Need a new motherboard

Janice, the cost of a mother board can vary starting at around $75 up to as much as $300. Dell tends to be proprietary with regard to the hardware installed in their machines. Regardless of that, when replacing your motherboard you have to make sure it is compatible to the CPU, RAM, and other hardware installed in your machine. If you like the dell and have had good service from it, have them give you an estimate on cost of repair. You may find that you can buy a newer machine that is faster and more capable for less money. One thing you need to know is that regardless of brand, they all use the same parts to put a home computer together and those parts are produced by one of two (maybe 3) companies depending on which component is being discussed.

On all but their newer XPS line Dell uses Dell specific motherboards. The only way to get one is to contact Dell and see what they will charge you for one. You can find all the info at www.dell.com
Hope this helps.