Re: Upgrading from P8800 to P9700 on a SONY VGN-Z890

How complicated is it to upgrade to a P9700 CPU[ 2.8 GHx with 6MB L2 Cache) on a Z-VGN 890. Is it the same motherboard or a totally different motherboard. My Laptop currently has a P8800 [ 2.66 GHz 3MB L2 cache)

gytzsgb

 

Same mobo, same heatsink, same everything.
Just remember to clean up the thermal paste on all contacts of the heatsink and replace with ArcticSilver.

My Z came with the P8400 and I have upgraded to the QX9300 and then to the P9700.

Schematics to disassemble the Z available here:
http://www.3dspark.com/VGN-Z_Resources/Vgn_z_e.zip
It is my own server and the file has been scanned with AVG 9.0 but please scan it yourself just to be on the safe side.

 

Can you recommend someone (technician) who can do it. Also I am in the process of looking for a brand new P9700. What is the price of a new P9700 ?

gytzsgb

 

To Nutman:
Thanks for your posting.

Will upgrading void the initial SONY warranty on the Z-890. ( Maybe I could wait until after warranty expires ?)

gytzsgb

 

Yes, warranty will be for all intents and purposes VOID.
As for a technician... I am in Greece so I cannot help you.

 

To Nutman:

Thanks for your reply. I will try and access your file regarding disassembling the Z-890. But do you agree I should wait until the I-yr manufacturers warranty expires before I replace the CPU ?
Also, could you elaborate on the replacing of the thermal paste on the heat sinkwith ArcticSilver. Why this step ? (What is ArcticSilver and why is this step necessary...)
How long did it take you to complete the upgrade ? Is it easy to get to the CPU ? Is there any soldering to be done or is it just press-in job on the CPU ?

gytzsgb

 

You will need a Zero (0) size Phillips screwdriver, some old credit card (or other plastic card to cut up and use to pry open the sides of the case so that you won't destroy the casing of the laptop.
The processor and other parts of the laptop that produce heat need to be cooled. The heatsink is the thing that does the cooling. For the two to transfer heat they need perfect contact so the surfaces need to be clean and flush with eachother.
The only way is to have some sort of "glue" to stick the two together.
That is why some sort of thermal compound is applied between the two to ensure maximum transfer of heat.
This is where Arctic Silver comes in as one of the best things most DIY and professionals use.

You will also need http://www.arcticsilver.com/arcticlean.htm to remove the existing thermal compound that Sony has applied to the CPU, GPU and other contact points and some fresh thermal compound to apply when you need to reposition the heatsink over the CPU, GPU, etc. http://www.arcticsilver.com/as5.htm#

Instructions for ArcticClean http://www.arcticsilver.com/pdf/appinstruct/ac/ins_arcticlean.pdf
Instructions for ArcticSilver
http://www.arcticsilver.com/pdf/appinstruct/as5/ins_as5_singlecore_expsd.pdf

 

To Nutman:
But how is the CPU itself attached. Any soldering or just pressing in of pins ?
Also do you agree it is better to wait until after expiration of primary SONY warranty [ 1-yr] . How will this affect extended warranty if we have purchased the same ? (Will it void it..?). Also is there any way we can get it done by SONY (the upgrade ?)

gytzsgb

 

To Nutman:

What can the extra 6Mb Cache be used for ? (Video Editing etc.?)
What is the price of a new P9700 [2.8Ghz 6Mb L2 Cache ]. Did you purchase a new P9700 and what do you use the extra cache for. Any downsides to the overall upgrade project that you performed on your laptop ?

gytzsgb

 

...You know, you can just edit your previous post instead of making your thread longer. Or even PM him if you want... But to be of help; CPUs by themselves are rather hard to find, even on eBay. You'll have to google around for professional parts dealers and have them internationally shipped, or you can go instore to your local Sony After Service centre and ask if they can be of help.
In New Zealand here, we can ask for a part and the price, and pay about US$60 for the labour involved in installing the part. Most of the time, they can get the parts in from Japan or Singapore (Sony Oceania Central) to New Zealand. I recently tried ordering a Premium Carbon Lid that the higher-end Z's come with but they told me it doesn't fit my normal plastic lidded Z; hmm....

Though a question from me as well @nutman
You said a QX9300. Won't that require a better heating assembly (ie, didn't it overheat inside the Z?)

