Upgrading the CPU in a w500

I'm wondering if the cpu in the w500 is soldered in. I'm looking at getting a used one the has a 2.8 ghz processor and would like to upgrade it to a quad core eventually.

Also how does the 3.06 ghz t9900 stack up performance wise with the q9000?

 

No it is not soldered in, but any upgrade would void the warranty on the system.

Q9000 won't work. Also i would go with P9xxx series CPU instead, as it only has 25 w TDP rather than 35 W TDP.

 

Depends on what applications you are running. P series is just marketing, don't get those, especially if you need performance.

 

From a performance perspective you're better off getting a SSD.

 

The only Thinkpad that supports quad cores is the W700/W700ds. The T9900 is the highest you can go. But do you really need the CPU power? What are you doing with your system?

 

I'm looking at long term. As far as Specifications are concerned the one I'm looking at ought to stay current save for the processor. I want to be able to upgrade it in two years when the warranty expires. If I get this set up right I should be able keep this reasonably current for several more years with a bigger CPU.

You can count on me getting an SSD. I have an Intel in my X200 tablet. It's mind boggling to have Microsoft Word open in 3 seconds.

 

"It's mind boggling to have Microsoft Word open in 3 seconds."

Cerial Killer,

My desktop does have the SSD and your right, Word is less than 3 seconds away. With my laptop, I didn't notice that it was about 7 seconds for a Word document with a T61p and a traditional disk.

 

if someone buys me a q9100, i will gladly test it out for them.

 

In a few years both will be old, regardless of whether it's a 2.8 or 3GHz CPU.

 

And yet for most laptop tasks it will be just fine!

If you want top of the line performance with continual upgrades, build a workstation.