Upgraded Acer 3680 Celeron CPU to a T5300!

i think theres a link on the forum already Krazy. on the first page will take a look

 

I found the link on page 23:

And yes, I am aspiring to do my work at college lol. Its hard to concentrate knowing that I can make my laptop ultra powerful though...

EDIT: Its a torrent? I don't use torrent software as they usually download viruses. Is there any uploaded anywhere with the plain PDF format?

 

http://www.manualuniverse.com/manager/products/manualExp.asp#mrcI

this place is good but it costs

 

Downloaded u-torrent just to get the manual. Its got very nice instructions as to how to get to the CPU. I can't wait to have fun this summer upgrading!

Edit: Is it really necessary to completely remove the motherboard from the casing? That seems like a heck of a lot to do to get to the processor!

Edit: Edit: I found an online store that sells the T5200 however the looks of their site don't make it seem professional enough to me... Heres the link:
http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=T5200

 

Sadly that is the truth. The 3680 requires almost if not complete dismantling to get to the CPU under the heatsink.

 

Here is a related upgrade question, when upgrading my ram is there a noticeable difference in performance from 1.5GB to 2GB? I currently only have 512MB of ram and need to purchase more. Is it worth it to buy the extra 1GB stick to replace the 512MB that came with it or should I just get one 1GB stick? Sorry if this is off topic, but I figured it fits in this thread.

 

just stick the 1gb stick in. then go into the BIOS (graphics) and if you have it switch over to DVMT. this will allocate more mem to the graphics and the speed change will be very noticeable

 

Thanks! I do have DVMT which its currently set to 64MB. I need to buy ram and XP home edition for my Aspire. I hope to play Halo on my laptop with XP. I got it to run while I had Vista Home Basic on it but it was too laggy. But hey, Halo even lags from time to time on my home built desktop [Core 2 Duo 2.13Ghz, 2GB ram, GeForce 8600GT(O.C.)] running Vista Ultimate 64 bit. That shows how efficient Vista is. Halo 2 runs fine though at max settings. Yay progress !

 

I would go for another identical stick of 512 Mb, or for replacing all with 2 sticks of 1 Gb. Two identical banks of memory work in this laptop in dual channel mode, giving a noticeable better speed of the system.

 

I was thinking about upgrading to 2GB of 2x1GB sticks as I wish to install my Adobe CS3 Web Premium software on it(license enables me to actually install it on two systems so long as booth are not used at the same time). That software requires a lot of ram and with 2GB on my desktop I have had it tell me I am low on ram. So 2 identical sticks will get a performance boost? Thats what I thought. Thanks for the info! I will definitely get 2GB now.

 

Success on 2nd upgrade! Thanks to all people and information here. My 3680-2472 is now having M520->T5200->T5600 cpu.

Acer 3680-2472,
Model ZR1
The motherboard code is MB.AZL06.003.
Intel i943GML chipset

With Celeron M520 cpu,
Vista Performance Index - Processor Subscore = 3.8

With T5200 cpu, 1.60/2M/533
Vista Performance Index - 2.7
Processor Subscore = 4.7
Memory Subscore = 4.4
Graphics Subscore = 2.7
Gaming graphics Subscore = 3.0
Primary hard disk Subscore = 4.4

With T5600 cpu, 1.83/2M/667
Vista Performance Index - 3.0
Processor Subscore = 4.8
Memory Subscore = 4.5
Graphics Subscore = 3.2
Gaming graphics Subscore = 3.0
Primary hard disk Subscore = 4.4

 

fhofho,, congrats on the step up to 667FSB.. i like the little bump it gave me..
but most of all i LOVE the fact that i can sit the laptop in my lap without frying huevos....
enjoy,
bigozone

 

Congratz on the upgrade now that we have a Second Success with that CPU I can officially add it to the Front page.

 

nice one fhofho

and post back after a few weeks and let us know how its going and any help you can give others.
once again well done.

i love this thread

 

I'm back with my Aspire 3680-2682 specs for help determining what processor I am eligible for.

