Questions about replacing HP laptop cpu?

[soyuz1991]

Hi, I have an HP g42-415dx laptop with Windows 7 64 bit and AMD Dual-Core Athlon II P340 which I would like to replace for a faster AMD Quad-Core Phenom II P960 from e-Bay.

List of what both processors have in common: THEY ARE BOTH 25 TDP WATTS
--Core Name: Champlain
--Platform Name: Danube
--Microarchitechture: K10
--Technology: 45nm
--Socket: Socket S1 (S1g4)

The only differences include frequency, bus speed, L1 and L2 caches, cores and names.

Can I replace it?
Can I use the old fan/heatsink?
Is there any compatible CPU better than the p960 that can be used instead?

 

[AddRAM]

There`s nothing here about an upgrade so I would call them direct.

Product Specifications - HP Customer Care (United States - English)

 

[solarmystic]

Hi, I have an HP g42-415dx laptop with Windows 7 64 bit and AMD Dual-Core Athlon II P340 which I would like to replace for a faster AMD Quad-Core Phenom II P960 from e-Bay.

List of what both processors have in common: THEY ARE BOTH 25 TDP WATTS
--Core Name: Champlain
--Platform Name: Danube
--Microarchitechture: K10
--Technology: 45nm
--Socket: Socket S1 (S1g4)

The only differences include frequency, bus speed, L1 and L2 caches, cores and names.

Can I replace it?
Can I use the old fan/heatsink?
Is there any compatible CPU better than the p960 that can be used instead?

Even if you could theoretically replace it, there is no guarantee that your OEM's BIOS will accept and recognize the new CPU as it has only a preset list of supported CPUs in it's firmware.

Also, upgrading from a dual core to a quad, even one that has a similar rated TDP, could cause additional overheating issues due to the additional 2 cores that may not be sufficiently handled by the built in fan and heatsink...

You could try to update your BIOS to a newer version to increase the chances of compatibility:-

Locate and Install Updated BIOS, Drivers, and Software HP G42-415DX Notebook PC - HP Customer Care (United States - English)

 

[soyuz1991]

Didn't think about that, I prefer not to risk my money and my laptop to replace something that's not going to help a lot. Thanks anyways.

 

[AddRAM]

Especially from someone on Ebay. No matter what they tell you.