Laptop processor upgrade

[gtasmy]

I have a HP DV7 - 1273 CL and I want to upgrade my processor and I need to know what my options are. It comes with a T6400 CPU Pre-installed.

 

[V3xar]

Hi gtasmy,

Some laptop and portable computer manufacturers allow their customers to upgrade their processor speeds.

However, if available seriously consider the upgrade in speed and the cost, often for the amount of money spent and the little increase in performance it may not be worth the upgrade.

This type of upgrade often requires the laptop computer or portable computer manufacturer or authorized repair shop to perform the upgrade and is not something an end-user will be able to do.

The time and money it takes to replace a CPU may not be worth the trouble, but that is up to you to determine. If you are inexperienced in changing the parts of the computer or the general construction of the laptop, you can cause damage to the laptop, making some or all of it not work properly.

I personally have never done this but I am sure some of the more experienced members will have better advice and suggestions.


.

 

[valtonray]

Hi gtasmy,

Some laptop and portable computer manufacturers allow their customers to upgrade their processor speeds.

However, if available seriously consider the upgrade in speed and the cost, often for the amount of money spent and the little increase in performance it may not be worth the upgrade.

This type of upgrade often requires the laptop computer or portable computer manufacturer or authorized repair shop to perform the upgrade and is not something an end-user will be able to do.

The time and money it takes to replace a CPU may not be worth the trouble, but that is up to you to determine. If you are inexperienced in changing the parts of the computer or the general construction of the laptop, you can cause damage to the laptop, making some or all of it not work properly.

I personally have never done this but I am sure some of the more experienced members will have better advice and suggestions.


.

i've attempted it before and i have to recommend not doing this. unlike in a desktop just because the cpu is compatible with the mb doesn't mean everything will work, the voltages, cooling and other things come into play and if your not experienced you will destroy your laptop just like i did.

 

[gtasmy]

so there is no way for me to install a 2.4 ghz cpu to replace my 2 ghz cpu?

 

[Zidane24]

so there is no way for me to install a 2.4 ghz cpu to replace my 2 ghz cpu?

It depends on the model of the machine...find the manual of the machine and if it even shows how to remove the processor

 

[Etihtsarom]

Nah, no manual will show you how to disassemble a laptop. And of course you can upgrade the processor, just make absolutely sure that it is the same socket, and increase cooling/power requirements. The disassembly is easy, just follow your nose, go slow, and keep track of what you're doing. After you replace the CPU, make sure TIM is applied well, cooling is optimized if the increase in speed is significant, else you might get crashes. But really, the best way to upgrade a laptop isn't by shelling out $300 for a faster CPU but rather an increase in RAM and most significantly, an SSD. This will yield a better performance kick than a faster CPU.

 

[Zidane24]

Nah, no manual will show you how to disassemble a laptop. And of course you can upgrade the processor, just make absolutely sure that it is the same socket, and increase cooling/power requirements. The disassembly is easy, just follow your nose, go slow, and keep track of what you're doing. After you replace the CPU, make sure TIM is applied well, cooling is optimized if the increase in speed is significant, else you might get crashes. But really, the best way to upgrade a laptop isn't by shelling out $300 for a faster CPU but rather an increase in RAM and most significantly, an SSD. This will yield a better performance kick than a faster CPU.

Think again...
http://www.compal.com/Download/NB/JFL92_JFT02/Service Manual/JFT02/030/JFT02_CH5-SM_030.pdf

The disassemble guide to my laptop...got to hand it to Compal

Part of the original Service Manual

 

[Etihtsarom]

Yeah, no, yeah, that's the exception, not the rule.

 

[bobkn]

so there is no way for me to install a 2.4 ghz cpu to replace my 2 ghz cpu?

I doubt that going from a 2GHz CPU to a 2.4GHz one is a worthwhile upgrade, even if it's easy.

It may not be easy. I've only had a couple of laptops apart, but they were held together with large numbers of tiny screws, and disassembly order was important. Sometimes things fit together in ways that weren't obvious. The miniature internal connectors were much more fragile than in a desktop PC.

I'd only recommend it as a learning process, and that only if you're prepared to discard the machine if it is damaged beyond the point where repair makes exonomic sense.

 

[gtasmy]

ok how about a 2.6 ghz?

 

[Etihtsarom]

2.6 will be noticeably faster, but will drain your battery faster and run hotter, and a conroe at 2.6Ghz costs about 400 bucks but will Not provide a bigger boost than an SSD will.