Motherboard: (From the sticker on the RAM slot)
MBAZL06003719078952500

Information found in Ubuntu 7.10 Device Manager(Yes, I have Linux installed currently)

Intel Celeron M CPU 440 @ 1.86Ghz
82801 Mobile PCI Bridge
Mobile 945GM/PM/GMS, 943/940GML and 945GT Express Memory Controller Hub
Mobile 945GM/GMS, 943/940GML Express Integrated Graphics Controller
Mobile 945GM/GMS/GME, 943/940GML Express Integrated Graphics Controller
82801 GBM(ICH7-M) LPC Interface Bridge
EDIT: BIOS version 1.3505
Mfg Date: 0705

I have many more devices listed but from what I have read I think this is all you need to determine it? If you need more information let me know.

So what processors am I eligible for to upgrade? Or should I install windows and PC Wizard to make sure the Ubuntu hasn't recognized the hardware correctly?

 

T5200
T5300
T7200 (Only One Tested and Working So far)

I would assume linux could find it assuming it has all the drivers readily available. I'm not too familiar with Ubuntu so I'll leave that to our Resident Researcher Hoggie!

 

That is great news! Thank you very much for your help!

Now I have seen on Page 35 that wac has the same model as I and according to his signature it contains a T5600.

Is this considered risky to try the same or similar model T5500? I do not have the money to attempt it if it is not almost guaranteed(I know the upgrade is not fully guaranteed). So should I just go with the tried and true T5300? Also, I am going to upgrade ram to 2GB(2 x 1GB) and am curious if the motherboard could take advantage of 667Mhz ram.

Again, thank you very much! Now that I know I can upgrade I just need to convince myself its worth the risk of completely disassembling my laptop! For twice the speed and two times the battery life I am very close to ripping my trusty laptop apart and not looking back!

 

Go for the T5600 if you have the money. The motherboard has a maximum FSB of 667Mhz so it would use the ram at its full potential.

 

i believe WAC's setup only increased the processor speed while his memory speeds are still running at 533Mhz... i'll see if i can locate that info..

later,
bigozone

 

his mb seems to have a 943 chipset, if you have a 945 you should get the 667 on the ram if you use a 667fbs processor like a T5600, but w/ a T5200 or T5300 your ram will match the FSB of 533.

hope that clears it up,
bigozone

 

Ok, I am still a little confused.My motherboard can use the T5600 and work? No extra tweaks? Just swap and go? And I might have the potential to use 667Mhz FSB? If it has been tested that I can indeed use a T5600 I will try to get one of them cheap. I have found one on ebay for a buy it now of $100.

Also, what about the T5500? Is that similar enough to the T5600 to work without a hitch on my machine?

Thank you for all your help!

EDIT:
So it is safe for me to attempt any of the following and they should work?:
T5200
T5300
T5600
T7200

 

just be aware that if your chipset is a 943 the memory speeds may not get the jump to 667, but like wac experienced,, the CPU should work fine even w/ 667FSB,,, but the ram may not get the boost, but hopefully you have a true 945 in which case you'll see all the benifits...

BTW how much are the T7200's?? about $150?? if so i'd splurge and get the jump up to 4 megs of L2 cache...

bigozone

 

To buy the T7200 new from say newegg.com, it costs around $300 dollars. I have found a T7200 on ebay that had a low bidding and a buy it now price of $150 dollars. There are a bunch of T5600 and T7200's on ebay for sale.

So my computer can take the high FSB speeds then? Ok, I will try to get a hold of a T5600 or maybe a T7200 if it is on ebay for cheap enough. I would like to stay under $100 with the processor upgrade and I will go for the higher specs in hopes my motherboard can step up to the 667MHz speed.

And for a T5600/T7200 there is nothing I have to do but swap the processors? No bios tweaking to adjust voltages or whatnot? And either of these two will run as cool if not cooler than my current celeron? Sorry if I am repeating myself but I want as smooth a processor install as possible.

Oh is there any good articles on how to add thermal compound to a CPU? I did build my own pc but the thermal compound came on my heatsink/fan so I didn't have to worry about applying any. So when I will install my new laptop CPU I will have to clean the old off and add new right?

 

lol. Yes you will be able to put the CPUs in with no problems because your Bios is already correctly upgraded. They will both run far cooler than the celeron. The Santa Rosa T7200 even more so.

