Processor or mobo?

[Lindlar]

Recently had my laptop die on me. On bootup, it gets to the bios screen for just a moment, and before it can finish loading, the screen goes black. I'm trying to decide if this would indicate that my motherboard is damaged or if my processor is damaged. Is the processor necessary for the bios to load, or is everything related to the bios handled by the motherboard?
Also, why are replacement motherboards for a 5 year old laptop so expensive?! D:

 

[Slaymate]

Yes the processor is necessary for the bios to load. Your problem could be caused by a lot of things, the cpu, mobo, battery/power supply, video, etc...

You can't just replace the cpu and video on some motherboards as they are "built into it". So when you buy the motherboard you may be buying all of those components. If your Laptop is 5 years old you should replace it with a new model as the repair is not worth the price.