Picking a Processor

[supermousie]

Hey guys, my Asus was in a rather nasty accident, and since I'm stuck using my backup laptop, I've decided it needs a little extra power because well, i3.

I need some help in picking a replacement processor because I'm not entirely sure what's fully compatible with my system and I'm not a fan of wasting money on a processor that doesn't fit.

Current processor is a first-gen Intel Core i3 350M
Socket 989 rPGA
32nm - Arrandale
Voltage: 0.725–1.4 V
TDP: 35 W
Tjunction: 90°C

I'm not looking for something spectacularly powerful; I need something like a midrange i5 or low-end i7 if it's affordable.

[Izzy]

Replacing the cpu on a laptop sounds iffy.

[trumaestro]

Theoretically almost any processor on this page should work. You'd have to find one though; it's old stuff. Newegg doesn't have any for instance.

But I wouldn't do it. Laptops are fickle beasts and if you mess up even the slightest bit then you can brick it really easily. Plus you probably wouldn't get too much of a benefit out of upping the cpu.

[Elmerz]

The laptop you have was most likely only built to withstand the heat level of your current processor, if you upgrade it, it'll probably overheat all the time.

[supermousie]

I'm considering a Core i5-480M, which was on the page trumaestro linked.
It's roughly the same in power consumption and runs just a little hotter under full load.

I'm aware it's a bit of a faff to change laptop CPUs, so I'll have to find a seller with a decent return policy... I'll update when I have something.

[trumaestro]

I would still advise against going through with this. You won't get much of a boost in performance, and it's a risky thing to do, especially if this laptop is your only computer now and you need one.

IMO, stick with what you've got and start saving up for something better.

[ELRayford]

What is the make and model of the laptop you are trying to upgrade? Even when the socket is the same there may not be support for different CPU's. We would want to verify that the motherboard will support it. Sometimes a BIOS update will be needed in order to support different CPUs than shipped. Even then the manufacturers may not have built in support for that CPU set.

As for pricing you can find 480m's for as low as $70 used with a 30 day money back on ebay.

[Pseudo Enigma]

risks aren't worth it bro

[supermousie]

Well, the service manual for my laptop sports a lists of supported processors, so I suppose it's less of a gamble now.

Laptop in question is a CQ62-251TU.

[ELRayford]

Without knowing which version of BIOS you are running I will suggest updating it before moving forward. Just to be safe.
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/d...roduct=4186375
That model does support the 540m. If you are buying from ebay make sure that it has some type of return option! Also pick up some decent thermal compound to apply to new CPU. As long as you feel comfortable taking the laptop apart go for it man! Will be a nice upgrade from an i3.

CQ62s are a pretty easy teardown/rebuild. Should be an easy task if you have patience. Just be VERY VERY VERY careful with the ribbon cables and connections on the motherboard. Here is a teardown vid (do not use a power tool pls):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VC0JHmDEmvU

Good Luck!

[fido123]

Firstly I agree with everybody else in saying this might end badly. Also, go with the latest generation i3/5/7 processor you can. 3rd is the most recent. The one you're talking about is first. I'm not looking into the specifics of your laptop so you'll want to look into this yourself. Lastly what do you want to use this computer for? A new CPU might not yield a noticcible improvement if your current one is already more than powerful enough. I have a laptop wit a 3rd gen i3 running at 2.6GHz and it can run VM's and do pretty muc everything else I need it to do.

[supermousie]

Dat i5.


Dem bits and pieces.


Dat dust.


Dat stress test.


Thanks for the help, guys.

[reuben_tate]

I read this as "Picking a Professor." I need to go to bed...