There will be thermal paster on the heatsink, so you could just smear that on if you want. If you want to you can add Artic Silver thermal compound, but in most cases the stuff on the heatsink is enough.

 

Ubuntu would have seen and reported correctly so no worries there.
the only issue with Ubuntu and cpu upgrades is the ATI graphics cards.you don't have them so all will work fine.
took me hours getting this right

if you have a pen drive make sure you have all the drivers download and stored away safe.

all the best,
Phil

 

Krazy......

could you stick this link on the front page as it clears up what you can and can't use.FSB,socket type and codes

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Intel_Core_2_microprocessors


Mobile cpu's are near the bottem of the page.

 

Thank you very much! I will see if I can get a hold of a T7200 for cheap off of ebay. That processor should last me a good long while with 2GB ram. Again thank you very much for your help everyone! I will post my results back when I am finished with my upgrade!

 

You got it!

 

God Luck Aspire
And Your Very Welcome,
Phil

 

Is there a way to determine the speed of the RAM running in the system 553 or 667? I installed a T5600. Here is the parameters from the CPUZ Memory Section.

Type: DDR2
Size: 2048 MBytes
Channels #: Dual

DRAM Frequency: 266.7MHz
FSB : DRAM: 5:8
CAS# Latency (CL): 4.0 clocks
RAS# to CAS# Delay (tRCD): 4 clocks
RAS# Precharge (tRP): 4 clocks
Cycle Time(tRAS): 12 clocks
Bank Cycle Time (tRC): clocks


After a T5600 installed, I notice the followings.
- Processor runs much cooler than before.
- Battery runs about the same as Celeron before upgrade.
- T5600 slightly faster than T5200. I believe graphic card is taking advantage of 667FSB.

 

if that is the current output of cpuz,, then your ram unfortunatly is only running @ 533.. "dram frequency = 266.7Mhz" multiplied by 2 for the DDR feature gives you a result of 533.4 approximately....

you might check the speed in PCWizard,, link is on the front page if you don't have it....

i'm not sure, and by no means an expert in the laptop area,, but i believe the graphics adapter/chipset gets it's timing controls from the mainboard/CPU speed and is not tied to the ram speed but tied to the mainboard speed.

hope that helps you, h@ll i may even be right,
bigozone

 

You confirmed what I found. The 943 chipset is limited to 533 RAM speed.

The original SDRAM chips were clocked only on the rising edge. Facing huge pressure from higher performance designs from RAMBUS and not wanting to pay expensive royalties on patents to RAMBUS, the big memory manufacturers cleverly created the DDR and DDR2 specifications, which clock on both rising and falling clock edges. You can read more about the details at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DDR2_SDRAM

 

Hey..Guys..finally found someone who will sell T5500 to me.
Do you all think that T5500 will work on i943gml Since WAC had succedded with T5600? Please advise ASAP!

Andy

 

Go for it. It will work since you confirmed that you have a 943 as well.

 

Pls dont flame.

I am a COMPLETE Newbie to this forum. I just read that you were able to take this laptop apart.

Apprently my ac socket broke and I need to open this laptop up to fix it. I hear it is attached to the mother board.

Where do I find instructions to take this notebook apart?

Thanks.

 

Haha your right...I'll try to find another.

 

that is the user's guide.

There is nothing in there that tells you how to take apart the laptop..?

 

or maybe you can try this torrent site but you have to install a BitTorrent client like µTorrent http://www.utorrent.com/download.php
then download the 3680 service manual here:
http://www.mininova.org/tor/1143827
I hope this helps

if you want it express, give me an email so i can send it to you

 

I gave up with this laptop.

I need to get my info off the harddrive but the battery is dead and it wont charge cause the dc socket is broke.

What can I do?

I was thiking about buying a replacement battery hoping it would be already charged.

I tried taking out the hard drive and was going to use an external adaptor to use it... but the interface is different on these drives...

ANY suggestions... PLS help.. Thanks.

 

Is there an adaptor I need to pull off the 2.5" HD in the 3680 for it to be used in an external casing so I can pull my data off of it on another computer?

 

Find a SATA external usb disk, and replace the internal hdd with yours. About the damaged AC plug, often the problem can be solved with a simple new soldering of the plug on the motherboard.

