Need help finding a Gateway processor upgrade

Hey all. I have a total rookie question but I do not understand computers all that well.

I have an old Gateway MA7 (MX6958) notebook that I wanted to upgrade the processor in. I got it free (with a case and power supply, score!) and sunk a massive $75 into it with a new 80 gig SSD, 4 gigs of ram, a new 8 cell battery, an ASUS USB-AC53 Nano, and Windows 10 Pro. It's only ever had one owner and I will be using it strictly for travel and business (as I can't afford anything newer at the moment).

Since the upgrades it performs quite well, but I also know that swapping the processor is a 10 minute job and those older (but better) processors aren't expensive these days. The current/factory CPU is an Intel T2300 @ 1.66GHz. I'm not looking for anything fancy, just a noticeable upgrade, even if it costs me $30-$40. I have read that the T7600 may work? But I do not know nearly enough about the computers MB and BIOS to know what it can safely handle. I basically want something better that will essentially plug and play with all of the current components.

Any suggestions explained in an ignorant manner for me to understand would be extremely appreciated! Lol.

Thanks!

 

Well the first problem here is. What does your notebook support? Not all Core 2 Duos might be supported by your BIOS. Did you do some research on this?

 

The T7600 should be fine. The only issue is if the bios will accept it. The Voltage, TDP etc. is well within the systems capabilities.

 

Thanks for the replies. How do I find this info out to know if it’ll support it? And should I aim for the T7500 over the T7600? Thanks!

 

See if Gateway sold that computer (or its successor, if there was one) with a Core 2 Duo CPU. That's where I would start. Your computer will probably need a BIOS update to support the Core 2 Duo.

At the minimum you could install a faster Core Duo. The T2700 was the fastest; The T2500 or T2600 would be a decent bump in speed as well.

Really, though, don't spend much. You're using 12-13 year old technology at this point. Save up for a new machine. You can afford it, you just have to find a way.

Charles

 

Ooops I meant the T7600 is ok. I edited my response. The 7600 has a 4mb L2, double that of the 2300 so that is your best bet but true, do not spend a lot of money here.

 

Download a free program called "cpuz" . When you run this it should give you all the info of your motherboard. Then do a google search. Look for a Intel link. It should take you to a page that lists your motherboard and what processor you can use. I did this a while back. I installed a T7200 in mine. At the time the T7600 was to costly and the laptop would run very hot.

 

I'm not 100% sure on that one. I dropped a T7400 into my R60e that came with a T2400 and did not update the BIOS. I believe I recall people doing it on other machines at the time too without BIOS update. I'd agree checking for a BIOS update is a good idea, but I'm not sure how much of a going concern Gateway is these days. Googling MX6958 doesn't return any links to Gateway, so the the OP may have to make a leap of faith if that can't find someone in the know.

I think where you have to be careful is the naming gets a bit confusing. You have a T5500, which is a Core 2 Duo and should work. Then you have a T5670, which is also a Merom CPU, but has a 800MHz FSB, so at a minimum it's unlikely to work and there's a good chance it'll damage your motherboard.

If money's tight these days, I might suggest looking at the T7400 over the T7600. The T7600 is the last and therefore fastest Socket M CPU, so everyone who's upgrading wants it and it's priced accordingly. The T7400 is almost as fast, but more wallet friendly.

 

Checking eBay you can get a T7400 from China for around $10.00 or USA for $20.00.
https://m.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=Intel+Core+2+Duo+T7400&_sop=15

 

@ZaZ's old R60e uses a Intel 940GML which is a Core 2 compatible chipset. From what I can tell the Gateway MX6958 uses a 945GM which should be Core 2 compatible if there is microcode support in the BIOS. @Jonvolution can verify the chipset with CPU-Z or a similar utility.

The T2300 comes in an optional BGA package too so it may just be soldered anyway: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Intel_Core_microprocessors#"Yonah"_(65_nm)_2

This picture would seem to suggest it may be socketed (if it's actually the right board):

http://www.barebonekit.net/gateway-4006126r-106832-motherboard_i_mbl31ma7mb00002.aspx

...good luck!