Upgrading laptop processor

  • Thread starter Thread starter Matt Modica
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Matt Modica

I would like to upgrade from an AMD Sempron 3000+:
____________________________________________
AMD Sempron
Model SDA3100BABOX
Socket 754
Core Palermo
Single-Core
Operating Frequency 1.8GHz
HT 800MHz
L1 Cache 64KB+64KB
L2 Cache 128KB
Process Type 90 nm
64 bit Support No
Multimedia Instruction MMX, SSE, SSE2, 3DNOW! Professional
Voltage 1.4V
Wattage: 25W
____________________________________________
To an AMD Turion 64 Mobile MT-37:
____________________________________________
AMD Turion 64 Mobile
Model TMSMT37BQX5LD
Socket 754
Core Lancaster
Single-Core
Operating Frequency 2.0GHz
HT 800MHz
L1 Cache 64KB+64KB
L2 Cache 1MB
Process Type 90 nm
64 bit Support Yes
Multimedia Instruction MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, 3DNOW! Professional
Voltage 1.2V
Wattage: 25W
Link: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...9103521#sctNav
____________________________________________
So I have 3 questions:
Would my motherboard support it?
Details: http://www.sis.com/products/sism760gx.htm
Would my BIOS support it?
Phoenix NoteBIOS version 3A18
Can I reuse my old heatsink?
 
In a notebook?????? Are you joking? Get a new notebook. The CPU on a
notebook is usually glued very firmly to the systemboard.
 
I'm sorry Cari but you couldn't be more wrong. Check the model number of your
laptop. if the model number supports that processor that yes you can upgrdae
to it; if it doesn't than you can't. The processor must be supported in the
system bios, and auto detect is usually necessary otherwise you will detailed
detailed info about jumpers and dip switches. Cari must be a system board oem
trying to get you to purchase a new laptop :) Cari I'm shocked that you are a
MS-MVP and giving info like this.

I sucessfully upgraded a number of dell laptops: In fact dell even makes the
services manuals available to people on the internet and give you step my
step instructions on how to take the laptop apart. Though meant for
serviceing the device you can still use them for upgrading.

Case in point I purchased my Dell 8200 with the cheapest cpu 1.6ghz, and
then down the road when the price fell enough upgraded to a 2.4ghz cpu which
was the max for that model. The biois correctly detected the cpu, and windows
also detected in correcty.

Brian
 
Get the service manual even if you have to contact the support department and
get them to snail mail it to you. This is very important; you really can't do
without the service manual, But it's definately possible. I used the same
heat sink, with some new paste. All the heat sink was is a block of copper
with a 2 inch piece of bent pipe welded to it to and a heat sink welded to
the other end. The processor was socketed with a special zip socket that had
a screw instead of a level to lock the cpu into the mother board. Turn the
screw to release the cpu, turn it the other way to lock it down. It help if
you know something about electronics. If you aren't extremely computer savy
then you could end up trashing your note book.

I persoanlly have a CET, and a BSCT, as well as experience as a EE, and a
CS. Even with my experience it was a little dauting as you don't want to
trash your 3000.00 notebook. Hey no pain no gain.

Brian

Brian
 
I have seen a negative attitude from most MVPs claiming this or that cannot
be done...
it has became something like a new hobby of mine proving them wrong whenever
they say something is impossible.


--
Kenny - www.ComputerBoom.com

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

-Arthur C. Clarke
--
 
Glued down, I'm sorry but I've never heard of something more ridicuous. CPU,
notebook cpu's are very expensive parts when compared with resistors, coils
and caps. People that build notebooks have to service those notebooks. A CPU
is a part than can go just like memory. There are also many cheap sockets
available, considerablly cheaper than a cpu inself. Glued down, the cpu
wouldn't need to be glued down, it has close to 900 pins which would be
soldered to the board if we listened to Cari. Why then glue it down. Let make
our motherboards unrepairable, throw away. Lets tie up that wave solderer
during production trying to solder those 900 pins. Lets let the wave solderer
fry the chip while trying to solder those 900 pins; when there is a $3.00
socket available for that 900 pin cpu. Please give me a break MS-MVP.


Brian
 
Dell and other companies out there don't want you do know this. They want to
sell you new products every 2 - 4 years when you could get 6 - 8 out of them.
Every company on the planet now whats to operate like a software company.
Where they get this renewal income every year or 2 as you are forced to
upgrade. Guess what corporate America it doesn't work like that as some
products aren't like software. In my opinion I find it to be a disturbing
trend.

Brian

Companies need to build value into there products not find ways to take it
out. A clone to be has much more value to it as I can do more with it down
the road compared with a Brand name that locks the board and BIOS.
 
The www.sis link is not for your motherboard.. it is the chipset employed on
your motherboard.. it would depend on make and model, neither of which you
have supplied.. look at the Manufacturer plate on the underside for this
info.. the top cover might give away the make..

