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    Upgrade from AMD V120 to Phenom II N620 - what a difference!

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by ::2dFx::, Jan 27, 2011.

  1. ::2dFx::

    ::2dFx:: Notebook Enthusiast

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    Successfully upgraded my CQ56 from the crappy V120 to the fastest dual core I could acquire...here are the WEI before and after:

    Before:
    single.png

    After:
    dual.png

    The experience numbers themselves don't paint the whole picture...the system overall is so much smoother, boot time is far faster, and SC2 is now running playable framerates! Waiting on the X920 to show up so I can bench both chips...looks promising!
     
    ::2dFx::, Jan 27, 2011
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  2. Tsunade_Hime

    Tsunade_Hime such bacon. wow

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    Well going from a 2.2 GHz single core to a 2.8 GHz dual core, I hope would it would be faster. How's the temperatures on the processor?
     
    Tsunade_Hime, Jan 27, 2011
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  3. abaddon4180

    abaddon4180 Notebook Virtuoso

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    Where did you order an X920 from? I just upgraded my N930 to an N950 because I couldn't find an X920, and because it only cost me $40. I'd love to see benchmarks, temperature readings, and battery life for the X920 when you get it.
     
    abaddon4180, Jan 27, 2011
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  4. Linuxperiment

    Linuxperiment Notebook Consultant

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    Where did you guys even buy these mobile processors? I'm interested in upgrading as well.
     
    Linuxperiment, Jan 27, 2011
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  5. abaddon4180

    abaddon4180 Notebook Virtuoso

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    I wanted to buy an X920 but couldn't find it so I offered a classmate of mine $40 plus my N930 for the N950 in his Acer something or other. I also applied some new thermal paste while I was in there and my idle temps are in the high-30s and max temps in the mid-60s in a 22C room.
     
    abaddon4180, Jan 27, 2011
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  6. Linuxperiment

    Linuxperiment Notebook Consultant

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    Hmmm. I really wish I had a dual core in my laptop. I'm stuck with the crappy V120 :(
     
    Linuxperiment, Jan 27, 2011
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  7. ::2dFx::

    ::2dFx:: Notebook Enthusiast

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    Haven't yet recorded what temps are yet...will be getting to that soon.

    There's a seller on eBay who has a bunch of them, cost me $100...I don't know what kind of budget you have for black edition quad-coredy goodness :D

    Dude! See if you can upgrade! What kind of laptop do you have?
     
    ::2dFx::, Jan 27, 2011
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  8. Linuxperiment

    Linuxperiment Notebook Consultant

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    I've got a Compaq CQ62 with the V120/4250. Pretty slow but good for basics. Where did you buy your CPU? Or what vendor did you get it from? I'm interested in upgrading to a dual core.

    EDIT: Found some vendors. I'm pretty sure I have the same motherboard, or pretty close to it. How did your upgrade go? What exactly did you have to do?
     
    Linuxperiment, Jan 27, 2011
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  9. abaddon4180

    abaddon4180 Notebook Virtuoso

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    Well let me know how the X920 goes so I can know whether or not it is worth it.
     
    abaddon4180, Jan 27, 2011
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  10. ::2dFx::

    ::2dFx:: Notebook Enthusiast

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    Your motherboard is identical to mine. I had to remove the palmrest assy, the keyboard, and I was there. Motherboard lifts out of the bottom half of the shell and allows access to the CPU. 3 screws hold the HSF assembly to the board. Removed, cleaned old TIM, applied new TIM, reseated HSF, reassembled and restarted. Works like a charm! M880G hooooooooooo

    When I get my X920, I'll get my camera out and make a disassembly guide for ya :)

    Done and done :D
     
    ::2dFx::, Jan 27, 2011
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  11. Linuxperiment

    Linuxperiment Notebook Consultant

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    THAT would be awesome. This is my main machine and I don't want it to go down because of something dumb I would do. I'm good with working on desktops, but laptops are a bit scary to me :)

    EDIT: Do you plan on keeping both processors around? Once you get the quad core, what are you going to do with the dual core? Cause if this goes well for you, I might be in the market for a new CPU :)
     
    Linuxperiment, Jan 28, 2011
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  12. Linuxperiment

    Linuxperiment Notebook Consultant

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    Ok well, I've got a choice between a 100 dollar X920 (2.3 GHz BE Quad Core) and a 90 dollar N830 (2.1 GHz Non-BE Triple Core). The main thing I am worried about with this upgrade is the cooling system. Will the laptop be able to handle the newfound power? This is what I'm worried about, and I'm thinking of doing some customization to get the heat out of there, or maybe even replacing the fan with a better one if I can find a slim replacement.

    EDIT: I jumped the gun and just ordered the triple core and 4GB RAM. Let's hope this machine flies :)
     
    Linuxperiment, Jan 28, 2011
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