DIY upgrade i5 520M to I7-920XM M17x?

Can the M17x be bought with an i5 520M and then upgraded to I7-920XM?

Want to be sure it can be done

Also I assume the I7-920XM is the best CPU to get. Is that correct?

 

Yes to your questions. I have a 920xm for sale if u want an oem.

 

Yes, the i7 920XM uses only the PGA988 socket and the i5 also uses the same socket. All the alienware M17x that come with i5s and i7s use the same MoBo. So if you can find it up for sale then you can upgrade it. But it might cost the same or cheaper to just purchase it configured with the 920XM.

P.S. It costs $1,155.19 at amazon.com Amazon.com: Processor ( mobile ) - 1 x Intel Core i7 920XM / 2 GHz 988-pin Micro FCPGA - L3 8 MB - OEM: Electronics

 

Also, remember if you don't buy it from dell with the computer you will not have a warranty. For 800-1000 bucks I would like to know it hasn't been beaten up and has no warranty!

 

Thanks for the replies

I would try to get an ES for less $

I would also keep the i5 to put back in case of warranty issue.

 

I wouldn't recommend that. ES i7's have been known to be a lot hotter then there OEM counterparts.

 

Interesting I didn't know that. I did a search and could only find one thread mentioning this and it appears to be by somone who sells OEM cpus and to be honest it doesn't seem to be reliable info.

I have been running ESs for a long time, granted not the 920XM. I am pretty sure though the seller would take care if there was any issue.

 

also, the power supply may be an issue.... I believe you only get a 150W power supply with an i5, but the 920XM will need the bigger 240W supply.

 

Just wait till the 940 comes out... I bet you will find a bunch of 920's on ebay then!

 

Hopefully that won't be a problem, the order says:
M17x 240W A/C Adapter

I thought i read somewhere the crossfire 5870s come with the 240W

 

That's correct.
You did right ordering the lowest CPU as it's hardly gonna be bottlenecked in games and everyday use. I was going to upgrade as well but so far don't see a reason. Besides, with the new processors from AMD coming this summer/fall the prices are going to be slashed Just be patient.
However, if you're into immediate benchmarking - go for 920XM!

 

I wonder how many more future intel processors will use this socket PGA. Would be nice if they made a mobile 6 core in the future

 

i7 6 core processors will be with SB (Or Sandy Bridge) and will require a whole new Motherboard. The next CPU for the M17xR2 will probably be the 940XM

 

Also 840QM and 740QM in the quad-core line.

 

Depends on more than just the processor I believe. I think it has to do with a combination of cpu/gpu/display because I got the 240w adapter with my m17x - i5 520m/single 5870/1200p led

 

Joker why did you downgrade your CPU?

 

thats good too know, that even the I7 520 is sufficeint enough, what and how intensive have you been gaming AIKIMOX, what shows you that the 520 proves adequate enough for your day to day gaming needs.

 

It funny even with the Older CPU Before core 2 games ran good. What slow things down was the GPUs and Hard drive. But I was always the type that like to rebuild desktops.

 

I didn't, I bought a completely new system. I didn't want to buy a 920xm again because I don't keep my notebooks long enough to warrant the cost.

 

Well, I don't play too many games - Dragon Age, Crysis, King's Bounty, Empire: Total War, AA3, Half Life 2, - all maxed out. On my R1 had to OC the P8700 to 3.06GHz to get decent FPS boost in Dragon Age and Total War, but 520M's turbo is quite sufficient.
Honestly, I just can't afford to get new titles as it will endanger my current project, lol. I have a way too addictive personality, hehehe....

 

wow, thats great I played dragon age on my R1 and it was ho hum the FPS would drop quite a bit, it was really not that great to play on the R1 and that was with the QX9300, with nhancer, so that is good news, because I would love to play through the game again knowing that it will be a smoother ride on the R2(520M). But even upgrading to the 920xm should further the gaming experience in theory.

 

BTW, Intel will also refresh the i5 line bringing 580M with 3.33GHz turbo. But yeah, 920XM or later the 940XM will be quite future proof, rest assured.

 

So let me get this straight, from what I understand the 520M is a 2 core cpu with hyper or turbo multithreading that is why it can extend it self to a single faster core speed, when needed.

 

Correct. And since not too many games can utilize more than 1-2 cores - it's quite capable, lol. In fact, most games will still benefit more from a single core @3.3GHz than from 4X2.4GHz. That's why many people prefer 620M over 720QM - 620M turboes @3.3 and thus is much better in most current games.

 

but games like GTA4 and dragon age, are optimized for multi core how would this benefit those games.

 

First, even if the game is optimized for multi-core but your quad is 720QM 4X1.6GHz - than there's not much advantage from it. Of course if mobile quads were similar to desktop ones with stock clocks 4x3-3.3 - we would have no questions and doubts here. But c'mon, 1.6 is like 4xAtom = sux, IMHO.

 

Roger that, now I am tracking on what you mean, sorry its all new with I-line of processors, for me.

 

Not just for you, Intel brought a lot of confusion with i-core family. I still think C2Q QX9300 is the best CPU so far, only slightly surpassed by 920XM in benchmarks. But with 45W vs 55W (920XM) and ice-cold temps of the C2Q, I'd vote for it any day.

 

then why the move to the I line, if not only to get a way from the nvidia chipset was reason enough for me.

 

Exactly! If R1 had a nice and cool Intel chipset - I'd stay glued to it for a few years. Also, the RGB LED screen was a desired toy, but as we figured out it could work on R1 as well.

 

yes im looking forward to the new unit and curious about the ATI gpu's, plus the led screen very happy to be receiving the new spec, cant wait to play Dirt 2.

 

Can someone give an approximate price for the I7-920XM? I saw some pretty low prices for new ones on ebay (around 500.00US) but ebay can be a hit or miss experience.
Plus just how hard is it to replace the CPU in the M17X? I'm gonna' go hunt for a posted topic on 'how to'. Just thought I'd ask how much harder it is than putting together a desktop system from scratch.