The age-old question…. repeated many times but mine is a bit different…

xWiNiMx

Ok. I’m not sure if it’s the right choice, but I’m going to make separate posts for my individual questions. Yes, this is about laptop system board upgrades. I understand that processors and possible gpu’s are soldered to the board and swapping the components is, for the most part considered impossible. That’s not my question. What I’m asking about is later model full swap. The specific board I’m referring to is the MSI MS-16R1 to the MSI MS-16R31. Size/shape, ports, mount points, power supply, and almost all peripherals are the same. As far as I can tell, the only difference is the WiFi card which is easily acquired. I haven’t been able to yet, but I intend to measure the v/i across posts to confirm they are identical, but… if anyone already knows…? 

itsBrian

@xWiNiMx Do you mean MSI MS-16R3?

At a glance it looks like they could be more or less interchangeable, but that's a pretty invasive procedure and it would be more or less impossible to know for sure how it would work out for your specific system without giving it a try. If you're paying some of the prices I'm seeing online, I would question the risk v. reward. Otherwise, let us know how it works out!

xWiNiMx

Invasive feels harsh. Feels only slightly more intensive than swapping a cpu on a desktop, and most of that is purely because there’s almost no viable information regarding the matter. There’s such a taboo associated with notebook mobo swaps that I feel like Captain Kirk with the Enterprise. I would have thought that the MS-16R1 would transition to the MS-16R3, as well. The current board is the MS-16R4… but nope. The 9th Gen’s board is split between MS-16R31 and MS-16R4. I got  a steal on the board; the only reason I’m making the attempt. I got everything prepped and cleaned last night. Hopefully, I’ll have some good news to share tomorrow.

PowerSpec_MichaelB

https://community.microcenter.com/discussion/comment/39413#Comment_39413

I wouldn't say its taboo, though it is uncommon. I've seen plenty of people on the NotebookReview forum perform swaps like these in Clevo based models with great success. The big things to keep in mind are whether the board's monitor pinout matches that of your panel (EDP30 vs EDP40) and that the ribbon connectors for the keyboard, trackpad, audio and other peripherals are in the same area/match the same number of contacts.

Looking it up online, the replacement keyboard, coolers and replacement panels all seem to be identical for those boards (both panels being 30-pin EDP). Like @itsBrian said, nothing can be guaranteed here as there is no data of anyone attempting the swap for this exact model, but I'd say given the similarities between the boards and replacement parts, you have a much higher chance of success here than most.

Last time I did a full board replacement on a laptop was an old HP DV7-2185DX, so it has been a while.

itsBrian

https://community.microcenter.com/discussion/comment/39413#Comment_39413

You're right that "invasive" is probably a bit harsh; difficulty is skill-relative, and you're the only one on the forum with an accurate gauge of your competence working with computer hardware. I meant to highlight that a laptop motherboard swap is not something I would recommend to the average uninitiated user. I didn't intend to be discouraging, so I apologize if it came off that way.