Upgrading CPU in Dell XPSm1530

Hello All. First post here.

I've been using these forums for months for their good info on just about everything and finally got a question that i cannot find an answer to.

Last Xmas i got a brand spanking new XPSm1530. loving the notebook but the stock CPU (t5250 Core 2 Duo 1.5 Ghz) definatly needs to be upgraded.

So i bought a practically new T7700 SLAF7 2.4Ghz off ebay for 180$, decent price right?

MY QUESTION IS... this should be a "plug-n-play" swap right? (besides the artic silver thermal gel) I've already updated BIOS via dell support to version A08 (lastest) The new CPU has 800FSB instead of 677FSB, double L2 chace and almost double the Ghz. I've contacted dell and they keep saying that they don't support or recommend CPU upgrades unless it's through them. Should i be ok with this swap or will my laptop melt through the desk?

 

The T7700 will run perfectly fine. The only issue is that the self replacement of your CPU will void your warranty.

 

hmmz is it sealed or can you just put the old cpu back and no1 ever noticed

im stll waiting till the T9500 Get affordble ( in prob like 1 year )

 

Nothing is sealed. Only the copper cooling element on top the CPU. I've already doubled the RAM voiding my warranty so I dont care about that.

But why would I have to put the old one back, are you foreseeing problems?

thanks for the quick replies

 

Get the T9300. It's .1 GHz less and everything else is the same except the cheaper price

 

Adding RAM does not void your warranty. Both the T5250 and T7700 have 35w TDP so heat wise you should be fine and your cooling solution should be able to handle the upgrade fine, no melting.

 

Um seriously. Ok, first I wish the search worked. There was a large thread on this. In that thread there was a satement from Dell saying that replacing the CPU will not void your warranty, unless that replacement caused the problem. Of course, just hold on to your old cpu (not that you could get much for it anyways), so if you do have any issues just swap it back.

Also who ever told you that adding ram to your laptop voided your warranty, needs a slap in the back of the head.

 

Ahhh Powerpack beat me to it!

 

Yea but I left out the head slap part, I agree with. Even if it means slapping himself.

I have not seen the warranty statement you mention. I would like to see. But from auto warranty's the modification must be responsible for the problem to deny warranty service. So yea it sounds like it makes sense? If you upgrade your CPU and your screen fails how is that not covered? There are laws that cover this and consumer protection and rights not arbitrary policies by the company that benefit the company. That said if you upgrade the CPU and the MoBo fries I think coverage will be denied.

 

Well, as someone mentioned earlier, the CPU change does void your warranty if you damage your laptop while changing it. Obviously Dell will not be responsible for any damage to your new CPU as well. I should have narrowed it down earlier.

However, should you need warranty service, Dell can always claim that it was your upgrade that caused the damage, thus voiding the warranty.

As long as you retain your old CPU, you should be okay.


For extra reading,

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=186397

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=131737

 

Read my guide http://www.robertbromfield.com/Tutorials/Changing the thermal paste on the M1530.pdf

Only difference is remove the cpu.

 

You can upgrade your cpu to any socket P processor you like. However it is recommended that you undervolt your processor so that it does not get as hot.
This will help keep temperatures down, reduce power usage, and maintain longer battery life.

I would go with the T8300 or T9300 since they have a pretty good bang for the buck.

K-TRON

 

I have a question regarding your guide Jamaicanyouth. That part of the heatsink with the purple colored tape, I'm assuming that's the chipset, Did you put any thermal grease on it. You made no mention in your guide about applying any thermal grease on it. Is that purplish, tape looking, thing a thermal pad?

I even checked the official disassembly guide and made no reference about the chipset area. I just wanna make sure i'm doing things right when I open my M1530. Mine came with T5450 and i'm thinking of upgrading myself in the near future.

 

No you leave that thermal pad on there. Don't pull a bonehead move (like me lol) and take it off, it rips really easy. I was able to put it back on, but when I do the CPU upgrade (I was just putting on AS5), I will probably make a metal shim (like M1330 users are doing) and be done.

 

Thanks for the tip. I'll keep that in mind.

 

Yea the thermal pad flakes and breaks apart real easily.

 

yeah,, leave that thermal pad alone unless you have a replacement on hand,,, or are going to use a copper/silver shim to make contact with the chip....

and like K-Tron says the T8300 is the best bang for your buck,, but the T9300 is a good option too!!

i wish i had known how upgradable these i965 mobos were when i bought my poor lowly T5450

 

hah, I was done in 15 mins. The notebook booted pefectly the first time. CPUZ is telling my my FSB is currently 200 (199.9) Mhz, and that my cpu is rated for 800. Why is it running at 200 then?

 

Did my guide help?

 

yes many thanks