Acer Aspire 8730G CPU Upgrade (C2D T6400)

Hi guys, first time actually creating a topic here.

As of late, I just got rid of my Sony Vaio VGN-FW140D for CAD$800, and used the money to get a 2nd hand Aspire 8730G.

Wonderful machine I might add, spacious 18.4" FHD screen, far superior screen saturation, contrast and colour gamut compared to the Sony, but the CPU performance difference is immdediately noticeable (almost similarly specced, the Sony had a 7200 RPM 320GB Seagate HDD, the one in the 8730G is a 320GB RPM WD Blue, and the RAM in the Sony VS 8730G is 800MHz VS 667MHz, also noticeable to me).

I plan to upgrade the RAM and HDD soon enough, no problem, but the main question lies with the CPU...

The T6400

With the latest updated BIOS for the Phoenix based BigBear2 mobo on the 8730G (if the 8930 and 8730 share a similar mobo, AFAIK, the newer 8730 and 8930 all use the PM45 based chipset), I believe it should be able to support even the Core 2 Quad processors (I need this power, I do a lot of Photoshop work, compositing, video editing and 3D rendering).

My biggest fear lies in the TDP, where the Q9100 I'm eyeing has a TDP for 45W, but the Penryn based Txxx0 family of processors has a TDP of 35W.

For one, I'm not as certain if the 8730G can handle it if this is the case.

Another option I'm eyeing is the P8700, if the Q9100 is not an option. At the very least it'll be superior to the T6400 in my present 8730G, based on my experience with the FW-140Ds P8400.

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Also, based on this compatibility list: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=209284

A friend of mine owns a DV6000 laptop utilizing the C2D T5250. Once I get my CPU upgraded, I wouldn't want the T6400 to go to waste, so I plan to give it to him.

Both fall under Socket P and have similar TDP, however, if the T5250 runs on the GM965/PM965 chipset (or the same family), I'm not certain if a BIOS update is actually sufficient to allow the laptop to be retro-fitted with the T6400.

There's also the issue of different BUS speeds, so there maybe a chance that the T6400 maybe down-stepped to a lower clock speed depending on the multiplier?

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Would anyone be willing to shed some light on this newbie? n.n;

 

You should have no problems putting in a Q9000 or Q9100 and just make sure have the latest BIOS version. I've seen the same post by another person so i can say this in confidence but just in case let ppl with acer laptops and experience give u ur answer. Would also help if u posted this in the acer forum on this website.

 

*nods* Thanks.

I plan to risk it, and get the Q9100 (at $230, I can't resist it as well, just gotta wait for my bank to settle Paypal related stuffs first).

All that I'm really afraid now is the power supplied from the AC adapter.

Just remembered that the 8730G has a 90W power supply, and I'm assuming that using a higher wattage rating (higher amperage, similar voltage, looking at 120W) AC adapter should help.

Just hope that won't cause any heating issues.

 

Nice, that's pretty cheap. Where did you get the Q9100? Is it an eBay ES?

 

Didn't get it yet, but yeah, its an eBay store, with the seller based from Hong Kong =)

Still waiting for Paypal to first receive the funds from the bank, then paying for the processor.

 

actually the power supply may not be enough.
It may not have the necessary power circuits on the motherboard.

it' worth a try, but if the CPU is unstable then you would have to underclock or undervolt.

 

That's the one thing that I was most worried about actually.

Now that that's brought to mind, I guess I should heavily consider the T9600 instead.

 

Did you search NBR's Acer forum to see if anyone w/ your notebook has a quad core (or is quad core an option from Acer)?

 

Well earlier there was a guy who had asked a similar question. From the replies there , some ppl (saw this on another website) has succeded in putting an X9100 which has a higher TDP then Q9100 (about 1-2W power diff). And just because u add 10W more to TDP 90W adapter should be ok. I say get the Q9100.

 

moral hazard:
Looking over the 8730g's board properly though, there are several things that made me think that its meant for something more, but I dare not take the risks since its default AC Adapter outputs 90W.

For one, its CPU heatsink area is huge, almost as if the area in contact with the CPU is actually meant for a quad core processor.

It also has a 2nd drive bay, which means that its practically designed for up to perhaps a 3W extra power draw when the system is fully under load.

Reference pics here:



sgogeta4:
Did ask over at the Acer forum, but no one replied in relation to the 8730g.
Did get a reply with regard to the DV6000 there however.
In fact, other than my topic, no other topics with regard to the 8730g exists, likely because it was over shadowed by its 8930 sibling n.n;

The older iterations of the 8730g come with the P8600, and present ones either the T6400 or T6500 from Acer's newest XLS downloaded from their site. No CTO option though.

