Is an Inspiron 1525 processor upgrade possible?

I was wondering if it was possible to upgrade my Pentium Dual T3200 processor in my Inspiron 1525. I've done some reading about replacing processors, but some say it's not possible in laptops, and others say it's possible. So, is it possible to just replace my processor without replacing my motherboard with it?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

It is possible. check out my sig

you might want to check Intel Mobile Processor Compatibility Guide thread for compatibility list

 

Wow, I must've missed that guide while I was searching around here. I'll check it out.

 

Alright, so I've found which processors will physically fit in my laptop, but what of the BIOS and chipset compatibility? Where can I find my BIOS and chipset info?

 

The 965 will take any Socket P processor with an FSB of 800MHz or less and a TDP of 35W or less. The best thing to get right now is probably a T8100 or a T9300, but you can use almost any Socket P processors in the T5x00 series and the T7x00 as well.

 

So something like this would work?

 

Well, let's see, does it have an FSB of 800MHz or less? No. You can't use it.

 

Right. Just realized that when I looked at it again after I posted. So anything that has 800MHz FSB, less than 35W, is Socket P, and isn't i7 will be compatible?

 

Yes, that is correct. i7 by definition isn't going to be Socket P.

 

I know you want to upgrade, but you may also want to overclock.
So here is how to overclock your notebook:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=421279

My advice for a good upgrade would be to go for 45nm tech. It does run a lot cooler. T8100, T8300, T9300, T9500 would all be on the top of my list.

I would not buy a merom unless the price was really good.

 

Thanks, Commander Wolf.

Will these processors be able to run 64bit OS's too?

 

Just to make it clear, i7 will not work with your notebook.
It will not fit and it's not compatible.

Google the CPU and you will see a link to intels info page about the CPU. There you can check if it is 64 bit capable.

 

I'm looking at Intel's specs for the T9300 and they don't list specifically whether it's 64-bit compatible, but it lists "Intel EM64T" as a feature.

http://processorfinder.intel.com/details.aspx?sSpec=SLAQG#

 

nickf77, lol... EM64T is the 64bit compatibility spec you're looking for.

 

That's just me being a noob at computer hardware. My bad.

 

yeah,, like my T7700 for less than $70
and after I sold my T7250 the upgrade becomes free LOL

 

Now that's a good deal you got yourself.

 

Every Socket P processor (Merom & Penryn) supports x86-64, which is to say 64-bit operating systems.

Have you considered any other potential upgrades that could improve performance? Here are the main things to consider-

RAM- how much RAM is currently installed? The GM965 chipset can handle up to 4GB of RAM (2GBx2). You'll need a 64-bit O/S to utilize the the full 4GB, but a 32-bit O/S will use 3.25-3.5GB if you have 4GB installed.

Hard Drive- virtually all Inspiron laptops have standard 5400rpm hard drives. Upgrading to a 7200rpm hard drive will boost performance quite a bit. Apps will load quite a bit quicker and any task that reads or writes to the hard drive will be faster.

Operating System- Are you currently running Vista? If so, is it Home Basic, Home Premium or Ultimate? 32-bit or 64-bit?

There are numerous ways to improve Vista performance. Turning off unnecessary features and tweaking various settings can speed up things quite a bit.

What are you hoping to achieve by upgrading the processor? Is the T3200 too slow overall or just for certain tasks/programs and/or when multi-tasking? Or are you wanting to upgrade just to improve overall performance to some degree?

I'm just asking because I'd hate for you to go thru the time, trouble and expense of a processor upgrade only to be disappointed with the results (or lack thereof). I was a newbie once myself!

 

RAM - I've got 3GB installed currently, but I wasn't planning on upgrading to 4GB unless I make the switch to 64 bit.

Hard drive - To be honest, I never even really considered the hard drive to be slowing my computer down at all. I'll have to look into that some more.

OS - I'm currently running Vista Premium 32-bit. I've already tweaked down most of Vista's visual elements.


As for the processor, the T3200 is just too slow overall. Are you saying that only upgrading the processor to something like a T9300 won't show much of a performance increase? I'm not a computer newbie, just a computer HARDWARE newbie.

