Upgrade Laptop CPU?

Hello, smart notebook persons!

I have an HP Pavilion XF145 laptop with a 1 GHz mobile Athlon 4 CPU, and I think that the CPU is getting flaky (freezes up when it gets warm, refuses to even boot to BIOS until I let it cool down a few hours). Does anyone know if it is possible to replace the CPU with a slightly faster version?

Its not that I'm wanting a faster setup, although that wouldn't hurt, its just that I can't seem to find a used CPU that is an exact match for mine. I did find one that is slightly faster (1.2 GHz vs. 1.0) for a reasonable price, but I can't seem to find any information as to whether or not it would work on my motherboard. I'm pretty sure that it would be pin-compatible and fit in the same slot, but I don't know if I would have to change any BIOS settings. If it still runs at the same clock speed, that would also be OK.

I'm comfortable taking my laptop apart, as I have had to repair the DC power jack twice, but this would be new territory for me. Does anyone have any experience in this area?

Thank you for your help!

-- David

 

You are going to have to hunt to find a mobile athlon with your pin setup. It's a toss-up whether or not your motherboard has an upgradeable socket. See if HP will give you a straight answer.

GPU cooling (100°C->75°C)* Inspiron 8600 * 1.8ghz Pentium M * 128 MB Radeon 9600 Pro Turbo (337/242 -> 400/300) * 2x512 MB DDR2700 SDRAM * Aquamark 3: 24058 * 3DMark'03: 3404 * 3DMark'01 SE: 13120

 

Hi Andrew --

Thank you for your quick reply. I have checked with HP, and they only list the one part (1 GHz Athlon 4 mobile) for my laptop, but checking with AMD I was able to determine that the 1.2 GHz chip that I was looking at to replace mine is the same in all respects except the clock speed. Same cache size, same pin configuration, same FSB speed, etc. So the only question that I had left was whether or not the faster clock speed was going to require some BIOS changes or not, and if it would be recognized correctly.

Actually, now that I think about it, I should also consider whether the 1.2 GHz CPU will run hotter than my original and if it might be too much for my heat sink. Is this a valid concern?

By the way, what did you mean by "upgradeable socket"? The motherboard has a ZIF (zero insertion force) socket, so the CPU can be removed without a chip puller. Is this what you were meaning?

Thanks again for the help.

 

Some companies don't even use sockets in their laptops, they solder the chips into the motherboard. You got lucky. I doubt heat is a concern, but find out how hot your CPU is running right now to see if you have any leeway.

GPU cooling (100°C->75°C)* Inspiron 8600 * 1.8ghz Pentium M * 128 MB Radeon 9600 Pro Turbo (337/242 -> 400/300) * 2x512 MB DDR2700 SDRAM * Aquamark 3: 24058 * 3DMark'03: 3404 * 3DMark'01 SE: 13120

 

Hello, smart notebook persons!
I dont know much about computers, but If I bought a CPU off ebay or something can I replace the one that I already have in my laptop? If so is it hard and what do I have to do?

 

1) CPU's do not "get flaky".
2) If it overheats, buying a faster CPU might not be the best move...

Most likely, it's the rest of the case that's clogged up with dust, prevening efficient heat dissipation. Cleaning it out would probably be a good idea.

Btw, there's no such thing as an Athlon 4. Did you mean 64?

 

i vote for this also

 

Oh yes. There were Athlon 4's...
http://www.amd.com/us-en/Processors/ProductInformation/0,,30_118_1260_5889,00.html

These were mobile versions released a few months before the AXP's were released.

Depends on the laptop model. Some laptops have the cpu soldered whereas some are socketed. Only the socketed ones are upgradable. It is a tedious process especially if you have never opened a notebook before, but if you are patient and careful enough there shouldnt be any problems.

This thread is 2 yrs old!!