If undervolting the Quad will help, then I'll most certainly go for it, as an undervolted Quad in this case will still more than likely outspeed the fastest Dual Cores when it comes to 3D rendering apps.

If a higher wattage based AC Adapter is useable though, then there's hope n.n;

sean473:
I saw that topic too, which made me feel hopeful, and the 8730g and 8930g are very similar anatomically, the biggest difference being the touch-sensitive media interfaces on the sides of the keyboards.

The other difference is their AC Adapter.
The 8730g comes with a 90W adapter.
The 8930g comes with either a 120W or 150W adapter.

 

Did you try emailing/calling Acer support? Hopefully a tech can help...

 

Looking bleak at the moment.

Seller does testing herself, and apparently, I got a reply from her that the 8730g does not support the q9100 -_-

Looks like it would be the T9600 here on.

 

well sorry i got confused about the models... well i've seen ppl say they can run a system that uses more than 150 watt power draw with a 120W adapter so the extra power draw in this case isn't much.. note Q9100 has only 9W extra TDP... and yes T9600 would a good choice if ur sure Q9100 doesn't work. Its up to u.

 

Here is the best hardware undervolting guide I have seen:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=390696

It describes how to pin mod the CPU to undervolt it.
Also I'm sure naton would be able to help you, just post what your default voltage is and what your chipset is.

You would probably have to pin mod it, otherwise it might not be stable enough to boot into windows.

If it is stable enough to boot into windows then you could just use RMclock.

 

Hi there,
I am a newbie in all this laptop world so I will need to ask the creator of this thread (or anyone else) about the following:

I also have an Acer 8730G and I am planning to upgrade it. Not that I need to, but hey... you always want to have as much power as you can, don't you?

I have added a second hard drive (WD Blue 500Gb) and chaged the dvd drive for a Blu Ray one.

I am now planning to change the memory ( from 333Mhz to 800Mhz), the graphic card (from 9300M GS to 9600GT) and the processor (from the T6400 to either the T8300 or the T9300)

The TDP, as far as the Intel website says will be the same ( 35W ) but the graphic card will go up from 13W to 23W, according to this website:
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Graphics-Cards-Benchmark-List.844.0.html

How will the laptop cope with all this? (the wattage consumption)
Will it be better to upgrade only to the 8600GT (20w) instead of the 9600GT (23w)?
Will the memory be "eating" more power from the laptop if upgraded from333 to 800Mhz?
What are the chances of upgrading the processor o a "P" instead of a "T" as the power consumption will be lesser (TDP25) even though the FSB is higher than my current one ( 1066Mhz vs 800Mhz )
Will it actually work with a P8600 for example?
I could not find any information of my mobo, only that it is the Bigbear2

Wow.... too many questions, isn't it?? lol

Thanks in advance.

Sorry if my English was not good enough as I am Spanish and English is not my mother tongue... lol

PS: How is the upgrading going, Zeph???

 

I've upgraded the 9300M GS on my 8730 (Not 8730 G) to a 9600M GT 512MB DDR3. Eventually I will get around to writing an upgrade guide.

 

I have actually upgraded everything I was meant to and.... it does work perfectly!!

I went from the T6400 t the P8600. Well noticeable and yes, my mobo also supported 1066Mhz FSB

I also upgraded the memory to a Kingston HyperX 800Mhz

And in the end, I got myself the 9600GT DDR3. a big jump on 3DMark06

I guess then next upgrade will be one SSD.... but I think I will wait until the prices go down a bit...

 

I'm in the process of upgrading this model laptop, but have had little luck locating a caddy for the new HDD.

Can anyone recommend a retailer who stocks one compatible with the 2nd HDD bay?

 

Let me know if you find one as I haven't been able to... and I looked everywhere!!! lol

 

So. Question. Acer Apire 8730g. Where can i download a latest bios for upgrade and what is the fastest processor and memory i can use ... ?

 

Totally forgot about this thread, didn't think there'd be others out there to actually own a 8730G o.o

I decided to go for a T9600, and the upgrade basically went flawlessly.

the fastest memory the laptop can use is a 4-4-4-12 or 15 timed PC2-6400 DDR2-800MHz SDRAM, which is very expensive to get now since DDR2 RAM is being phased out.

One can download drivers for the 8730G over from Acer Europe's site here: http://support.acer-euro.com/drivers/downloads.html

The latest version of the BIOS for this laptop is v1.09

 

quad core??? you need a desktop! (at least for the heavy stuff) and a normal laptop for the lighter stuff...