Core 2 Quad in a Gateway P-7902h

Hello, I am currently looking into the possibility of putting in a Core2Quad Q9000 into my Gateway laptop instead of the currently installed Core2Duo [email protected] GHz.
So, IF the Q9000 even can fit in this laptop, I imagine I'd have to swop the heatsinks as well, right? Or is it just a straight swap? When I took the laptop apart to apply new ICD 7 thermal compound for my P8700 I noticed a rather small copper area for the CPU to be cooled by.
So what I'm saying, would the copper part of the heatsink be enough to cover the two "separate" parts of the Q9000?

Also, Im a little concerned about the Thermal Design Power (TDP), the P8700 is 25W and the Q9000 is a 45W TDP CPU. Should that be a problem??

Just for reference, my laptop model is this one.
Gateway Support - P79Gateway P-79 Notebook Series

Thanks

 

you are correct in that the HS is well under designed. It usually is the correct HS on the P79xx's though. You will find under Prime95 even the stock Q9000 will throttle under stress from heat. Undervolting is the only answer here for the quad CPU's. According to the stress you plan to run you can get an Xtreme CPU up a bit in clocks.

I could run Prime95 at 2.8 GHz on an Q9200 all day, for walk away performance with no worries 2.6 Ghz was better suited for prime 95. Again though extremely under volted.

What is your usage that demands a quad core though?

 

Well. mostly it's AutoCAD, SolidWorks and video conversion.
The only thing I'm worried about is that if I get the Q9000 CPU, I won't be able to put it in the socket, but from what I see on Intel webpages, both are "Socket P", right?
As far as overclocking goes, I've never done it, and don't really intend to, TBH.
So any CPU I put in is going to be on stock GHz.
You mentioned undervolting, can you explain a bit on that or maybe provide a link?
What are the benefits of undervolting?
Thanks

 

unless the apps are extremely well multi thread optimized get a 3.0 GHz dual core over the quad core. A highly optimized app will have the quad core throttling down to cool constantly where a 3.0 GHz C2D will plug away all day at full blast without over heating. If you have the multi thread apps and plan on a xtreme CPU and over clocking and under volting then, and only then, are you better off with a quad core.

 

So basically what you are saying is that I can undervolt the P8700 and overclock it?
Because since I heard you mention it i found "the undervolting guide" on this forum and it worked perfectly! My P8700 is now at 0.925 V and core temp. at idle is around 36 deg. Celsius. At max load with ORTHOS it doesn't go above 50!! Amazing!
So you think the same thing will work with a Q9000, or any other CPU i put in for that matter?

 

you can under volt most CPU's. While you can't over clock a 8400 only the Xtreme CPU's can over clock;

C2D = x9100
C2Q = Q9200 or QX9300

 

Got it. Silly me, forgot that my P8700 is locked, haha.
So, get an Xtreme CPU and undervolt and overclock if needed.
To be honest I'm more for the Q9000, and I just have one final question.
You mentioned that the Q9000 would have to throttle down due to overheating and that way lose performance - do you think the same thing would also happen if I only undervolted it, without overclocking?

 

Get the quad. Undervolting goes without saying! All the core 2 cpus run at high voltages. Trimming down the voltage to suit your needs is common sense and doesn't impact performance one bit. It simply takes a little bit of testing using prime 95 to find out how much voltage you need to run a certain clockspeed.

If I were you I would get the q9200 or qx9300. Run the q9200 at 2.5ghz or the qx9300 at stock clock and then undervolt and test to see the bare minimum voltage needed to run the frequency stable. If you find your cooling can handle the load no problem then you can increase the frequency to 2.6ghz and again find the voltage required. Again monitoring temps see whether your system can handle it. Repeat this process until you find your cooling can go no further and enjoy.

Try to carry out the process in ambient temperatures that are relevant to everyday use. Naturally if ambient temps increase then you have to take your clockspeed down a little with the appropriate voltage required also dialled in.

 

OK.
Sounds good to me. I'll have to get the Q9000 because the rest is out of my budget at the moment. I'll try playing with the Voltage to see what I can get out of it.
What about the power supply? It's rated at 130W, my GTX 260m is already around 70W, plus the 45W for the Q9000, that leaves a low margin for the rest of the components. Seems kind of risky, no?