Upgraded Acer 3680 Celeron CPU to a T5300!

was that guy YOU??? i have over 2000 PMs in my message folders...

but if asked i try to go the extra mile to help people even when i had nothing to do with causing thier problems... and i always warn of what a BIOS flash might do!!!

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=284686

see those PMs listed in the thumbnail below...
that is where i spent half the day trying to help a guy flash his bios USING DOS,,,, turns out he burned his CD with the DOS BIOS FILES in a format that is not readable by DOS.... but we finally figured that out.. after figureing out how to RECOVER his BIOS w/o a USB FLOPPY!!!

 

No its not me.

So is it really my graphics card causing all the trouble cause when im playing games like CounterStrike, and HalfLife 2 Death Match in closed spaced enviroments the game runs fast along with the enviroments looking smooth. The place where I have FPS problems in Wide enviroments and alot of players and explosions going on in 1 area.

Just throwing it out there. Can I bump my 2Gig Ram up to 3 or 4 gigz?
Oh and also tell me what kind of 160 HD you have in your acer I wanna get one too ^_^.

 

what graphics does your laptop have??

i think your motherboad may be limited to 2 gigs,, there is a remote chance it can take 3 gigs,, but i'm not up on the 3690.. the 3680 i know more about...

but without a 64 bit OS like VISTA 64 or LINUX 64 your laptop can only address a max of 3.3gig of ram and most PC makers just write BIOSes that limit the RAM to 2 or maybe 3gigs if your CHIPSET can support it,,, then the BIOS must also support it....

try www.crucial.com
download thier little system examiner, and it will probe your system to detect your chipset,, and then check your mobo and BIOS VERSION against thier database to give you the OFFICIALLY supported RAM.. but even if it says 2gig total is your max it may be wrong..

it says the same about the aspire 5315 and i know there are atleast 5 members here who have tested 3gigs and verified it works (but the 2 gig has to be in the top slot)

your board may be different... ANDY or HOGGIE may know more about it than i do...

give me your VIDEO CHIPSET INFO so i can find you some info on it's performance when compaired to other systems

 

AcerAspire 3690 guy - The i943gml is compatible with all socket M Core 2 Duos....Go for the T7200, since the difference in frequency from the T7400/T7600 won't do you any good, except in CPU-intensive tasks, such as encoding/decoding, photoshopping, etc.
The 3690 with the i943GML supports a max of 2GB DDR2-533 RAM.
Go for the WD1600BEKT or the Hitachi 7K200. (A deal is available for the 7K200 for $90 in the Notebook Tech Bargains Section)

 

you are a wealth of socket M knowledge... i hate that the T5600 didn't work for you due to your original MB's chipset.... but look at all the INFO you have added to the ACER FORUM (not to mention the knowledge you've gained because of it).

sorry my info was incorrect, but it's turned out to be a blessing in disguise!!

BTW,, how is the CUSTOM BIOS EDIT going?? any luck???
i'm gonna start playing w/ custom bios edits seriously very soon,, since i have found a fool-proof way to recover my bios should i screw the custom file up!

 

Im running on windows vista 32-Bit System. The Graphics card that I have is the Intel Mobile 945 Chipset Family wilth 1280 x 800 res and 60 Hertz refreash rate. The utility I can toy around with it settings is Intel graphics media accelerator

 

BigO - I just upgraded to the T5200....($18) (Running a few diagnostics, before I update my Sig Specs )
Will probably be looking for a cheap T7200, or a C2D ES..

BIOS Edit is kinda slow atm. Looking for some old BIOS files for the 3680.
I'll maybe bribe someone at Wim's BIOS or BIOSMAN, to make me a custom BIOS
The BIOS chip on my mobo is PLCC, so it is removable and replaceable

And thanks for the reply to the PM..

