Sony VGN AW 11 S/B Processor upgrade

Hi

As my vaio aw is getting a little long in the tooth I was thinking about upgrading to the best possable processor that it can take without frying my motherboard.

Also looking at 8 gigs of ram but don't know weather it will take it.

I'm not into overclocking but want to max my laptop out also.

Thanks

 

From what I'm seeing on Notebook check on your Sony model, you can take any 1066 FSB Core 2 Duo.

Your best bet is like a P8x00 series processors as T9x00 series processors are overpriced and the extra cache/speed in most benchmarks don't show they are worth it. You can get like a P8700 for ~120-140 on Ebay.

 

Would I be able to use the T9900 on my laptop.
Thanks

 

Yes you should be able to. Again in all honesty, the T9900 isn't worth triple the price of a P8700. The 500 MHz and +3 MB cache won't be useful in most real life world use, unless you are rendering.

 

I use my AW for editing video and games so need all the power I can get, not too worried about the price.

 

Can anybody tell me what is the best possable configuration I can upgrade my aw too.

Thanks

 

I have a very similar VAIO and a new notebook (aka w/SB platform) is the only real upgrade I'm looking at.

If you're not worried about price - then buy a current Sandy Bridge model.

 

The best (as in "most powerful") CPU upgrade you can do for your VAIO AW is X9100. Just make sure you use good CPU thermal paste. I upgraded an AW back in summer of 2010 with X9100 and IC Diamond and it has been working perfectly. I recommend you use ThrottleStop to control your overclock (as there are no options in the BIOS).

In my case, I overclock to x13 (i.e. 3457 MHz) @ 1.25V for heavy rendering and it works very well. I originally tested the system with both Prime95 (overnight) and 5-7 passes of Intel Burn Test (Lin Library) on the highest setting to make sure everything is stable.

 

Did you have any help with the cooling with the X9100 or can the aw handle the extra heat?

I was thinking about getting the T9900 because sony uses it in the aw 31.

What about the ram? it says in the specs, max 4 gigs but can I install 8 with no problems?

Just installed a 128 Crucial SSd and what a difference to my old drive.

Thanks for your feedback

 

No need to modify anything. Just make sure the fan is clean and thermal paste applied properly.

Remember that cooling system is not the only limitation - you must make sure that the power supply can handle the additional load. Before I upgraded the CPU, I measured the current AW draws from the brick at maximum load. Once the new X9100 was installed, but before conducting any overclocking tests, I measured the current again running at max load for brief periods.

For more details see my message here:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/har...xtreme-multiplier-windows-62.html#post7070280

Max RAM for VAIO AW (any generation) is 8 GB. Some models have a RAID controller (i.e extended south bridge ICH9M-E), some don't. Some units are configured for 3-LED-RGB Samsung panels, some - for LCD screens with inverters and CCFL. These are the only major differences I can think of right now.

 

depends on which AW model you have.. i saw one for $4000.. was absurd...

You should take a T9900 for sure.. I don't know about X9100 but if someone has done it , it should work..

As for RAM, 8GB is max.. PM45 chipset limitation..however , i still think its better you save your money, wait a while and buy a new laptop.. you'd get much better one and cheaper.

Panther214

 

Thanks Falang
Great information on the AW, just what I am looking for.
would like to give good rep for your info but don't know how?
Just read that the AW 11 ZB has DDR 3 memory, can I install 8g DDR3 in my AW 11 SB?

 

You give rep by clicking on the little weight balance icon just to the left of the post you found helpful. The triangle with an exclamation mark next to it is the "report post" button, useful for reporting spam or "attack" posts.

 

Hey Falang, I was wondering how you use ThrottleStop to overclock the processor. I can't seem to get it working, it has EIST checked but greyed out