 

You should notice the difference.

But yes, the HDD is probably the slowest part of any notebook.

Upgrading to 7200RPM or even better a SSD should make programs open almost instantly and startup will be a lot faster.

 

the easiest way to see if the processor is a bottleneck for you is to install a processor meter gadget, or keep the task manager open so you can see CPU utlization. If you notice you have more than 70% utilization the majority of the time, (with the processor at max frequency), then its likely that the processor is a bottleneck for you. However i doubt so, as the T3200 is a capable processor and unless you're doing very processor intensive stuff like photo/video editing its most likely your hard drive being the bottleneck.

 

A solid state drive is definitely out of my price range, but a $70 HDD is definitely reasonable. Will any HDD work or are there compatiblity issues here too?

 

any modern HDD would work. You'll have to check reviews to find the fastest one, but personally i'm using a Samsung 250gb 7200rpm drive and i find it very fast, and the best thing is its really really silent. THe 250gb seagate was a noisy piece of rubbish.

an SSD is blazing fast. For example windows startup time is ~15 seconds, most programs open instantly.

 

So there's no difference between laptop and desktop HDD's?

 

you'll have to get a notebook HDD, 2.5 inch or it wont fit in the laptop.

 

The vast majority of hard drives available are one of two sizes- 2.5" (laptop) or 3.5" (desktop). That physical dimension will differentiate the two, if nothing else. Sites like Newegg (which I highly recommend) have a separate subcategory for "Laptop Hard Drives" under the category "Hard Drives"- LINK

Your best bet is a Western Digital Scorprio Black (WD uses 'Black' for their 7200rpm drives and 'Blue' are 5400rpm).
160GB version is $54.99- LINK
320 GB is $69.99- LINK
BOTH of those also have FREE SHIPPING and Newegg only charges sales tax in CA, NJ and TN.

The Western Digital Scorpio drives perform very well compared to similar Seagate, Toshiba and Samsung models. I actually have a 320GB 7200rpm Seagate drive in my laptop that I'm planning to replace with a Western Digital Scorpio Black very soon. The Seagate is noisy and runs a little warmer than I'd prefer...Western Digital drives don't have either of those issues!

 

The HD's to be considering right now are the Scorpio Blue 500GB (5400RPM) or the Hitachi 7K500 (7200RPM). You should be amazed at the difference in how the computer responds.

Vista x32 is considerably 'slower' than Vista x64 and both pale in comparison to Win 7 x64 - if you're a student and able to get a good upgrade price, this single change might be all you need?

If you did Win 7 x64, 4GB RAM, the Hitachi HD, and the CPU upgrade - I'd say you're set for another 2 or 3 years (depending of course, what you're using the computer for).

Does the computer warrant these kinds of upgrades? Or does a new system seem a better option?

 

$100 for Windows 7
$50 for a 2GB memory unit (I've got a 1GB and a 2GB currently)
$220 for the T9300 CPU
~$75 for a HDD
________
$445 total

Still less than an equivalent new system.


Does the move from Vista x32 to Windows 7 x64 really make a big difference?

 

yes, windows 7 is way snappier. there is no noticable difference in speed between 32 bit and 64 bit editions.

if i were you i really wouldnt bother upgrading the CPU unless you're doing the stuff i mentioned in my previous post.

also check to see if you are using all your ram. You have 3gb currently, if you find that most of the time only half of it is being utilized, there is no value in adding more ram. it wont get any faster. i would consider myself a heavy multitasker, but even so i rarely see my ram utilization going up more than 3gb. it seems to be even lower after i upgraded to windows 7. most of the time its around 2gb.

 

The price for the HD I'm suggesting is closer to $110

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145275

but I bought it for the $79.99 special they had until yesterday (I think).

Still, Vista x32 to Win 7 x64 is huge (to me). Everything happens in real time, almost like in XP so many years ago, but with all the GUI goodness of a modern O/S. I've used Win 7 x32 very slightly, and it did give the same good experience - but do note I haven't actually worked on a x32 bit system for quite some time.

