Celeron M420/Intel 945GM -- what CPU upgrades are possible?

I own a new no-name 12 inch subnotebook with an Intel Celeron M 420 (Yonah Core) running on an Intel 945GM chipset. CPU-Z calls the socket a "Socket 479 mPGA".

I would like to know what my upgrade options (cooling aside) are for the future. Can I upgrade to Pentium Ms, Cores or Core 2s, or all of the three? What about future processors? Which ones exactly?

 

Your socket is the same as the one that Core Duo and Core 2 Duo uses. However, you will almost certainly need a BIOS upgrade for one of these processors to work. If you can find a BIOS, then you should be able to upgrade to one. Hope this helps.

 

Thanks for the quick response.

Where do I get a BIOS upgrade? Do I have to ask my manufacturer (Nexoc, by the way) or should I simply google my BIOS version that shows at bootup and download whatever I find as a newest version?

 

You'll probably be limited to either a LV or ULV processor as well because of the heat constraints. See if you can find that laptop somewhere online and look at the processor options. To get an idea of what you might be able to take, see the D420's processor options...yours will probably be similar.

BIOS have to come from the vendor...it's their proprietary motherboard.

 

Nexoc offers the Notebook with Celeron Ms (Yonahs), and Cores up to T2700 and Core 2s up to T7600. Are those clearly LV or ULV or is it still both possible?

 

No, they are the standard Core Duo and Core 2 Duo models. That means that your notebook will support either. That also means that your cooling system should be able to support the Core Duo and Core 2 Duo.

 

So there are no strange internal socket discrepancies that might have me end up buying ANY Yonah or Merom that will not even fit onto my notebook's mainboard?

Please excuse my persistence, but I don't know much about notebooks OR Intel architecture and I want to be sure that I understand what I risk my money and my notebook's warranty for.

 

Yes, the socket used for Core Duo and Core 2 Duo is exactly the same. There is no difference at all. The only difference is between the processor. You can purchase any Core Duo or Core 2 Duo, and it will work in your notebook, except the UL and ULV ones. They use a different voltage that your motherboard cannot supply. If you do replace your processor, it is almost certain that the warranty will be voided. May I ask why you want to upgrade your processor?

 

Mutze- Are you sure the chipset is 945GM? Because from what I have seen most Celeron M based systems ship with the 940GM & most programs club this chipset along with the 945GM. Only the 945 series support the Core Duo/Core 2 Duo, so I would double check for the cipset before buying a new processor. Other than that the Celeron M 400 series and the Core Duo/Core 2 share the same socket and should be a drop in replacement as long as the chipset & BIOS support it.

 

Zero, thank you very much. To answer your question, I am currently quite content with the Celeron M. It is quite different from what you would expect from desktop Celerons. It has a rather high FSB and Cache and runs pretty well, not as much outperformed by my PC's Athlon Venice as I thought. I am probably going to use the Celeron for a while, but when it gets too slow for my needs, I want to know what my options are while I still do have some warranty to void.

You know, I am a jazz musician. I use the notebook (or rather, I am using it from now on) as my sound machine via a USB audio interface connected to a keyboard amp. I play large (5+ GB) Piano patches via a master keyboard, which requires a fast hard drive and a reasonably high FSB. Calculating believable DSP effects like a complicated convolution reverb requires quite a bit of processor power and enough overhead to be able to play ANY passage without the signal hiccuping. So far the Celeron M does an eccelent job, I am really impressed with the Yonah core.

@miner: Yes, it is definitely the 945GM. Windows recognized it as such, the supplied chipset drivers are specifically 945GM and the manufacturer's website says so too. After some googling I am pretty certain that the non-GM 945 isn't even a notebook chipset at all, but is meant to work with Pentium Ds and up in desktop machines.

 

The Yonah core is a very advanced core, just like the Merom core. Both are something that you would never expect to come out of Intel a few years back. They are excellent processors. Pentium M was also a very good processor, and Yonah was based upon on that.

If the programs you use are multi-threaded, then you should see a massive difference between the Celeron and Core Duo/Core 2 Duo. Multi-threaded programs take advantage of the second core, and are much more efficient because tasks can be completed quicker. As you have said, the Celeron is good enough for you. You can change the processor, when you feel that the Celeron is running a little slower.

 

I have a feeling that your notebook uses a regular voltage processor. However, if it uses a LV or ULV processor, your pretty much out of luck as these processors are not socketed, but soldered onto the motherboard so upgrading them is very difficult if not impossible I think.

 

Exactly.

Thanks a million for the time spent educating me. I will check if any software I use supports multi-threaded calculation, but I think that even the slowest Core would still be a huge improvement over the already more than adequate Celeron, even if it didn't benefit from its multiple cores.

I'll simply wait until my warranty runs out and then check what it looks like inside my machine before upgrading.

 

Yes, even with the slowest Core Duo or Solo, you'll see a difference, if not in performance, than perhaps battery life. Celerons always run at full blast but these other CPUs are able to throttle down when you don't as much CPU speed, giving you increased battery life, less heat and fan noise.

Sounds to me though that your Celeron is suiting you just fine and maybe you should wait, Celeron Ms are not HORRIBLE processors, we're all just used to new fangled, blazingly fast CPUs is all.

 

In general, don't CPU upgrades even if compatible with the Mobo,
require BIOS updates. Given most laptop companies aren't in the biz
of aftermarket support .... where do these BIOS come from?

hrmchah

 

Most manufacturers are informaed about updates, and almost all notebook motherboard have been updated with new BIOS to support processor upgrades. Some manufacturers don't issue new BIOS because either the cooling system won't support a processor upgrade, or because it is physically impossible to upgrade.

 

Certainly. Celeron-Ms especially the Yonah based 400 series are very powerful, if lacking in some power-saving features. Clock for clock they are faster than Pentium-Ms, which are still considered as respectable cpus.