Need Help Pumping New Life Into Old DV2000

Hi all, first time poster here, been reading the forums for a while concerning upgrades to my older laptop, and need a little help and advice. Here are the specs on my machine:

HP DV2000T

Intel T2250 CPU (1.73GHz Core Duo)
2 GB Crucial RAM (DDR2 5300)
80 GB 5400 RPM Hard Drive
NVIDIA GeForce Go 7200 Graphics Chip
Windows XP Home Edition (Service Pack 3)

I currently use the computer as my mobile workstation (I am a music teacher, and frequently write and record music), and also do the internet/music/media/Microsoft Office thing. I would like to improve multitasking capabilities, start-up time, and wake time from sleep. And of course, I would like everything to just be snappier, faster, and newer

I have already ordered a 320GB 7200RPM hard drive from newegg, and have a copy of Windows 7 Professional I will install with the new hard drive.

From what I understand, my laptop's CPU is socketed, and is the Core Duo (Code name "Yonah") model with the "Socket M". Under these restrictions, my top CPU upgrade option is the T2700 Core Duo, clocked at 2.33GHz. These run approximately $100-150 for a refurbished model currently. However, this limits me to the 32-bit OS in Windows 7, as 64-bit is only supported by Core2Duo and up. Is it possible to upgrade my CPU to a Core2Duo model? I see some of the "Merom" models use the Socket M. Will this work? And is the ability to run 64-bit worth the price jump to, say, the Core2Duo T7600? (approximately $200 currently)

Also, I believe my RAM is capped at 2GB by the motherboard, but I'm not sure. Would installing Windows 7 recognize more or faster RAM?

I feel like I've done the proper research on this, and yes I've considered purchasing a new machine, but anything in the $300 range (about what I'd be spending here) is actually a little less capable than what this computer will be when it's done. I'm just looking for a little more help and clarification from the experts on this forum! Thanks so much for your help.

 

For the CPU you're not limited to the T2x00. You can use T5200, T5300, T5500, T5600, T7200, T7400, T7600

I would personally go with the T7200. You should be able to get it on ebay for about $100 (£60 to £70 in the UK)

 

Agreement with naton - Socket M does support Core 2 Duos and 64-bit operating systems. Also keep in mind that Core 2 Duos are a complete architectural change from the Core Duos (which are essentially two Pentium Ms stapled together). A Core 2 Duo will be clock-for-clock faster than a Core Duo. Just remember to make sure that your BIOS supports Core 2 Duos - check HP's website to see if there's an update.

Installing Windows 7 won't magically unlock more memory capacity, and the dv2000t is indeed limited to 2GB of RAM (strange - the chipset's capable of more); for that, I'd advise against going to 64-bit Windows.

That being said, 32-bit Windows 7 + Core 2 Duo = One refreshed dv2000t.

 

Awesome, this is exactly what I need, thank you for the help. 32-bit because of RAM restrictions, but one helluva processor to run 32-bit Windows 7. What would be my disadvantages of not going 64-bit then? I'm assuming future software will not be compatible?

I will take a look for the BIOS update. When I've looked in the past, I've found current driver downloads, but I've never seen a compatability list for CPUs. Is there a link that I'm missing?

Checked CPUs, the T7200 does indeed to be the best price point right now. I'm assuming going up to a T7600 wouldn't be too cost-conscious, as the jump in performance probably wouldn't be that big. Maybe if prices come down in the future.

Should I be concerned that the T2250's TDP is 31W vs. the T7200's 34W? Can my computer handle the extra strain?

 

Only a 10% of improvement with native 64 bit software for CAD/rendering/image editing... don't worry about that.

 

Your notebook can handle the extra heat output from the Core 2 Duo - it was sold with that CPU. One other thing you should do is clean the dust out of your notebook with a can of compressed air; if you have not done this in the past then chances are dust and other particles have accumulated in the fan and are straining the cooling system.
Make sure you read the disassembly guide on HP's site (I assume there is one) before going about this. Usually HP laptops need to be taken completely apart to access the CPU.

Good choice upgrading the hard drive, I find that is the #1 barrier to better performance. RAM is #2.

Advantages/disadvantages of 64-bit . . . the compatibility issues with 64-bit Windows are largely gone so that's not an issue. The only real reason for most to consider 64-bit are to get access to >4GB of RAM. Unless the applications you run are CPU intensive AND specifically coded for 64-bit then there will be no tangible performance difference between 32- and 64-bit Windows. It is unlikely you are missing anything.
Windows 7 is responsible with system resources, much more so than Vista in my experience. I have 2GB of RAM and 7 Pro 32-bit on my notebook; my idle RAM usage is 550-650MB and even running many programs at once, rarely goes over ~1.1GB.

 

Letting you guys know that I bought a T7200 Core 2 Duo on eBay for $65 shipped. I was a little hesitant about buying used, but the seller had good feedback and a new one was about double that price. I'll give this one a shot and if it doesn't work I can always try again.

I'll give an update when everything is installed! Thanks again for all the help.

 

I'm also using a used CPU from eBay with no issues. It's been working fine for about 5 months now.

 

Just an update here: I have installed the new hard drive, Windows 7, and the Core 2 Duo T7200 CPU. Everything appears to be running great, the hard drive has immediate gains and Windows 7 is much, much improved over XP.

I have noticed that since the CPU install the fan has been running much more often and at higher speeds, is this to be expected? Does the Core 2 Duo just run hotter? I can live with the noise if I have to, but I want to make sure I didn't do something wrong. For the record, I used Arctic Silver Thermal Compound for the install.

 

can u post a screenshot of CPUID Hardware monitor when u have left ur laptop on idle for a while? Also can u post another one for ur laptop under load. This might tell us if ur CPU is running hot or not.

 

Did you apply thermal paste?

 

Here we go, this was taken under moderate load, note the minimum and maximum temps for idle vs. heavy load temps.

I should also point out that the fan isn't blowing out hot air really, it's mostly cool air but it seems to be running at a higher speed than necessary most of the time.

 

Update: I was able to get it to max out a little higher after some heavy use.

 

ur temps are allright... they're better than mine but if u want , u can lower them further... read up on The undervolting guide for ur CPU.. it should drop ur temps.. my load CPU temps were 90-100C but with undervolting , now they're only 70-80C... for u the drop will be more...

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=235824