You might want to contact the manufacturer to see if what you want is
possible.. the answer other than Cari's assumes that you have a Dell.. this
may not be true in your case..

Working on, servicing, upgrading laptops requires dexterity and tools.. if
you undertake the work yourself, assuming that the manufacturer gives you
the ok, ensure that you have the service manual and that you understand
exactly how to do it before starting.. you will of course void any
warranty..
 
Matt said:
I would like to upgrade from an AMD Sempron 3000+:
____________________________________________
AMD Sempron
Model SDA3100BABOX
Socket 754
Core Palermo
Single-Core
Operating Frequency 1.8GHz
HT 800MHz
L1 Cache 64KB+64KB
L2 Cache 128KB
Process Type 90 nm
64 bit Support No
Multimedia Instruction MMX, SSE, SSE2, 3DNOW! Professional
Voltage 1.4V
Wattage: 25W
____________________________________________
To an AMD Turion 64 Mobile MT-37:
____________________________________________
AMD Turion 64 Mobile
Model TMSMT37BQX5LD
Socket 754
Core Lancaster
Single-Core
Operating Frequency 2.0GHz
HT 800MHz
L1 Cache 64KB+64KB
L2 Cache 1MB
Process Type 90 nm
64 bit Support Yes
Multimedia Instruction MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, 3DNOW! Professional
Voltage 1.2V
Wattage: 25W
Link: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...9103521#sctNav
____________________________________________
So I have 3 questions:
Would my motherboard support it?
Details: http://www.sis.com/products/sism760gx.htm
Would my BIOS support it?
Phoenix NoteBIOS version 3A18
Can I reuse my old heatsink?
Click to expand...

As others have pointed out it depends on the notebook BIOS. Most notebooks
you can physically change the CPU but it is not a task for the faint hearted
or inexperienced. If you do not have the service manual do not attempt to
take apart a notebook unless you are a very experienced tech and have
experience with taking apart notebooks. There are many tiny screws in places
that are not at all obvious. Even worse there are many ribbon cables that
are easy to break when reconnecting them. It is very common for a notebook
to experience intermittent problems after being disassembled and reassembled
by an inexperienced tech. That said if you can find out if the CPU is
supported and you decide to tackle the job a digital camera and a notepad
are your best friends. Make sure you use a good heatsink compound for the
CPU heatsink. Heat is a major problem for notebooks. The same heatsink
should work but you won't know for sure until you have the notebook apart
and the new CPU in place. You might want to contact the notebook
manufacturer and see if the CPU is supported and if it is do they use the
same heatsink. I have been a computer technician for 20+ years. I would only
attempt this on my own personal notebook. The labour I would have to charge
a customer to cover my a$$ when (not if) problems arise would make it
cheaper for them to just purchase a new notebook.
 
Brian

Soldering a CPU to a motherboard is not unknown and is possible.. remember
the line "anything is possible".. ref ECS L7VMM3
 
Dell and other companies out there don't want you do know this. They want
to
sell you new products every 2 - 4 years when you could get 6 - 8 out of
them.
Every company on the planet now whats to operate like a software company.
Where they get this renewal income every year or 2 as you are forced to
upgrade. Guess what corporate America it doesn't work like that as some
products aren't like software. In my opinion I find it to be a disturbing
trend.
Click to expand...

Have you ever tried to carry the same laptop for 6-8 years? I've been
carrying them for over 15 years, and they just don't last that long, even
with the care a tech geek like me gives them. <g> I did get five years from
an Inspiron 7000, but the hinges were wasted.

So anyway, the NIC in my Latitude D600 failed. While doing a chat with a
Dell tech, she came to the obvious conclusion...the mobo needed replaced.
"Shall we have someone come do it, or do you want to do it yourself?"

I about fell over...once she sent me a link to the disassembly instrux I was
all over this one. The CPU mounts in a ZIF socket that has a rotary release
rather than the traditional lever. I bet every Pentium M processor mounts
the same way.

New NIC works great, BTW.

-John O
 
Wow, thanks for all the replies! I have found out that the BIOS and
motherboard will support the new processor, but I think I will take it to an
advanced technician. Although I have installed things like RAM, they were
simple, and I would rather spend a little extra money than jepordize my
laptop. Any ideas on how much this instalation would cost?
 
Brian said:
Dell and other companies out there don't want you do know this. They want to
sell you new products every 2 - 4 years when you could get 6 - 8 out of them.
Every company on the planet now whats to operate like a software company.
Where they get this renewal income every year or 2 as you are forced to
upgrade. Guess what corporate America it doesn't work like that as some
products aren't like software. In my opinion I find it to be a disturbing
trend.
Click to expand...

You're not alone - over on sci.electronics.repair they've been
complaining about it for years.

