Troubleshooting a broken laptop where we suspect that it could be a motherboard issue is where known good parts come in really handy. Standard troubleshooting involves removing the drives and then testing the memory and the processor if it is a no POST issue.

Occasionally a known good processor will cause the broken laptop to power up just fine. As the hard drive is reconnected and the broken laptop boots into the operating system and passes additional testing then this has determined that the processor is the part which needs to be replaced.

This can save a technician from a time consuming misdiagnosis. However if the original processor has gone bad then the system needs to be checked for any signs of overheating. This can often be the result of a clogged system fan.

It is definitely unusual for the processor to go bad but it does happen and usually it is due to overheating. Any time that a component overheats the rest of the system should be checked to verify that no other parts have been damaged.

Some testing of the motherboard is still recommended and is a worthwhile process because it will give a good indication of the overall stability of the system board. The CPU is going to be one of the components within a portable computer which is going to be interchangeable with many other makes and models as long as they use the same socket and the system board is rated to accept the specific processor.