 

sorry to hear about the INTEL GRAPHICS,,, i have the NEWER intel GM965 and the intel X3100 graphics onboard,, and even with a T5450 CORE2DUO and 2gigs, i can barely play the DEMO of HALO... it plays ok,, but sorry looking graphics, and random lags and stutters... but it works better than it did when i had vista and a CELERON cpu.

you may wanna download the TRIAL of HALO and see how it performs now...
that will give you an idea of what 3 y/o software looks like on that graphics chip, and while your CPU, RAM & HDD upgrades will result in some noticable performance gains,, you will never be happy running newer GRAPHICS intensive games on that laptop (or atleast i wouldn't)

CONGRATS on finally getting a C2D running in that laptop.... glad you got it CHEAP... $18us or 18euro or 18pound?? either way it is a good price.

glad to hear your BIOS is socketed... pc wiz says mine is too,, but i have yet to look,
and as for the PM... no problem... we gotta try to help each other,, that's what NBR is all about!

 

$18 shipped..

Check out the detailed specs in the 7720 SG (shows the BIOS package as 32-pin PLCC), it should be removable.

 

The Demo was running fine. At the beginning when I was in the open field everything was runing fine. But once I got in that cliffside base all these random colors started to flash around. Im confused cause I can run TF2, Guild Wars, CounterStrike, HL2 Deathmatch, Fear Combat and the visuals look fine. My only problem is the random FPS lagg in open spaces. Will a better cpu fix that problem?

 

The Demo was running fine. At the beginning when I was in the open field everything was runing fine. But once I got in that cliffside base all these random colors started to flash around. Im confused cause I can run TF2, Guild Wars, CounterStrike, HL2 Deathmatch, Fear Combat and the visuals look fine. My only problem is the random FPS lagg in open spaces. Will a better cpu fix that problem?

 

I also would like to know if you can upgrade the video card on your acer laptop. I found an image of an acer and would like to know where the video card is shown in this photo.



The inside of my laptop looks alot like this so im just wondering

 

The Module next to the FAN (b/w the FAN and the HDD) is the GPU (MXM Card - Swappable).
The 3690 has integrated graphics, non-upgradeable, fixed and soldered to the motherboard, and no model in the 3690 family comes with an MXM Card.
Read this Sticky....

 

will improve but not totally FIX it!!!

its an old laptop,, with an old GPU that was low-end when it was NEW!

w/o $1200us laptop you will not get GREAT GRAPHICS.... and almost ALL cheap laptops $699 and below are going to NON UPGRADEABLE from a graphics point of view

 

Ok, im just going to get a new laptop...im just need to start looking for a part time job...Can you make any computer reccamendations for me? Cause, im only going to be using this laptop for gaming and school work and I want it to be open to all upgrades so I can stick a T200 or T7400 when I get the chance.

 

my suggestion is start saving.. and in the meantime you may want to consider a T5600 or the T7200 depending on price and how agressive you want to approach saving money for the new laptop.

buy something with the new MXM III dedicated graphics processing unit that way 3 years from now you may have actual options that might have the ability to provide better graphics when the time comes

the CPU is of little consequence since they are so easily upgraded.. the CHIPSET AND GPU are what you want to consider, but we are talking about a laptop that is gonna be $999 to $1999 (in the us) it could be 999 euros to 1999 euros since tech seems to cost more over there...( i have no clue where you are)

and by the time you get your cash straight any suggestion made a few weeks ago may change so don't plan too far ahead... and unless you have cash to spend now you may be jumping the gun just a bit...

i'm hearing good things about the 8920, the unseen 6930 (in my area) and other NEWER acers,, but within a few weeks we should see the new models hitting stores now that the BACK TO SCHOOL rush has wiped out alot of store shelves.

just start doing some serious research into the NEWEST models.

 

err well i got the T5600 in and working but i busted my wifi button at the front of it when i was putting the casing back together, I dont see any real way of fixing it either, kinda bums me out

oh well i have a new toy now the Gateway P7811FX, sorry Acer Pals lol

 

just get the WIFI active and use the systray to disable the wifi function,,, it'll still suck some power but you can also minimize that effect by optimizing the POWER SETTING in the control pannel and the WIFI ADAPTER settings from the device manager

 

Yeah, and I guess you can enable or disable the wireless through the services, irrespective of the hardware switch's functionality.

