hardware experiment pentium m to core 2 duo

here's how it is.
my motherboard on fsc 4438 burned up.
at this moment I'm considering few options
replacing the mbo at FSC for 500€+ (700$+)
buying a replacement board (hard to find) via ebay
repairing the board at some motherboard repair shops....(need advice on that one to)

and the latest option;
replacing my original centrino board with a core 2 duo board.

I know there are issues, but hear me out, and tell me if there's any reason to my idea.
I've came across the latest alienware mbos (5550, 5790), and here's how they look like,

5550

5790

and here's the
centrino uniwill board


they seem to be similar in every possible way, except for the CPU...
the alienware boads can be bought for 450$, and I can buy a core 2duo processor for 200$...

what do you guys have to say?



P.S. (if needed I can provided higher res pictures)

 

Good luck - those components won't exactly be easy to find I imagine. My guess is unless the components are designed for the same style of notebook, you'll run into a lot of different problems with connections and such - e.g. connectors for keyboard, LCD, sound, even the power supply connection. That, plus the power supplies are designed for very specific parameters, and could potentially damage a mobo from under/over powering it.

 

Check the connection of graphic card to screen. If that fits then it might work. One problem that i see is with fitting the cooling. If it only moved over by a few mm then it might already be a problem. Pretty much if anything changed even if just slightly then it might not work. A Transistor in the wrong place might stop tight fitting pieces of the case from closing.

 

well, that's the point.
the both boards, the old and the new ones look pretty much the same.
everything seems to be on exactly the right spot.
only differences I can see, is (if I'm not mistaken), the wireless adapter slot.
(and obviously, different socket for the processor)

on the centrino board, it's much wider than the core duo board.
(that's the little white slot, down left...

I imagine ram, cd/dvd (and probably the screen)... are compatible. I'll look into it, but I was hoping for some technical advices, and first hand experiences with these models. someone telling me that this is a complete fantasy is also an option

in fact this idea came to me, because I already found the motherboard for 5550, and 5790, and I cant yet find the original FSC board.

here's why I think this might work.
alienware might have standardized their mbo's for easier production, or they look the same because...

5500/5700 motherboards (the same to my amilo's) were buggy.
alienware probably didnt have much sales of the model, and found them self with a stock of notebooks, with crap motherboards.
the cheap solution was to fit a new motherboard with a new chip into old PC's , and sell them as new models.
and that would be the 5550/5790.

now... the problem is,... I'm not a tech wiz... I know how to use a screwdriver, and that's about it.
I dont know any of this for a fact, and I'd like to get someone with a little more technical knowledge than my self, to give me some insight.


someone with alienware experience might tell me is this the first time alienware uses same mbo setup, and if in fact it really is the same.

 

I'd suggest seeing then if you could find the technical doucments for the mobo from the manufacturer, as you'd need to ensure voltages are the same for each at all connections. I don't know much about the models and mobos you mention, but they house different northbridge chipsets and possibly may cause incompatibility for use of the same Graphics cards. If they are true MXM cards then will at least physically fit.

 

Looking at the pics, I would say go for it. I would try and if it doesn't work you could always sell it on ebay. I know the hp boards are interchangeable in the dv 1000 series as I have done it. Make sure your ram and hdd are compatible as well. I'm not familiar with your rig but the when the HP's went pentium M to core duo they received 533 ddr 2 ram and sata hdd's.

Also make sure your system restore cd/dvd has windows seperate from the drivers if possible. You have to load Xp only not the drivers as they will be different. Windows will install basic drivers so it will start up and work but then you must go on the net and find the proper drivers for your new rig. It is very likely they will work on whatever model you're updating your laptop to. I essentially went from a HP DV1207 to a DV1530 and the Dv1530 drivers worked perfectly.

good luck.

 

I want to do the same thing with an acer travelMate 2355, by upgrading the mobo from the original one (chipset intel 855) to one with an intel 915 chipset, and then pin mode an intel pentium m on it. But so far I didn't find any compatible mobo.

 

Fact is that these upgrades are often much more costly than the price of a new notebook, unless you have a reusable graphics card (and even then). Chances are it's just not worthwhile.

 

the chances of this actually happening have increased, so I need all the help/suggestions I can get.

at this moment, I need a list of things that would be prudent to know before proceeding.


1st. the power adapter...
what sort of things I need to know about it?
(example,... voltage, amperage..., differences USA/EU, ...etc, etc)

2nd. the screen...
what do I need to know about it? (compatibility wise)

3rd. ram... if it fits, is there anything else to worry about?

4th. ventilation?

5th. usb-s... I guess this is always compatible... but I wanna make sure?

6th.?!

7th...



Please, list whatever comes to mind.
is there anything else to worry about?

 

My hp Pentium M and my wifes Core duo uses the same exact powersupply. I would imagine yours is the same.

The monitor should work fine as well but without knowing which connector they use, hard to say.

Usb's should be fine.

Your memory will likely need to be scrapped. Most of the older mobo's used ddr and the newer ones are ddr 2.

Also check to see what type of Hdd you have. Most likely it's an IDE/ ata 100 model as that was common in older laptops. You will likely need the newer style SATA drives.

Cooling shouldn't be a concern as the C2D run considerably cooler than the Pentium's.

good luck.