its still working CPU in
another case.
Click to expand...

A dead black and silver Emachine is great for a motherboard replacement
project. Any mATX will do (depending on what you want to salvage from
the old machine, of course).

Just keep in mind you'll want a different power supply than the one
that came with the EMachine. Emachines Power supplies are bad for
motherboards.
 
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