HP 4320s CPU upgrade

Hi Folks,

looking at upgrading my HP 4320s Probook. This is the spec that I get from CPU-x at the moment:-

CPU i3 380M (2.53 ghz), 32nM, 1.5v, max TPD 25w
3G DDR3 RAM
Socket rPGA 989
Chipset Havendale?/Clarkdale
Southbridge HM57

I have tried to
a) find out from HP what CPU's are compatible with my Mobo...may as well have spoken to the cat!
b) checked various sites on the web but the rPGA 989 doesn't appear listed.

My assumption is that I can run any of the 1st Gen i's upto i7 (640m), but will this depend on the BIOS provided on the machine by HP?

From what I can see (from the net) the i7's run a bit hot in laptops and the maximum 'bang for my buck' buying secondhand is to get an i5 (560 or 580).

Peoples thoughts/advice/comments?

Thanks

p.s. Never updated a laptop but used to (a long time ago) build my own desktops, and so am happy to just drop in a CPU and splurge a bit of thermal paste

 

CPU wise, the i7-620M was offered so even the 640M will work: http://h20564.www2.hp.com/hpsc/doc/public/display?docId=emr_na-c02052904

Get some good thermal paste like Gelid GC Extreme and you'll be fine..

 

What you'll get with upgrading your SNB based cpu is at best a side-grade on a mediocre system.

See:
http://www.notebookcheck.net/HP-ProBook-4320s.31837.0.html

See:
http://ark.intel.com/compare/49652,50178,49666

See:
https://cpubenchmark.net/compare.php?cmp[]=781&cmp[]=850&cmp[]=745


Sure, around 35% better performance is indicated. But to assume that the onboard cooling design is capable of keeping the cpu cool and not throttling at those clock speeds is asking a lot of that circa 2009 platform.

Depending on what price you can get a higher class cpu for, this upgrade may still be worth it. But based on my i3-350M notebook that I still use occasionally, even 50% better performance wouldn't make me consider this type of upgrade. The issues with the platform go beyond the cpu and 8GB RAM limitation; they also affect the performance of the SSD installed because of the aggressive power saving 'features' of that ancient platform. Which they need enabled to have any kind of expected battery life that a specific model offers.

If this is an educational expedition of upgrading a mobile cpu, have fun and learn away.

If this is an attempt to extend the usefulness of the notebook, I think it is time and money wasted.

Just use the notebook as-is and save towards a new platform instead (Skylake, at this point in time).

Good luck.

 

Wow, such a quick reply...don't you people have any work to do (or a boss looking over your shoulder )))

Thanks to both for your comments, especially your honest/practical assessment Tiller....I think I will only go forward on this if I can get an EBay special i.e. a used CPU for a really decent price......I am assuming about £30 for the 580 and £50 for the 620/640...is this realistic?....If so, I don't think I would bother until they drop further.

One last question, the i5 and i7 CPU's have Turbo-boost, which I am assuming is a mini-overclock feature....I assume that this would be controlled via the BIOS and so would be dependent on what HP supplied (and/or I would need to download a BIOS it working on my i3 machine?) AND/OR would the socket (rPGA 989) make any difference as I think the i5/i7 are on a 988 socket?

Cheers everyone!

 

For a possible $100 CDN price point, I would not do it for the performance to be gained.

What I would recommend instead is a RAM upgrade to 8GB and if funds allow, an SSD too.

Sure, more $$$ than what you're considering now, but also more benefits too.

Are you a student? Try to get Win8.1x64 too (cheap or free if you can...). That combination (current O/S, 8GB RAM and spare SSD) is what keeps my i3-350M based 'digital notebook' still viable today.

As for a boss? Lol... it's me.

But sometimes I wish for a regular job (those 18 hour shoots would do this to you too). But there is a lot of downtime (actually; waiting around time) that allows me to reply at all hours of the day or night.

 

Hi Tiller,

yes, I am going to increase the RAM by replacing the 1G stick with a 2G stick, that way I will have a matched pair (2x2G) to work with the 64 system...could replace both with 2x4g but the first option is the cheapest at the moment. That said, it would only increase speed on multi-tasking...I run a lot of mathematical/evolution based software that would benefit from a) the extra bit of CPU speed AND b) the fact that the i5/7's can run up to 105 oC whereas the i3 can only go upto 90 oC...at the moment my CPU is close to this when I run the programs (82 oC)...and that's after a good fan dusting and a repack (read very, very, very thin smear) with AS5.

Any thoughts on my question regarding the socket compatibility?

 

i7 620M and 640M are the best options to be safe you can stick to the i5 580M who knows about bios compatibility..

 

Okay, but keep in mind that your specific system (BIOS/fans/heatsink) may be designed to only cool to 90C...

Also, the RAM doesn't just increase multitasking capabilities - it multiplies what the cpu is capable of too (productivity). CPU+RAM=Work Done (WD=Productivity). Assuming of course that the O/S and the programs you're running can take advantage.

Are your O/S and main programs 64bit? If so, RAM should help immensely.

If not, this is what needs to change along with a RAM upgrade.

The cpu's you're considering are still only dual cores - even if labeled i5's and i7's. Not an upgrade, unfortunately. Even with slightly (possible/sustainable) higher clock speeds.

Even if your O/S is 64 bit currently and your program isn't (and isn't offered as such), it may still be worth it to try 8GB RAM with your workflow as Windows itself will stop paging itself out (even if the program doesn't need to be paged out). Worst case; you return with a full refund. Best case; a productivity improvement that should be possible of verifying within a few minutes of booting up with 8GB RAM.

Socket compatibility? Sorry, no comment/not informed (see above as to the 'why').

 

MrXxx, because of x64 vs x32 increased memory consumption, there is absolutely no point in upgrading from 3GB to 4GB. You either go full throttle up to 8GB (OK, 6GB at least), or don't touch the memory at all. With CPU - it's much better to get a decent deal on top-of-the-line i7-640M (wait a while if there are none at the moment) than get something mediocre.

 

http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c03058629.pdf

On page 1:
i7-640M, 2.80-GHz (Turbo up to 3.46 GHz), 4-MB L3 cache, 4 threads
is marked as compatible.

I went thru other pages: there is different motherboards but no mention if they would be meant for certain processors, so I would guess any cpu goes to any mobo. Likewise, no mention of specific cpu coolers, except one for integrated gpu and one for discrete.

That service manual also has instructions how to take apart the whole laptop, so it's worth checking out