Hi all - Acer TM 8101WLMi upgrade hopes

Hi All,

First off, I'm new here. Great to see a healthy, helpful laptop forum.

Down to business then...

I bought an Acer TM 8101WLMi in 2005 (Xmas) and it's served me very well. It still is. I take care of it, keep it on a flat clean surface, defrag-av-asw, fresh install every 9 months or so etc. Details are:

# Intel Pentium-M Centrino Processor (1.6GHz/533MHz FSB/2MB L2)
# 512MB DDR2 SDRAM (upgraded to 1gig)
# 60GB Hard Drive
# DVDRW Dual Layer Multi Drive
# 15.4" WSXGA+ Widescreen TFT Screen
# ATI Mobility Radeon X700 Pro PCI-E 128MB dedicated graphics
# Integrated gigabit LAN and wireless 802.11a/b/g LAN
# Integrated Bluetooth
# Integrated 5-in-1 card reader
# SoundBlaster Pro Compatible with Dolby support
# Operating System: Windows XP Professional Edition

I'm wanting to get better performance (as it could be quicker) for sound editing/recording (cpu intensive) but games run fairly well. Half-Life 2 episode 1 runs very well on 1280x768. I rarely get near to the peak physical memory but would 2 gig of ram make a difference?

I've had a bit of a look at upgrading the cpu and (I think) I have found a limit of 2.13 GHz in the "Pentium M Processor 770 SL7SL 2.13GHz 2MB 533MHz" as a straight chip swap so long as the cpu isn't soldered. Is this the highest clock speed I can go for with the existing motherboard/chipset? If so, what would I need to upgrade to get a multi core cpu? I'm after a cheap option really. Would a multi core be far quicker than the above?

After that, a much bigger hard disk is on the cards. what is my limit there?

Basically I went for the 8101 and now wish I had got better spec. I'm no stranger to pulling things apart & them working when I put them back together again and I've got the tools. Given that I've never pulled apart a laptop, what are my options & will it be easy?

Any help would be much appreciated.

Many thanks,

Dizmond82

Ps. Also posted in Acer section - I didn't know how to move it!

Pps. I think I found a copy of the service manual, unless it's the 3300 which it does mention.

 

First off, Welcome to NBR.
Now, down to business...

Basically, can't upgrade to a dual core CPU (that would require a computer with a different chipset).

The highest you can upgrade to is the Pentium M 780 2.26GHz, but those are quite expensive.

If you're up to it, you can pin mod any 7x5 (ie 725, 735, 745) Pentium M CPU as in this article.

What it does is, it tricks the 7x5 CPU from running it's base speed of 100MHz(400MHz) to 133MHz(533MHz). For example, the Pentium M 725 1.6GHz processor will run at 2.13GHz.

 

Thought as much... That's that option out.

In the somewhat iffy service manual it mentioned the cpu range compatible was the "Intel Pentium M processor at 1.6~2.13GHz (Dothan)". Is there any reason for this or was the M 780 a newer chip release? There's a bit of a price jump but if it would yield better results I would consider it.

Dizmond

 

The Pentium M 780 was the last and fastest Pentium M.. While it's possible that it was released after the manual was printed, it's also possible that the processor creates too much heat for your computer cooling system to manage and therefore is not supported.

But, I'd definitely recommend the pin mod with the Pentium M 725.


I'm not sure what kind of hard drive your computer uses.....
it's either PATA or SATA depending on the connector.
You can google your hard drive model number, or open up your computer to find out what type it is.
If it's PATA, the best hard drive is the Samsung HM160HC (160GB), it is the largest and fastest PATA hard drive.
If it is SATA, then there is a much wider range of options, but either way, make sure you purchase a 2.5" laptop hard drive with the right kind of connector.

 

Interesting... Thanks for that. I'm reading the how-to right now. There are lots of those M725s on Ebay for rock bottom bucks.

So right now I've got a 533MHz 1.6, you're saying a 400MHz 1.6 (1.6 - I don't want to risk too much heat) would work with the pin mod, with no side effects (assuming I do a good job)? Would it do exactly the same job as fitting an M770 with identical performance gains?

Do you know if the final top of the range 8100 tried the 2.23Mhz (along with better venting)?

Thanks for the welcome btw.

 

(An unwanted side effect being higher battery drain compared to the M770)

 

I don't think so, because on battery, the Pentium Ms with a 533MHz FSB generally run at 800MHz (133MHz x6) because of Speedstep.


By the way, I believe your computer has a PATA hard drive, so the largest is around 250GB, but the fastest is probably the Samsung HM160HC, not including any PATA SSDs, if there are any.



EDIT: actually the largest PATA hard drive I've seen is 250GB.

 

Ok, so you're saying the battery usage would be in line with the more expensive M770 and all the usual Acer power management options would still work as they are now?

I accept faster clock speed = more power [edit - drain] but should it be the same on minimal runnings?

I've got a bit more research to do but I'm quite tempted to try this.

I'll check up on hard drives following your advice - maybe go for a cool Seagate depending on price.

Lastly, does anyone have a definate service manual for the 8100 series? just to check I've got the right one?

Many thanks,

Dizmond

 

Hi there,

Looking on the Intel website there is no tick in the "Execute Disable Bit" box. What does this mean? Is it a problem?

intel.com/products/processor_number/eng/chart/pentium_m.htm

 

Have a look here - very technical gobbledegook.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NX_bit

 

Cheers for that... I think I've got it... lol

Is that what's know as the kill bit? One of my spyware progs gives a "disable kill bit" option. Think it's spyware blaster.