Help Upgrading processor

Hey i got the alienware mx15 a while back now with the i3 M330 2.13 GHz processor and I was thinking it was time to upgrade it.
So i looked online tried to find one that seemed good and made a purchase without thinking. Anyways i bought the Intel Core i5-2540M Sandy Bridge 2.6GHz heres the link of where i bought it. ( Newegg.com - Intel Core i5-2540M Sandy Bridge 2.6GHz (3.3GHz Turbo Boost) 2 x 256KB L2 Cache 3MB L3 Cache Socket G2 35W Dual-Core Mobile Processor Model BX80627i52540M)
Anyways It arrived but im not too sure it is what im looking for im hoping someone here can reassure me this processor will work or point me to some good not so expensive processors that will work with my system.

 

Sandy bridges don't work in the M15x

 

You can not replace a Core i3-330M with a Core i5-2540M. These two are not compatible.

Start saving up for a 920XM or 940XM from EBay. Anything less is hardly worth bothering with.

 

I've a 940XM for sale. PM me if interested.

 

I did an upgrade from 720QM to 940xm - it wasn't very hard - with lots of help from the folks here - and is a LOT faster. If you do upgrade to 920xm or 940xm, you will need Throttlestop - many thanks to Unclewebb!

Good luck,

Joe

 

Great thanks! Well i found this on ebay:
New Intel® Core? i7-920XM Processor 2.0GHz/8m/1333 | eBay

It seems pretty reasonable. Would this be a good buy or should I look for a 240 xm

 

There's a 940XM, but the price differential between the 920XM and 940XM is pretty much non-existent, since both feature unlocked multipliers and you'd be paying considerably more for a bump up of only 133 mhz.

Yeah, that would be a great choice, High Note. Many people on these forums have purchased from Shirley and can affirm to her standards. Both processors overclock very nicely (especially, with Uncle Web's tool, ThrottleStop).

 

That's a pretty good price, highnote - I agree - not a big difference between the 920 and 940 - both are unlocked.

Joe

 

Do you recomend ordering from Dell? I also have the i3 and want to upgrade to something better. Side note, I have the 240m graphics card and I want to change to the 5850. SHould I get the processor or graphics card first?

 

for the better advantage in gaming, graphics card

 

I haven't heard of anyone ordering processors from Dell, but it wouldn't hurt to try. Graphics card may provide more bang for gaming as noted. It seems most people have been ordering the 5850 or 5870 from Dell - though it sounds like they are not in plentiful supply. There is a long discussion about 6970 upgrade - Dell card may be the best way to go there - this is a bigger deal - read the 6970 thread before deciding to do that. Some have also upgraded to Nvidia 460m and one intrepid explorer is planning to try the 470m - I haven't heard if he succeeded.

Joe

 

That's for sure. next time you either check compatibility or ask here. I hope you will send that back luckily

 

The only processors which are worth buying as an upgrade are the 920xm and the 940xm. The 940xm is the same as the 920xm, but higher binned... this results in a slightly higher clock speed (only 133Mhz)
As the 940xm tends to be a lot more expensive than the 920xm I'd recommend going with the 920xm.
Don't get the processor from Dell, it would be really expensive (well, it doesn't hurt calling them and asking the price just in case they sell it cheap) Your best chance is getting one from ebay (Engineering Sample, they're a lot cheaper than the OEM version) or from the NBR marketplace.

Anyway, if you like gaming get the GPU first, 5850m or 5870m is a great choice, try to get one from Dell. Call them.

The 6970m is an option as well, the most powerful GPU that's known to work in the M15x. It's not official, but it works. Check out the link in my sig for all infos.

 

Why everyone says that extreme i7 are the only processors to upgrade??? That guy had i3 CPU, so I think even I7-740qm would be very good considering it's price is about 180$. Or i7-840qm.