Bad News, Good News & Back from the Dead
Sometimes a computer repair takes an unexpected turn. These two recent builds are a good example of how different problems can lead to very different solutions.
Bad News / Good News
A local business I’ve recently started working with called about their design laptop, which had developed a total hissy fit and refused to start.
After some serious Sherlocking, the diagnosis was a failed motherboard.
The laptop was only 14 months old, so my client contacted HP to see what could be done. They confirmed the diagnosis but couldn’t offer a repair, even as a paid service, or supply a replacement motherboard. Finding one elsewhere for such a recent model proved difficult too.
A real shame, especially for a machine that wasn’t very old. On the bright side, we could at least put its RAM and SSD to good use upgrading some of the business’s other laptops.
A couple of days later, the phone rang again. This time, the question was whether we had a refurbished computer capable of handling professional graphics work.
Enter one of our Refurbished Custom Builds!
Already a powerful machine, it received a new mid-range graphics card and a more capable CPU to handle the workload. The result? A formidable little workstation, offering a much more affordable route to professional graphics performance than buying new.
Not the outcome we’d hoped for with the laptop, perhaps, but a pretty good result in the end!
Back from the Dead
Meanwhile, another customer brought in his gaming PC for a suss out because it wasn’t booting properly.
Strange memory errors were popping up all over the place, so it was time for some testing. RAM? Passed. CPU? Passed. Motherboard? Failed memory controller. Bum.
The machine had originally been built by the customer back in the days of Covid, and finding a suitable replacement motherboard was proving both difficult and expensive.
After weighing up the options, it worked out cheaper to fit a new motherboard and a punchier CPU, reusing the original RAM, SSD and power supply. We transferred everything into a fresh case complete with loads of groovy RGB fans.
It also saved us the time and expense of trying to clean years of dust out of the old chassis and water cooler.
One revived gaming rig, upgraded where it counted, and ready for its next chapter.
Two customers, two builds
Whether it’s a workstation for professional graphics or a gaming PC that’s seen better days, the best solution isn’t always a brand-new computer.
Sometimes it’s about making the most of what you’ve already got. Sometimes it’s about finding the right refurbished machine and upgrading it to suit.
Not sure what your computer needs? Give us a shout!