Confused and need help

Ok... So I had a couple of questions. I recently just picked up a 7805u from best buy. I love the laptop and it's out performing my gaming rig that I had built a few years ago. And I've been searching the forums for answers but I've been getting alot of different information from each topic I read. So I decided to post up my own questions and see if anyone can answer them. Thank you in advance.

1) In terms of upgrading the cpu, what is the best cpu to put in to this bad boy without heating issues. I read around and people say t9600 but then some people say different things. I just want to increase my performance when I play games. So what would the best cpu upgrade for me be? And where can I pick up that cpu?

2)How hard is it to upgrade the gpu? Is it like upgrading the cpu? If so what gpu would be best for me. Like I said I am an avid gamer and the 9800m is a great gpu but I was just wondering if there was anything out there I can purchase that would increase performance even more. And if so where can I purchase it?

OK so I really had 2 major questions lol. So if anyone has any answers for me I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you!!!! :-D

 

1) No comment b/c I don't know enough about the CPU's.
2) GPU is soldered in so its not upgradeable unless you can get it off.
Thats what I figured out from reading the forums xD

 

Um well with notebooks, it's simply not a factor of upgrading.... unlike desktops, many of the parts, including gpu's and cpu's are soldered onto the board... "some" notebooks are capable of upgrading the Gpu's (and I mean a very slight amount) as for the Cpu, it's a very tentative maybe... Well see what a senior member has to say... Imo your prob going to have to purchase a new laptop if you want to "upgrade"

 

Laptops are much different than desktops....your options are very limited, unless you build your own or buy one of the expensive boutique laptops from places like CyberPower, or Alienware. Out of the box, the 7805u should provide some decent gaming....but keep it cool, keep the drivers updated, lower the resolution, lower the settings in the NVidia Control Panel to "High Performance"......little stuff like that can make a big difference.

Having said that:

The P8400 that comes standard in that is a 25W processor. Its actually a very nice little processor that should be fine for most anything a notebook is used for. I would say you could upgrade to any of the 35W processors without too much problem (Undervolt it as much as possible). I just picked up and installed a T9900 in my P-7811 FX. Using RMClock means I'm sacrificing a little performance (no .5 multis), but 2.93GHz give a pretty decent bump in performance across the board. If you do go with a 35W processor, or try the 45W processors (X9100), you are definitely going to need to undervolt it, and pick up a notebook cooler.

Don't mess with the GPU. It is what it is, a good graphics solution.....but its soldered to the board, and extremely hard to access. There are some great guides around for overclocking the GPU, but honestly, unless you are really struggling playing games, just tinker with the settings and keep the drivers updated. You can try some of the newer external graphics solutions, but those are pretty expensive

When you consider the price you paid for the notebook, and the upgrades you are talking about, the 7805 becomes a lot less of a deal......as was mentioned, you might consider selling it and buying something a little beefier, or just enjoy it for what it is.

 

Biscuits is right - Hate to break it to you, but you can't just consider adding a T9600, or another type of CPU or another. Notebooks don't work that way. You're limited by what it CAN be updated to, if anything, and those are usually specific CPU's if at all.

You need to find out first IF you can upgrade your CPU, and then if you can, WHICH CPU's you can change it with. Notebooks aren't a "I think I'll put one of these in" kind of deals. You'll put in what your system will let you put in, if it lets you swap anything at all to begin with - and learn to deal with it, like or not.

The easiest thing to do is to check your system's model series and note what the fastest processor is installed on it. Compare it to yours, and if yours is slower you can probably upgrade. Your Service Manual is a good place also - most manuals will list all CPU's that can be installed on a particular model series.

The same applies to your GPU - you can't just say "I'm going to swap my GPU" with a particular model you'd like to install. Only a small percentage of notebook GPU's can be swapped with others, and like the CPU, you're limited to what the notebook can / can't take.

With notebooks, performance is about getting everything you want at the beginning when you first configure it prior to ordering. After that, your upgrade options are limited. I will say that the one performance enhancement that most notebooks have available is a RAM upgrade, but only if they're built as a 64 bit system. Most 64 bit notebooks will take at least 6-8gb of RAM, and new systems are being sold with 8gb as an option now.

Also, consider that your system isn't always the biggest component for online gaming. I've seen lots of geniuses talk about the fastest system for gaming, yet not one of them ever talk about a fast network. You can have the fastest system on the planet, but if your network is running at G speeds, you're toast in a game where I'm running at near 300mbps and you're not. The fast-rabbit system is instantly turned into a turtle by a slow network setup, yet people are willing to spend loads of money on system upgrades, without bothering to think about their Router and adapter, and other LAN enhancement devices. For example, my own LAN is completely Dual-Band N, with all gaming devices on priority access to the Router and internet. As a result, my speeds are consistently high, and I can see the results in my online gaming. It's the difference between getting fragged and winning, and I don't like to lose.

So think about where your priorities are for gaming, and understand that what you'd like to install on your notebook isn't necessarily what you're going to be able to do.

 

in the case of the 7800 series processor wise your mainly looking at the Core 2 Duo P9500 2.53, T9400 2.53, T9550 2.66, T9600 2.8, T9800 2.93, T9900 3.06, as well as the core 2 extreme X9100 3.06. hopefully gateway will release a bios that allows for overclocking on the extreme cpu, and added support for the quad-cores. also a good place to get your processor would be ebay, theirs a seller named extremeprocessor and several 7800 series owners bought there processors from him and most if not all say that they are rock solid. maybe one of them will stop by and give there 2 cents.

 

Thanks guys for all the input. I do know that you can't just upgrade the cpu and gpu of a notebook. (I currently work for Geek Squad so I have a decent amount of knowledge on computers)
I just cracked my 7805u open and found a heatsink leading to a cpu and gpu that looked like they could be taken out. So thats why I figured to post a topic and see if anyone had done it since I was too scared to see if either one popped out.
And I do love this laptop. It's the best 1200 I spent :-D. I understand that it is what it is but like I said I thought it could be upgraded enough to support some mods. Sorry I came off as ignorant or rude, I just don't know how else to say what I'm saying... If that make sense lol. Anyway thanks again for the input guys!!! Really appreciate it!!!