 

yes,, but i 've heard that the switch cuts power to the wifi card so you may loos a bit of battery life if you are uable to kill all power all power to it,, but atlest you wouldn't be boradcasting so that is some power saved just by disabling thru the systray.. some power savings, but not as much

 

Hello people!

I also have an acer 3680 but i don't know what chipset i have! I have found a T5500 but i am reluctant to buy it. Every program so far(pc wizard, everest, cpuz) have reported that i have the i943/940GML chipset. I have tried to check unde the RAM cover but the sticker is missing(the previous owner made a RAM upgrade and he probably took it off for some reason). How the heck do i find out which chipset i have?

Cheers!

 

One way, dowload Everest Pro Trial, and check which chipset is shown in the northbridge section.

Or, open up your laptop, when you remove the heatsink, you'll see the chipset. There will be small characters printed on the chipset die. Read them with the help of a magnifying glass, and post the exact characters here....

 

On your acer what is the code? Ex: 3680-"XXXX" do you know what it is?

 

Hullo.

Well i don't really know. And since i can't seem to be able to find out from the stickers on its back, i'd best just take a photo:

http://www.uploading.com/files/ODA2V088/DSC00026.JPG.html

 

Download and Run Everest....

If that doesn't help, open up your notebook and check the chipset die.

 

Hi I new to the forums.

I got a Acer Aspire 3680-2633 with a Celeron M430. I check out on PC Wizard and it says I have Intel I943/940GML. Can that support 2 cores?

Socket 479 mBGA

 

Yes, maybe. To confirm, remove the thermal module cover at the back, and post the code printed on the sticker on the RAM bay.

 

MBTE8060037020CD75250

it was on the first bay up top.

 

That is the code above, (its B not 8) MB.TEB06.003

I am sorry, but your notebook has a 940GML chipset, so no Dual-Cores (Core 2 Duo or Core Duo).

Best CPU that would work is an Intel Core Solo T1350....

 

****!

Thanks for info.

 

Everest says it's i943/940GML. As i have stated in my post, there's no sticker on my ram bay, since the previous owner decided to remove it during a RAM upgrade. So? What can i do?

To check the chipset dye, do i have to dismantle it completely?

Sorry for being so hard in the head!

 

List the machine Specs first because that will narrow down what CPU it can take, and the information can be checked against similar models.

 

1,6 celeron, 40gb HDD, came with 512 stock RAM, atheros WiFi.

 

Well, I've actually seen 940GML Acers having Atheros wifi. The 943GML chipset MoBo has the Intel wifi.
You will be disassmebling the notebook when upgrading, so why not just have a practice go right now. I have a strong feeling that your notebook has the 940GML, because the specs are (were) identical to mine.

 

I think i will, but the T5500 that i was aiming for has been sold anyway. So worst case scenario it's got the 940GML; but even then it will support single core upgrades? I have found a pretty decent Pentium M at 533. Will that work? I will attempt dismantling it after work.

 

I am not sure about the cross-compatibility of the Socket 479 and Socket M. The Pentium M should fit (I guess). A better single core upgrade is the Intel Core Solo T1350. I believe the best CPU for the 940GML.
And there are some assembly vids on youtube. Search with the 3680 tag

 

Hello, never posted before but have read most of this thread and found it very informative. I still have questions on maximizing my laptop. First, here is what I have:

Acer 3680-2682 model ZR1 with 80 gig WD hard drive, CD-R/RW/DVD-Rom, and 2 Gig of Ram (upgraded). The processor is a Celeron M 440 @ 1.86 Ghz

I would like to upgrade the CPU, Hard Disk, and optical drive. My questions are as follows:

1. What is the maximum size drive I can use? You guys seem to prefer the Hitachi7K200, why? I'd like a combo of size and speed.