 

[awenthol]

A dual core 2GHz processor isn't exactly slow...what sort of issues are you having (ie, why do you feel the T6400 is slow)? Also, is your HDD 5400RPM? When I bumped to a 7200RPM drive, I saw a significant increase in overall performance. I see you already have 4GB RAM, which should be plenty but w/out more info, who knows....

 

[computersplus]

A dual core 2GHz processor isn't exactly slow...what sort of issues are you having (ie, why do you feel the T6400 is slow)? Also, is your HDD 5400RPM? When I bumped to a 7200RPM drive, I saw a significant increase in overall performance. I see you already have 4GB RAM, which should be plenty but w/out more info, who knows....

I agree here you would be better off investing in a hard drive and memory upgrade under no circumstance should a novice attempt disassembly of a laptop I repair computers for a living and I take laptops apart all the time usually to repair broken DC power jacks and it's not for the faint at heart you better know what your doing and have a very good grounding strap and ESD mat on which to work.

Also you must take into account cooling, laptops run very hot and can barely cool the CPU that gets shipped with them.

 

[whs]

I think you would be best served with an SSD, max. RAM and maybe a mild OC (if at all possible) - must be compatible with the cooling. Laptops are not known to be good at ventilation and you have quasi no options to change that.

 

[computersplus]

I think you would be best served with an SSD, max. RAM and maybe a mild OC - must be compatible with the cooling. Laptops are not known to be good at ventilation and you have quasi no options to change that.

OEM boards do not allow for overclocking at all totally crippled BIOS also overclock= more heat

 

[whs]

OEM boards do not allow for overclocking at all totally crippled BIOS also overclock= more heat

Comment well taken. Made an update with a qualifier.

 

[valtonray]

still stand by this. any attempt to upgrade something outside of ram, and hdd and the possible exception of the optical disk drive on some models is well beyond the capabilities of the novice.

 

[gtasmy]

A dual core 2GHz processor isn't exactly slow...what sort of issues are you having (ie, why do you feel the T6400 is slow)? Also, is your HDD 5400RPM? When I bumped to a 7200RPM drive, I saw a significant increase in overall performance. I see you already have 4GB RAM, which should be plenty but w/out more info, who knows....

well im a gamer and certain games need a better processor

don't get me wrong alot of games run great on my system especially since i have a NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT graphics card (also let me know about a better one thats compatible and cheap say from $50 - $120 even though its doubtful )

Also if anyone want to play Borderlands (my new favorite game right b4 Dragon Age Origins and Guild Wars)

and i have 64 bit so i could use more than 4gb ram right?

 

[bobkn]

A dual core 2GHz processor isn't exactly slow...what sort of issues are you having (ie, why do you feel the T6400 is slow)? Also, is your HDD 5400RPM? When I bumped to a 7200RPM drive, I saw a significant increase in overall performance. I see you already have 4GB RAM, which should be plenty but w/out more info, who knows....

well im a gamer and certain games need a better processor

don't get me wrong alot of games run great on my system especially since i have a NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT graphics card (also let me know about a better one thats compatible and cheap say from $50 - $120 even though its doubtful )

Also if anyone want to play Borderlands (my new favorite game right b4 Dragon Age Origins and Guild Wars)

and i have 64 bit so i could use more than 4gb ram right?

According to HP:

Product Specifications HP Pavilion dv7-1273cl Entertainment Notebook PC - HP Customer Care (United States - English)

your maximum RAM is 8GB. Your notebook has two SODIMM slots, so you'd need two 4GB memory cards to get there. (If you have 4GB now, it could be two 2GB cards or one 4GB. I'd expect the pair, as it may be cheaper.)

I don't know that it's impossible to turn your laptop into a more capable gaming system, but I doubt that you can do much with the CPU and graphics. If you can obtain a desktop system, there's a great deal more freedom to upgrade. Homebuilt would permit you to avoid being locked in to any appliance PC proprietary stuff.

 

[valtonray]

A dual core 2GHz processor isn't exactly slow...what sort of issues are you having (ie, why do you feel the T6400 is slow)? Also, is your HDD 5400RPM? When I bumped to a 7200RPM drive, I saw a significant increase in overall performance. I see you already have 4GB RAM, which should be plenty but w/out more info, who knows....

well im a gamer and certain games need a better processor

don't get me wrong alot of games run great on my system especially since i have a NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT graphics card (also let me know about a better one thats compatible and cheap say from $50 - $120 even though its doubtful )

Also if anyone want to play Borderlands (my new favorite game right b4 Dragon Age Origins and Guild Wars)

and i have 64 bit so i could use more than 4gb ram right?

i loved guild wars but my gf thought i played to much so she changed my password to literally random characters and i was never able to recover it. boo.