 

My dumb mistake.

I was using an IDE 2.5 external enclosure... when I was suppose to be using a 2.5" SATA enclosure.

I think thats what was causing my frustration.

 

GUYSSS..FINALLYY..
Afer researching and observing this forum..finally today
I've upgraded my 3680 processor

 

First of all Congratz on Your upgrade to the T5500! . Next those core temps are very correct, and very depending on the programs running at the time of monitoring. On average they idle around 45 deg C across the board. To this date nobody has reported gaining any new menus in the bios after upgrading. Use RM clock utility to control Stepping Manually, but Vista will control it automatically to maximize the temp/power ratio. (My recommendation is to use RM because vista can runs temps up to almost 80 deg C.)

 

Well I finally jump in (head first) and upgraded the wifey's 3680! I picked up a T5200 off eBay, and told the wife that I could have her little lappy "super-charged" with a nice C2D. She said go for it, just as long as I don't screw it up (She always did know how build up my confidence).

Here I am, armed with the knowledge of four successful previous ventures into laptop cpu upgrades. So I grab a cup of coffee, confident that this will be a piece of cake and that I can this baby ripped apart, upgraded and running before my cup of joe is cold!

Was I ever wrong! Now, all my other upgrades, you take off one or two panels and there you are, remove the fan heatsink, swap out the cpu, slap on alittle AS5 and BAM! Your done! So as beads of sweat were pouring off my head, removing what seem like the 200th screw from the back plate, I come the realization, I may need to brew a second pot coffee cause I'm going to be here for awhile!!!!!

Just when I finally get this engineering marvel completely disassembled, removing a handfull more of screws, untold number of connectors, I see the holy grail, the cpu. Just as I finish with the cpu swap, goop on some artic silver, the lovely lady walks in and asks where her computer is, and what the hell are all these screws and pieces of plastic all over the desk? Sheepishly I smiled and say it's her laptop and that I hope I can get it all back together. She was not amused and said she never wanted the damn upgrade in the first place!

What seemed like hours later, I got the damn thing back together (without any spare parts) slapped in the battary, handed it to the wife and said hit it. Anticipating it to fire right up, showing her what a techie super hero I am, she pressed the power button, lights came on the fan started up....and the screen remained BLACK!!!! Not even a post screen or BSOD, just f***ing Black!!!! Of course, she remained calm. Gave me that "you stupid idiot look", placed the laptop done and just walked away.

Now, being in this situatuion many times before (ask any married man, they know what I'm talking about), I realized if I wanted life to every be the same again, I had better fix this SOB of a laptop. So of course, I did what anyone would do, no the baseball bat was my second choice. I reseated the memory and sure enough this baby fired up and was speeding along, enhanced with the power of a C2D!!!!

Of course the wife wasn't at all impressed with my amazing troubleshooting skills, gave me one of those "You're a lucky bastard" look, I so frequently see on her lovely face and walked away without a good job or even a thank you!

Oh well, at least the thing is in one piece and working. And I'm off to a much needed rest. Overall, it really wasn't too difficult. But Acer guys, if your reading this, remember to always filp the cpu onto the back side of the mobo and for heavens sake, put a easily accessible cover over it!!

 

skibums

you are one lucky git,my wife would have chucked it at me at the first sign of trouble.

and hit me with the bat hahahahahaha.

 

thats two more for the score card Krazy

skibums has had a close call with the wife though

 

Haha you got lucky on that one! . Would have been an awkward night if it hadn't worked lol. Anyways ask her for her impressions on its new performance because she has not read this thread before. Then we can get some outside views on it's quickness.

Those temps are normal for the acer in itself because it was given a poor cooling case, and other cooling conventions. When I play World Of Warcraft I get temps up to 80 oC which is almost redlining the critical temp. If your running XP I would recommend using the XP patch which I think is a separate windows update.

 

Been there and have experienced it. Would not like to be a fly on your wall though with what happened

Well done and sorted

She will love you even more when she comprehends the lengths you went to too make her lappie better and faster than before..

" More love is in the air".

Cheers,
Theo

 

well the thread just went past the 550 post mark.

Well Done Krazy