Processor Upgrade in Laptop possible?

Hi all,

I was just wondering if it's possible to upgrade the processor in my laptop, and if so, what can I upgrade to?

I have a Toshiba Satellite Pro A200 and the processor currently in there is an Intel(R) Core(TM) Duo CPU T2450 @ 2.00GHz, 1995 MHz.

Any help is greatly appreciated .

Thanks

 

Provided it has the right socket, you can put pretty much any processor in it. The mobo has to support it of course but you should be fine for all the intel Core2 series. Idk if it would support a quad but there's not much hope in you getting a quad in there iin the first place because of the huge difference in heat output.

If you know what you are doing I would undervolt your new processor so there is no more headroom, that way you should have heat levels near what it was designed for (assuming you put in a faster CPU, putting in a slower one would be a waste of time).

I cant find any info on the processor you speak of so if you could tell us the socket then it would be much more helpfull. Also if we knew the chipset we could tell you if quads are supported

 

Yeah that t2450 is socket M yonah core. If you update the bios you can replace it with any of these core 2 duo cpu's ( i wont reccomend core duo's )
Cpu name | L2 cache | FSB | clock speed
T5200 2mb 533 1.66
T5300 2mb 533 1.73
T5500 2mb 667 1.66
T5600 2mb 667 1.83
T7200 4mb 667 2.0
T7400 4mb 667 2.16
T7600 4mb 667 2.33
I personaly would reccomend a t7200 its the best balance of speed and money. Dont forget to update your bios.

 

Ok, using Everest I get:

Chipset
North Bridge: Mobile Intel Calistoga-GM i945GM
South Bridge: Intel 82801GBM ICH7-M

I can't seem to find the socket type in Everest...

 

Wow thanks very much Tippey764, To update the bios, would I just download something from the manufacturers website?

 

Yeah. If anything MAKE SURE the computer dosent crash durring the bios update or you will brick your laptop. The intel 945 chipset will support core 2 duo's Im pretty sure your laptop does too. I have personaly upgraded a t2300 to a t5500 and a t2400 to a t5300 everything went perfect.

 

Ok thank you very much .. Might not have to go buying a completely new laptop after all

 

Just wondering, why do you want to upgrade the CPU?

Also, even though it has the best balance, I specifically not recommend upgrading to the T7200 as it is 2GHz -> 2GHz; I know the L2 cache and the FSB is faster and it is 64-bit capable, but depending on the reason for your upgrade, there might be no noticeable improvement.

 

the reason I want to upgrade is to have a faster computer... my current 2GHz is pretty basic isn't it? And if I can go to a core 2 duo instead of my core duo then that'd also be a plus right?

 

It's completely possible, but I still don't think you will have anything to gain, even going from 2GHz to a 2.33GHz. It's not worth the dough unless you specifically need 64-bit capability.

 

but I thought I'd be able to go to a core 2 duo instead of a core duo, or have I completely miss-understood?

 

I don't think you will notice anything in real life. Just don't waste your money...

From my experience, I can notice the improvements when there is at least %20-25 frequency boost. I am not sure what will change when you move from a core duo to a core 2 duo. (yeah, I know additional instruction sets etc. but unless you make frequent use of those instructions, that is just a waste of money.)

If you want to improve your performance, upgrade your HDD. That is clearly noticeable if you move from a 5400RPM to a 7200RPM (as long as the capacities are the same or greater).


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oh ok then... I was planning on upgrading my HDD too, but I can only seem to find 5400rpm ones.. But I'll look harder I guess. Thanks for the advice

 

I am not sure if you are in the US but if so, try newegg.com. You will find several 7200RPM laptop HDDs.


(AFAIK, they are all in SATA format, I don't know where you can find a 7200RPM for PATA.)


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A core 2 duo is 25% faster per clock then a core duo. Plus your t2450 only has a 533mhz FSB

 

It may perform better in some synthetic benchmarks but I don't think that will be noticeable in real life (if you stay in 2.0 GHz).

I think a HDD upgrade will be a lot better in terms of performance...


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A 1.73Ghz Core 2 duo (T5300) was faster in real life than a core duo at 2.00Ghz (T2500)
I have had a T2500, T5300, T7400 and T7600 in my laptop. There was definitely a performance difference between the core duo and the core 2 duo processor. The lower clocked core 2 duo not only ran much cooler than the core duo, but it performed better. From a CAD standpoint, which I primarily use the difference was actually pretty major. Rendering times can measure actual cpu performance, and the lower clocked T5300 eat the T2500.

I agree that it is a great idea to upgrade.
I think the best bang for the buck is the T5300/T7200.
If you dont need a ton of power, a T5300 will be more powerful than a T2700.
If you need more power, a T7200/T7400 will be a good idea.
The T7600 is extremely expensive, so I do not recommend it unless you get it for an amazing price.

You can check my thread out which compares the core duo and core 2 duo processors:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=313598

Their really is a big performance difference. The yonah core duo's were basically dual core Pentium M's, while the core 2 duo meroms were a completely new architecture, which is about 25% more efficient per MHz clock speed.

K-TRON

 

I thought they were both "Core" architectures. AFAIK Core Duo should not have anything to do with the older Pentium M architecture...

I haven't tried them in real life. If you claim that "there is a big performance difference" I trust you. However I would still prioritize the HDD upgrade. 7200RPMs make a lot of difference in real life...


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A 7200rpm drive or a high density 5400rpm drive will show a nice performance increase as well.
b1b2b3, what drive do you have in your laptop?
You can find out by downloading hdtune.
Just open the main page, and the model number will be listed in the pull down menu.
If you have a 4200rpm drive or an older 5400rpm drive, you may want to upgrade to a faster harddrive before a cpu upgrade.

Their is a difference though.
a faster harddrive will decrease loading times of applications,
but a faster processor will have faster rendering times, and it will make everything a bit snappier if the system is using most of the cpu power all of the time.

K-TRON