acer aspire 3680 upgrading the processor

Can anyone tell me if the processor on this laptop can be upgraded and if so, what would be the best processor it can handle? I'm obviously hoping for duo core. Also, is the processor on this unit difficult to get to and is there a service manual anywhere. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

According to the Specifications page, there are 6 variants of the Aspire 3680, all of which take the Celeron M. I believe those are the only supported CPU's for that model, unless someone who is more knowledgeable with this laptop tells me otherwise.

Aspire 3680 Specifications page: http://www.acerpanam.com/synapse/fo....com&siteid=7117&words=all&keywords=&areaid=2

 

There are actually a couple more that I know of but they too are Celeron M's. The 2682 variant uses the Celeron M 440 and another (the variant S/N escapes me) uses the Celeron M 520. I'm hoping someone more knowledgeable than me can tell me if there's a duo core that I can put in this puppy? I found a copy of the 3680's service manual and it is bunched with the info from the Aspire 5600 and the Travelmates 4220/2480. I believe they take duo cores. I need some help, please. lol

 

It might also be a good idea to see if they also share the same BIOS's because that also recognizes the CPU's and which are compatible.

 

Are you sure because I'm thinking of giving it a try. I'm wondering if the 802.11b/g wireless lan will conflict with a duo core? Any ideas?

 

Wireless shouldn't affect it. As long as you have drivers it will work.

 

Great. As long as I have you here I have one more question maybe you can help me with. I'm reading about how the Aspire 3680 was built for low power consumption, do you think this would effect which type of processor I should go with? I mean would I need a low voltage duo core? Has me wondering. Thanks again.

 

Celeron's aren't exactly low-power as far as I know, they lack SpeedStep (or rather have a rather inferior version) and they run hotter.

The chipset may support the processor, but its up to the BIOS to recognize it.

 

Yeah, that may be a problem. Oh well, a little more research. I'll get back. Thanks.

 

OK, I did a little research and I believe the bios will accept the processor (only one real way to tell) but I have a new concern... Do the duo cores run hotter than the Celeron M's? And as a result would I need to install different cooling techniques (i.e. heat pipes, etc.). Hope someone more knowledgeable than myself can take a guess at this.

 

I too have the 3680, and I want to upgrade the processor also. I don't remember my sub-model (if u want to call it), but it came with Vista basic. It maybe the the 2682 but I'll have to check when I get home.

I've added 2 gig of rams and it super fast. I want to see if I can upgrade the processor. Anyone else could help that would be great.

 

The 3680-2682 is the only model of this series (3680) that has the motherboard that can handle the Duo Core chip. Not the Duo Core 2. The irony is that most of the tech's I spoke with said that the upgrade from the Celeron M 440 (the chip in the 3680-2682) to the duo core isn't worth the hassle for the very slight performance gain you would receive if any. This is because the Celeron M 440 is rumored to be a duo core without the speedstep technology engaged. As you can tell I've been doing a little research lol. So, I decided not to upgrade my cpu. If you decide to try yours make sure its a 3680-2682. Hope this helps.

 

I just checked my laptop its 3680-2633, but it does have PCI-E nic and Sata HD drive.

As for it only being available for 2682, then I guess I still want to upgrade it to maybe Pentium M for higher frequency?

 

Newegg selling the Intel Pentium M 780 (2.26GHz) for $635.00...I don't think so.

 

Thats the best reason not to upgrade the cpu. Even if it's just a $100 or $200 for a better cpu, are you really getting the best bang for your buck? The perforance increase doesn't justify spending a couple of hundred dollars, you would be better off maxing out you ram and installing a larger, faster HD.

If it's super fast, why waste money on a new cpu?

I swapped a Cel M to a Pent M on my daughter's lappy, and saw maybe a 20% increase in perforamnce with a temp increase. The only reasons it was worth doing:

1. Extened the life of the laptop till she goes to college (new laptop then)
2. Pent M cpu only cost me $25

Save the money for when you wish to buy a new laptop.

 

Definetly not worth the upgrade if the cpu cost nearly 2 times as much as the laptop. Thats why i'm not planning to.