i7-640m upgrade worth it?

Hi fellas,

I´m thinking about replacing the CPU on my laptop (Aspire 5740G) that´s currently running an i5-430m (2.26 Ghz).

I´ve seen this CPU on Ebay

http://cgi.ebay.es/INTEL-mobile-i7-...06?pt=UK_Computing_LaptopMotherboards_CPUs_CA

and I´m quite sold on the thing TBH, however I don´t know if this i7 is gonna be overkill for the lappy. There´s another version of the 5740G running an i7-620m so I guess that the 640m should run fine with the BIOS and such.

Do you guys think it´s worth it the 250€+? Should I be better off with a i5-540m? The laptop was a gift from my mom so I don´t count that as an expense to consider upgrade or not.

One last thing, which thermal paste is the best for laptops? Artic Silver 5, MX-3 or some other one?

Thanks for the help.

 

I don't think you will notice a big difference even in CPU demanding games. I would stay with a 540m.

As for the paste - they are both fine, MX-3 is more difficult to apply, IMHO.

 

Thanks for the help.

I´m still wondering why the 640m is more expensive than the 820qm, I guess it´s because of the IGP.

The 820qm would be sweet but it would turn the laptop into a Foreman´s grill...

 

The 640M may be more expensive because it's the top-tier dual-core CPU, it's rare, or a combination of the two.

What are you doing with this notebook?

If you run applications that are CPU-dependent (rendering/encoding, etc that stress the processor for extended periods of time) then the CPU upgrade may benefit you.

Otherwise, I would either save the money or use it for another upgrade -- namely, an SSD or a Seagate Momentus XT hybrid hard drive.

 

I mostly game on this notebook and do common tasks: internet, mail, office and so on. I don´t do any photoshop or rendering because I haven´t learned to use that kind of software.

I think I´m gonna stick either with the 430m or maybe upgrade to the 540m, I alreday have a Vertex II 60GB SSD.

Cheers

 

For your uses, the 430M is more than sufficient.

 

I agree, the 430M sounds perfect for your uses. I would save the money for something else you want.

 

Thanks for the tip fellas.

 

get an SSD or more RAM instead.. new CPU won't help much with ur games..