2. Is there a DVD burner available? What is the model and where would you folks recommend getting it? Acer tech support was useless here.

3. This is the biggie, I need help picking the right processor upgrade. The sticker on the mem bay indicates I have a 943GML chipset so I can get a T5300 or T7200 (both C2D) I hope. However, the PC wizard software says I have 940GML chipset. Which do I believe? Furthermore I am confused about which socket type I need. PC wiz says I have 479 mBGA which I thought was soldiered to the board so it wouldn't support upgrading. Anyone know what type of socket I have? I thought it was M but now I'm not so sure. I'd like to upgrade to a core 2 duo of some flavor, preferrably 2 Ghz if possible. What chip is recommended? Any help with my many questions is appreciated...

 

1. You'll have to check the interface of your previous drive. Easy way - Download HD Tune , install, go to the INFO page in the software and post a screenshot of it here.

2. Any slim-line IDE burner will work. I am using the NEC ND-6650A. You can also use a Toshiba TS-L632, Panasonic UJ-850 or any Slimline 12.7mm drive. (128×12.7×127) (I prefer NEC because I can find modded firmware for it easily !!)

3. Well, I wouldn't trust software. Your notebook's model no. and the ram-bay code indicate a 943gml chipset. If you want to verify, you can disassemble your notebook, remove the heat-sink and look up a few characters printed on the chipset die. That would confirm if you have the 940gml or the 943gml chipset.

If the 943gml, you can use any Core 2 Duo ranging from the T5200 to the T7600.

And you have to look for Socket M Core 2 Duos....

2GHz, 4MB L2 Cache - The T7200 is best for you.

 

ok, here is the drive and CPU info:

HD Tune: WDC WD800BEVS-22RST0 Information

Firmware version : 04.01G04
Serial number : WD-WXE207D23016
Capacity : 74.5 GB (~80.0 GB)
Buffer size : 8192 KB
Standard : ATA/ATAPI-7 - SATA I
Supported mode : UDMA Mode 6 (Ultra ATA/133)
Current mode : UDMA Mode 5 (Ultra ATA/100)

S.M.A.R.T : yes
48-bit Address : yes
Read Look-Ahead : yes
Write Cache : yes
Host Protected Area : yes
Device Configuration Overlay : yes
Automatic Acoustic Management: yes
Power Management : yes
Advanced Power Management : yes
Power-up in Standby : no
Security Mode : yes
Firmware Upgradable : yes

Partition : 1
Drive letter :
Label :
Capacity : 9993 MB
Usage : 0.00%
Type : unknown (27h)
Bootable : No

Partition : 2
Drive letter : C:\
Label : ACER
Capacity : 33298 MB
Usage : 99.44%
Type : Huge
Bootable : Yes

Partition : 3
Drive letter : D:\
Label : DATA
Capacity : 33025 MB
Usage : 83.06%
Type : NTFS
Bootable : No

As far as the processor goes, I have found one on ebay. The specs are:
INTEL CORE 2 DUO T7200 2GHz/4MB/667 CPU SL9SF

CPU Stepping SL9SF

Intel Core2 Duo Mobile Processor T7200
CPU speed: 2 GHz
Package type: 478-pin
L2 Cache Size: 4 MB
Bus Speed: 667 MHz
Core Voltage: 1.0375 - 1.30V

They also link to http://processorfinder.intel.com/details.aspx?sSpec=SL9SF whch isn't too much help either.

Where it says Package type: 478 pins. Is this socket M? I am confused as to whether it is or not. Is this an appropriate CPU? Still not quite sure. I'll begin disassembling the laptop to confirm the chipset.

Thanks ahead of time.