From preliminary reports on the 7K500 (see other thread in this forum) even at the $110 price tag it still seems the mechanical HD to beat.

 

Just looking at raw benchmark figures (performance tests), an upgrade to a 2.0GHz Core 2 Duo T6400 (Penryn) would result in a speed increase of about 24%. The problem is that 24% is comparing the T6400 running at 100% vs. the T3200 also running at 100%. If your processor is commonly spiking to the 80-90% use range, then an upgrade to the T6400 would speed things up quite a bit...but you wouldn't actually notice a 24% speed increase across the board, all the time.

Hardware (and software) upgrades can add up very quickly. If you decide to upgrade the processor, hard drive and eventually the O/S (and add another GB of RAM), you might want to consider selling your 1525 and buying something newer that includes most/all of the upgrades. It's a lesson I learned the hard way several years ago! I ended up with a laptop that was still too slow and was barely worth the $350 I had just invested in it.

I recently ordered my niece a new Inspiron 1545 from Dell for $449 ($477 with tax, free shipping). It has Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, 2.1GHz Pentium Dual-Core T4300 (800MHz FSB), 4GB RAM, 15.6" HD (1366x768) LED TrueLife Display, 250GB hard drive, DVD-RW and Intel GMA 4500MHD graphics. I played around with it a little when it was delivered on Tuesday and I was very impressed with how well it performed! Just a thought.

 

this is excellent advice. i think if you want to upgrade anything more than the hard drive, you should go straight to buying a new inspiron. it even has a better graphics chipset and a half-HD screen. pretty decent specs for $449

 

Get a T9300.. it offers the best performance for price...also its 64 bit compatibile..

 

his current processor (T3200) already supports 64 bit....

 

Thanks for that advice, allfiredup. I didn't even realize how much all of these added up until the post where I added it all up. If I were to sell my current system, where should I sell it? eBay? And should I gut out all the parts (HDD, processor, CD/DVD, RAM, etc.) and sell them separately or just sell the 1525 all in one piece?

 

Just want to add that everything is relative, of course.

When I upgraded my ThinkPad many years ago to a 7K60 for about $480, it was a great and worthwhile update. When I updated that HD to a 7K100 for $400, that was also justified by the increase in speed and the extension for how long the machine was usable to me.

The important thing to remember is that with these upgrades, if you keep the original equipment, you can sell your old computer as you bought it - and, use the high performance stuff in your next system (or, of course, sell them too).

My original question to nickf77 'does the computer warrant these kinds of upgrades' was specifically seeking information like:

1) Love the keyboard, screen, mouse/touchpad and just wish it was faster, and

2) Want to spend as little money on computers over the next X years (where X is two years or more).

Although new tech is always coming that some might consider a mech. HD a bad 'investment', don't forget there are always people willing to pay for the old 'high tech' stuff we've used and enjoyed.

For example, I sold my almost $500 notebook drive almost 3 years later for $250. Not too bad to be on the 'bleeding edge' of storage tech for less than $100 per year!

Today, if I could get $40 back on the Hitachi 7K500 I just purchased in 2012 - I won't believe it. But at the same time for an $84 total purchase price, I really won't care either.

So, nickf77, do you love your keyboard/screen/mouse and plan to buy your next big upgrade in 2011 or 2012? I think that's the relevant question.

 

Since it is in fully operational condition, I think your best bet would be to sell it as a whole unit. Parting out a laptop can be a real hassle and usually takes much longer to find buyers for all the components.

Ebay is the best bet to reach the largest possible number of potential buyers. You can also list it simultaneously here in the NBR Marketplace- LINK. If you live in large city or metro area, you could also list it on Craigslist.

Just out of curiousity, I looked up some 'Completed' auctions on Ebay using the search terms "Dell Inspiron 1525". There are quite a few used systems, out of warranty but in good overall condition (and with the T3200, 3GB RAM, Vista Home Premium) seling for $300 or more! How old is your 1525, what color is it and how would you rate the physical condition?

 

Wow. Mine's just over a year old, and in perfect physical condition. Not even a scratch. It's silver with a jet black cover.