There are very few consumer electronics repair professionals left
because you can't make a living fixing Asian junk that was designed to
be thrown out at the first hint of trouble. Asians have become adept at
designing in just enough quality to ensure most units will function for
the warranty period. They certainly don't waste resources on engineering
for the longer term, or on frivolous activities like producing service
manuals and stocking replacement parts.

Computers are going the same way - it won't be long before computers are
no more upgradeable than a $30 Walmart DVD player is today. I suppose
the MVPs will continue to play their part in hastening that day.

Sunny
 
Sunny wrote:

There are very few consumer electronics repair professionals left
because you can't make a living fixing Asian junk that was designed to
be thrown out at the first hint of trouble. Asians have become adept
at designing in just enough quality to ensure most units will
function for the warranty period. They certainly don't waste
resources on engineering for the longer term, or on frivolous
activities like producing service manuals and stocking replacement
parts.
Computers are going the same way - it won't be long before computers
are no more upgradeable than a $30 Walmart DVD player is today. I
suppose the MVPs will continue to play their part in hastening that
day.
Click to expand...

It has nothing to do with MVP's or the manufacturers. It's human nature. I
owned two consumer electronics store for 20 years. People want cheap. Very
few people will buy quality when cheap is available. Blame the consumer not
the company supplying what the consumer wants. As for computers it's the
same thing. Most people want cheap so the manufacturers give them cheap.
Part of my business is selling and supporting quality pc's. It is a very
small, niche market, almost zero home user business. Big manufacturers are
not interested in niche markets.
 
Matt said:
Wow, thanks for all the replies! I have found out that the BIOS and
motherboard will support the new processor, but I think I will take
it to an advanced technician. Although I have installed things like
RAM, they were simple, and I would rather spend a little extra money
than jepordize my laptop. Any ideas on how much this instalation
would cost?
Click to expand...

Unless the shop was familiar with your particular model you won't be able to
get an estimate. Notebooks are too dissimialr to give a ball park estimate.
It could take anywhere from an hour to most of a day.
 
Kerry said:
Sunny wrote:




It has nothing to do with MVP's or the manufacturers. It's human nature. I
owned two consumer electronics store for 20 years. People want cheap. Very
few people will buy quality when cheap is available. Blame the consumer not
the company supplying what the consumer wants. As for computers it's the
same thing. Most people want cheap so the manufacturers give them cheap.
Part of my business is selling and supporting quality pc's. It is a very
small, niche market, almost zero home user business. Big manufacturers are
not interested in niche markets.
Click to expand...

I agree for the most part. Consumerism is indeed the root of the problem.

The last thing we need is MVPs - who supposedly earned the designation
by developing expertise and imparting it freely - encouraging
consumerism by telling someone who wants to upgrade his laptop he must
be joking.

Sunny
 
Sunny said:
I agree for the most part. Consumerism is indeed the root of the
problem.
The last thing we need is MVPs - who supposedly earned the designation
by developing expertise and imparting it freely - encouraging
consumerism by telling someone who wants to upgrade his laptop he must
be joking.

Sunny
Click to expand...

I hate to use generalities but in this case it's applicable. For most people
upgrading a notebook other than RAM or a larger hard drive is not practical
or cost effective. To advise otherwise in a public forum is doing a
disservice. Many if not most people would ruin a notebook beyond repair by
trying to replace a CPU. This is actually starting to change. AMD, Intel and
Microsoft are all pushing small OEMs to sell "white box" notebooks. They've
been pushing them for over a year. So far nothing much has come of it but we
can hope. I would like to see this happen.
 
Hope you didn't need warranty repair for it at any time then! I've been told
by Toshiba AND by Acer AND by HP/Compaq that even opening the case and
investigating the CPU will invalidate any warranty. Having spent nearly
$2,000 on my last notebook, I like my warranty to be available when I need
it thanks.

Maybe Dell aren't as fussy. But IMHO their notebooks are way overpriced.

The sensible thing to do when considering a new notebook is THINK AHEAD.
It's probably going to last a couple of years. After that, everything is so
old, you might as well just keep it in the closet as a spare.
 
One has only to look at the return line in Frys to realize that at least 50%
of the folks who buy PC parts from these stores have no idea how to
correctly install them, despite reading the instructions.

The gentleman in question has a newish notebook with a Sempron CPU... do
they not realize that by replacing the CPU, they will invalidate their
warranty? That the notebook manufacturer will politely smile and refuse to
assist them if they have a problem and try to return it to the service
center. Their $1,000 to $2,000 notebook will then be useless.

I'm so glad you believe that all people who post here with their questions
are capable of DIY PC repair. You have only to read the number of posts
from folks who add an optical drive and have no idea what a jumper is
(again, despite reading the instructions) to know that your experience and
knowledge is not that of others.
--
Cari (MS-MVP)
Printing & Imaging
http://www.coribright.com/windows



.. Consumerism is indeed the root of the problem.
 
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