2010 laptop big upgrade

Hi everyone,
I have a MSI CR620 laptop from 2010.
There are some versions of this notebook: one with Celeron P4600, one with Pentium, one with i3 and one with i5.
I have the Celeron version with 2Ghz, 2 cores, no HT and no turboboost.
The notebook also has 2gb ddr3 1066 and a 5400rpm hdd which is about to die after some days

Now, I want to make a big upgrade in here... I know it is a lot better to get a new pc but nvm... I want to upg this.

For a new cpu, i was looking for something high end for socket PGA988 (rPGA989) so only 1st gen intel core cpus.
I don't think that a quad core will work in here becaude of the tdp and will be to overkill for the mobo
So I think that an i7-640m with 2 cores and HT and tboost up to 3.4ghz is maybe the greatest choice for this laptop and it's guaranteed that it will fit in the socket. But I'm not 100% sure that it will work.
If it will overheat, than I'm going to plug a cooling pad.

Next: RAM:
The Cpu and the mobo can only handle up to 8gb. So, will it be ok if I will put ddr3 1333?
Maybe from Corsair =]

Storage:
My actual hdd clearly needs to be replaced because everytime i turn ot the laptop I receive "smart status bad repace... Blah blah. And windows tells me that it is going to fail soon.
So... I was thinking to get a SSHD instead of a SSD just because of the price

Now... I only have the gpu integrated in the cpu which is weak... So... Yeah, I want to make an eGpu setup, maybe a GTX 960 or 950 with a BPlus Pe4c pcie board, connected to my laptop with Expresscard.
And the whole thing will be powered by a standard psu.

So, I need your advice.
Will this stuff work in here?

Thanks a lot.

 

Advice:

What is your expected cost for these upgrades? The CPU (if it works) is the only one worth doing, imo (and again; depending on the cost).

See:
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/compare.php?cmp[]=689&cmp[]=850


The SSHD is a waste of $$$. Search for recent threads/posts here on that very topic. Either buy an HDD (Hitachi TravelStar highly recommended). Or a ~500GB SSD and OP it by 33% instead. Either way; do not fill either the HDD or the SSD to capacity - it will tank the performance of the system, overall.


Also, what O/S are you using or will be using? Anything below Win10x64 (Pro, highly recommended) is a waste of time on a system so old.


What is your normal workflow/workloads on this system? I would guess that a ~$200 T100TA would be more suited for general computing in the second half of 2016 vs. your over half decade old system.

 

As someone who uses a notebook based on the same era of technology as yours (2010 Arrandale platform), equipped with more or less all of the upgrades you're planning on getting, I can tell you that upgrading is a poor decision. The performance will overall improve, but it won't improve to the degree that the trouble was worth it. It's fun to upgrade, sure; but it doesn't make sense in the long term (even looking one year from now - this platform is horribly dated and doesn't support newer standards).

Even a $350-400 off-the-shelf computer from Wal-Mart will have better responsiveness, will run cooler, and last longer on battery, not to mention have a warranty, than your proposed upgrade of your 2010 laptop.

That said, should you continue, I agree with what's been posted. 'SSHD' is a marketing gimmick, named that way to confuse consumers into thinking they're buying an SSD. There's no perceptible difference in real life between an 'SSHD' and a regular HDD.

There's no telling which CPU models are compatible with your motherboard. The problem with the Celerons/Pentiums is that it's not uncommon that they're gimped with a chipset or BIOS that restricts which models can be used. So you could be stuck with the Pentium.

An eGPU setup - at least the kind that would theoretically work with your notebook - is highly impractical for most usages, and it's more or less impossible to be sure whether the eGPU will work as expected. Note also you'll need to use an external monitor to get a picture.

Charles

 

Charles,

I too still have an Arrandale platform (U30Jc) that I have upgraded as much as it will go (8GB RAM, SSD, Win10x64Pro).

Pro's of that 2010 platform?

Still boots up!

Con's?

I can almost see the electrons moving within it's circuitry (2010 hadn't made it to light speed computing yet...).

Yeah, I boot it up once in a while and make a point to keep it updated even... but actually use it (productively)? Not for a very long time now. Even with an i3-350M based platform that has been maxed out in every (real world) possible way.

See:
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i3-350M+@+2.27GHz&id=743

 

Upgrading this is a waste of money.. Just get a new laptop lol.. Anything will burn this to pieces even after it's upgraded..

 

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