HP Envy 15 CPU "downgrade"

EDIT: I've basically decided against getting an Envy 15 at this time, so any further replies would just be for the benefit of other members.

(If you don't want to read all of the details below, my questions can be summarized as follows: (1) Would it theoretically be possible to put a PGA 988 version of i7-640LM into an Envy 15, and (2) Is it easy to upgrade the HDD's for a couple standard 2.5" SSD's?)

From I understand, most people's complaints and bad reviews about the Envy 15's battery life and heat are about the older version with the HD4830, and the new version is a bit improved. That said, I can't say that I approve of a 1++ lb extra battery pack for a laptop to really be mobile, and I bet it still does get noticeably warm... Right?

So, I started thinking - the main benefits of this laptop for me would be the graphics card and USB 3.0... Maybe I can sacrifice some other factors to increase battery life and decrease heat.

I took a look at a list of i7 mobile CPU's and found the i7-640LM... And while this model is mainly available in BGA form, I correctly figured that Chinese eBay sellers might have an ES version in PGA 988. That's a 25W TDP, low voltage, dual-core CPU that would surely eat up a lot less power than a quad-core, 45W i7. I'm not sure if that CPU's memory controller would allow using four memory sticks, but I don't mind 2x4Gb... It's just another way of lowering the power usage, heat, and weight. So, question number 1: Would such a "downgrade" theoretically work? Would anything with hardware and/or BIOS prevent me from doing this? Considering that I'd want USB3, I guess I'd have to buy an i7 model from which to do the downgrade.

And secondly, are the HDD slots just standard 2.5" trays (and ~9mm thick or even thicker) and easily upgradeable? I haven't done the research, but I figured I might get a couple of SSD's that are especially low power... Though I bet just about any SSD's would be a better than HDD's.

Thanks!

 

The HDD slot only fits one 2.5" HDD (or two 1.8" HDDs), so you're stuck there. The CPU is a trickier proposition and I doubt anyone will be able to give you a concise answer (ie. you'll have to experiment with that yourself).

 

Ah, gotcha, thanks. That explains the strange customization options that are available. In that case, the 2x 160Gb SSD's are probably a good value, while 512Gb SSD's are still ridiculously expensive. Maybe Intel will get around to making those 320Gb X18-M's soon.

 

Most likely the CPU is soldered on, but where there's a will there's a way.

 

The service manual (linked somewhere in the Envy 15 Gen2 Owners thread) seems to have a page on removing the CPU heatsink and the CPU, so my guess is that it's not soldered on. That said, I've also found out that the i5 and i7 motherboards are different, with the i5 ones only having 2 memory slots... I believe the manual was for the i7 motherboard, but I wonder if there would be a problem with the i7 motherboard / BIOS supporting dual core CPU's.

EDIT: here's the LINK (warning: big PDF file) for the manual... Processor replacement instructions are listed on page 62.