 

as long as you have the i943 chipset then that CPU should be perfect for you.

from the data above it says your HDD is a SATA I and this info is backed up by searching google for your model#.
i found THIS LINK which plainly states that it is a SATA HDD.

tips on CPU identification...
any CPU with an eSpec # starting with SL9 is a socket M
any CPU with an eSpec # starting with SLA is a socket P

don't get all caught up in the mPGA and 478/479 confusion,,,

all CORE 2 DUO mobile CPUS are 478 pin, (but are based on the 479 socket and have an additional pin hole blocked... which results in the 478 pins. but the socket is based on the 479 socket, it just has 2 holes blocked out instead of having one hole blocked like the original 479 socket)

any laptop based on the i940/'943/945 chipsets use SOCKET M CPUs

so any CPU that has an eSpec # beginning with SL9 will work in your system.
as long as you have the i943 chipset, any SL9 cpu will drop in and work.

 

Hi, I was looking on the internet for a memory upgrade for my aspire 3690 and a link to this thread.
After alot of reading I decided to upgrade the cpu, memory and if possible hard disk of laptop.

Now I am wondering what cpu's my notebook supports, I don't really know what type of 3690 it is but I will try to give as much details as possible.

Cpu: Celeron M 420 1.6 Ghz
Mem: 2x 512 MB Hynix 266 Mhz
Hdd: 80 GB Hitachi 5400 RPM
Chipset: i940/940GML Rev 03. (CPU-Z)

Now I know my system can support a Core Duo T2080 but im wondering if there was a faster cpu available that would work with the aspire 3690's board.
After some research my conclusion was that a core 2 duo wouldn't work or is this conclusion wrong ?

Also my second question is will 2x 2GB 333 mhz DDRII so-dimms work ?
I was planning this upgrade but does this laptop actually support it, I know that a 32 bit os will only see A little over 3 GB but will the 2 GB modules be recognized ?
I thought 4 GB would be usefull cause then I won't have a large swap file on my hard disk I think that would be a nice speed gain.

Also I was wondering what options do I have on upgrading the hard disk or OS, I read that the notebook won't start if you format the harddisk because acer's MBR is missing. So if I understand it right I won't be able to use a different harddisk and if I want to use my own tweaked xp I shouldn't format the disk, is this true ?

Regards

LOL_NL_

This is the info PC Wizzard gives me.

Manufacturer : Acer Inc.
Mainboard : Acer Grapevine
Chipset : Intel i943/940GML
Processor : Celeron M 420 @ 1600 MHz
Physical Memory : 1024 MB (2 x 512 DDR2-SDRAM )
Video Card : Mobile Intel(R) 945GM Express Chipset Family
Hard Disk : Hitachi (80 GB)
DVD-Rom Drive : HL-DT-ST DVDRAM GSA-T10N
DVD-Rom Drive : QY3751L CEE212S SCSI CdRom Device
Monitor Type : LGPhilipsLCD LP154W01-TLD3 - 15 inches
Network Card : Broadcom Corp BCM440x 100Base-TX Fast Ethernet
Network Card : Atheros Communications Inc AR5005G 802.11abg Wireless NIC
Operating System : Microsoft Windows XP Professional

 

Can you post the code printed on the Ram Bay sticker ?

If you have a 943GML chipset, a Socket M Core 2 Duo should work.

If the chipset is a 945GM, 4GB ram will work. Otherwise, the 940/943GML chipsets are limited to 2GB.

If you get a new/larger HDD, you can either clone the previous HDD onto the new one, or install a fresh, new OS.

 

to know for sure if you can use a CORE2DUO cpu we must know what chipset is on your motherboard,,,, and unfortunately the hardware ID tools are not very good at telling the difference from a i940 which will not accept any C2D cpus (infact the highest CPU we have found to work with the i940 cpu is the T1350 CORE SOLO)... but if you have a i943 or i945 chipset you can use ANY SOCKET M CPU (T5600 and T7200 are nice choices, but you can use any socket M)..

the easist way to figure out what chipset is in your system is to post the # off the STICKER THAT IS ON THE RAM SLOT (it should start with MB. followed by many #s)

or you can always disassemble the laptop and find the chip with the i94x etched on top of it.. if you want to go that route let me know i may be able to help w/ disassembly of the PC and location of the chip..

 

Ok, I wil look for the code on the ram bay.

