Change/Upgrade CPU for an M4500?

Hi Everyone

Apologies for what might be a dumb question, I have tried looking but can't find an answer.

Is it possible to upgrade the CPU on a Precision M4500? I currently have an i5 in laptop, and would really like to put a Quad Core i7 into it.

Cheers

 

You can put the same series version of the Core i7 in it, but the mobile versions are really expensive and not worth the price for small performance boost.

 

This I disagree with. If you are rendering/compiling movies, going from a dual core i5 to a quad core Clarksfield i7 will make a HUGE difference. Normal use, internet browsing, Youtube, yes you are wasting your money.

You can only upgrade to the 1st generation Clarksfield Core i7's, you should be able to go to a 940XM or 920XM as they are getting pretty cheap now (new non extreme Sandy Bridge CPU's come close to performance).

 

If you are doing a specialized task I guess. Still seems like a waste of money.

 

So the opinion is, it is possible, but its probably not cost effective.

Reason I want to do this is I had an i7 is my own XPS 16 laptop which ran like a dream, but my employer recently got me a M4500.

 

How much more performance you will see depends not only on the applications you use, but also on the operating system: Windows 7 or a modern Linux distro are quite good at spreading system load over multiple cores. Windows XP is pretty bad at it.

However, the most important performance boost would probably be replacing a mechanical hard drive by a SSD.

 

Ok, here's my plan

Upgrade the memory to 8Gb (already ordered)
Replace the HD with a hybrid Seagate Momentus XT 500GB (Pure SSD is just to expensive)
Upgrade CPU

This laptop will need to last me 2-3 years as its my main work machine, it comes with me everywhere. So I'm keen to ensure it runs as best as possible.

 

I would ask, what do you primarily use the machine for? Word/email then you would not need an i7, though nice to have will wreak havoc on your battery life (though your GPU in your M4500 would do more damage).