I found the following code: MB MBAY 702003648134161601
Is this the right one ?

 

Hi BigOzone,

Wow, a hundred pages!

Well, on your advice after reading this forum a month or so ago I decided to upgrade my 3690's CPU to a T5300.

I flashed my bios to 3.60 from the Acer ftp site. I have the 943 chip set so according to the info on this thread it should work, right?

I don't know if I did anything wrong or if I'm missing something but when I boot with the T5300 in the slot I get a blank screen. Do you think I got a bad chip maybe or did I miss something?

 

i believe that is the right code... but it should have (.) periods seperating some of the numbers... if that is in-fact the # printed on the STICKER that that is stuck to the actual RAM SOCKET,, (not the RAM, but stuck to the bottom of the RAM SOCKET)

copy that sticker's EXACTALY.
i'm used to seeing the info in this format...
MB.TEB06.003.xxxxxxxx
MB.AZL06.xxx.xxxx.xxxx
MB.TDX06.xxx.xxxx.xxxx

so i assume the above is actually MB.AY702.003.6843??????
that looks wrong now that i look at it.... usually there are 3 letters following the MB.
check the sticker again and i'll see if i can find any info based on what i have, but i think i need a different #

i can't and don't take any credit for this thread. this is KRAZYFIRE's baby,,, but since it's creator and his wingman don't come around quite as often, it's left to ANDY, myself, and a few others to try to keep up with the posts here... ANDY is the real expert at looking up motherboard codes.... he and HOGGIE can locate the needed INFO like magic... i have to stumble thru google to find chipset info based on MOTHER BOARD CODES..

ok you have a 3690, not a 3680... as i recall there were a few people who tried this with the 3690, but i believe they all had INTEL 940 chipsets which do not function with CORE2DUOS or even CORE-DUO,,, if your chipset is an i940 then the best CPU i have seen reports of success with is the CORE SOLO T1350.

the hardware ID programs CAN NOT TELL what CHIPSET you have EXACTLY they will say INTEL i940/943gl or something similar... we must KNOW FOR SURE wheather it's an i940 or an i943... if you are unlucky and have an i940 then the T5300 will never work in the system...

as i've said 2 or 3 times on this one page,, copy the MB.XXXXX.XXX.XXX code off of the STICKER that is attached to the bottom of the RAM SLOT... not the sticker on the RAM....

maybe ANDY will show up soon and be able to look up info for both you and the previous poster... because i honestly have no clue of the source where they were getting the system specs from the MB codes... i know how it works and how to find it GIVEN PLENTY OF TIME,, but hoggie and andy have this down to an art!!!

get me the info off that sticker.. and we'll see what we come up with
i suggest you search for ACER +3690 +CPU +UPGRADE in the top search window in my sig... you may come up with some useful info.

 

I rechecked and the sticker actually says "MB MBAY 702003648134161601MB"
The sticker was located on the top ram bay and there was a part of the case on top of it.
The sticker is green and I haven't seen any other stickers with some kind of MB number.

As far as I know now 4 Gb ram wouldn't work but how about 3 Gb or is 2x 1 GB in dual channel better than 1x 1GB and 1x 2 GB ?

 

the ammount of ram is also dependent on the CHIPSET..

i940 2 gig max, and only core SOLO (no duo or C2DUO CPUs)
i943 3gig max, and any CORE2DUO CPU that is socket M
i945 4gig max (vista64 is required to use any ram above 3.2gig), any CORE2DUO that is socket M

maybe we'll know more in a bit!! right now i'm still looking for the MB code..

 

Just go with 2GB, I can honestly say from my own experiences that the dual channel add on w/ 3GB is a waste because after 2GB the performance difference is not noticeable. Unless your crunching massive spreadsheets or video editing.


EDIT: 1000th post in Thread! Lets Celebrate!

Dedicated to the Acer Team: Hoggie, Andy, BigOzone, TeeJay44, Krazyphire

 

Ok. Thanks for the info