I'm not pretty keen on the L2 cache but on raw power (running scripts off Visual Studio and what not). I was thinking a T9900 (3.06GHz / CPU) that the latest 4th and 5th gen Z's in Japan have, but I understand that they have different heatsinks (made of copper vs some other material that the P series use). Wondering whether that will require new motherboard altogether or a simple core CPU replacement?

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Intel-Core-2-...mQQptZCPUs?hash=item27afd8bca6#ht_3270wt_1166
Watch out for the markings on the processor.
You do not want one that says ES (Engineering Sample)
like this one: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Intel-Core2Du...mQQptZCPUs?hash=item19b963d1a7#ht_8416wt_1166

The cpu is secured on the mainboard by means of a PGA.
After you remove the heatsink you just have to turn counter-clockwise for about 180 degrees a screw that doesn't come off but it will release the processor.
Then you just drop in the new one but be sure NOT TO BEND any pins in the process.
More cache = better performance when you do pretty much anything.

As for the QX9300, it did heat up considerably but you can still run the machine. Mind you, the processor will be throttled down to save the system from heating up too much.
That is why I made my own heatsink and fan out of pure silver ( .999 purity ) thanks to a silversmith.
Don't bother with the QX9300 or even the T9900 both drain much more power to be considered as an efficient alternative.
The P9700 is almost as fast as the T9900 and much more efficient.

EDIT: if you wanna have a good laugh, look at the specs on my Z11XN as I bought it and compare with what I upgraded in my signature.

 

Don't you have a picture? I would like to have it in my personal gallery of wonderful Z

 

At the moment it is on loan to a friend who's working as a camera op with my Red.
Soon as I get it back I will brush it up, give it a nice spit and shine and take a pic for ya
In the end I think I will remove my DVD-R from the old Z and put another HDD or SSD and stick the QX9300 back in there with the heatsink and have the old dog as a portable renderfarm
With the extended battery I remember having about 2h:30m-2h:45m maximum.

 

Looking forward to it I'm not planning to do such thing though, as I need exact opposite - maximum battery life when needed. Used to get around 7 hours with my settings on standard battery, but it seems the battery is already getting old. I think your next step for you should be to make the complete housing (except the alu part) from real carbon fiber

 

I hate you! Don't you be putting ideas in my head, I am busy and if I want to keep my business running I cannot indulge in my hobbies

 

To Nutman:

Could you please clarify what PGA means...(sorry I'm new to the term..)
Also what was the final result with the P9700 ? Any downsides to the overall upgrade. And again, don't you agree that I should wait for at least the mfrers warranty to expire [1yr SONY}. After that what about the effect of the upgrade on extended warranties. Will it void those as well...

gytzsgb

 

Well if you make one, I'll buy another one from you to support your business

Well this is quite easy question. Opening your notebook will void your warranty. It will not void the warranty as long as you'll be able put it back in the same order as it was (like in case of swapping HDD). But after exchanging the CPU and thermal paste, you will most probably not be able to do that.

So if you don't want to void your warranty, don't do that. If you're planning to extend your warranty, don't do that at all. If you don't care about warranty and if you're brave enough, swap the CPU tomorrow

 

But if I already have an extended warranty, can I get SONY to upgrade the CPU to a P9700...
gytzsgb

 

Don't think so but it won't hurt to ask (beg)

 

What I was thinking of was upgrading after the initial warranty expires [ I-yr from SONY] and if possible to get them to upgrade the processor...will they do that..? (If they won't do that then I was thinking of getting done by a professional 3rd party technician/group.. Can you suggest any such 3rd party organizations in the US...

 

To Nutman:

So overall what is your assessment of your upgrade to P9700 ? How long has it been running on the P9700 ? Any downsides that one has to be aware of (eg to make sure it isn't an ES marking etc) ? Can we take it that the process has been "seamless" and the laptop has realized the full advantage of the upgrade
gytzsgb

 

If you do change the CPU on an existing windows installation, Windows, after booting up, will install the neccessary drivers for your new CPU. All VAIO Zs' core specifications, wherever they are sold in the world, are the same except for minor hardware differences (3G card, carbon fibre lid, 5300AGN wireless etc etc). So your Z will acknowledge and take to use the extra power provided by the P9700.

As for getting Sony to do the upgrade for you, I know Sony New Zealand does it. I just have to supply my own (compatible) part and have to pay an approx US$57 one-off labour fee. Plus, the work done by them (here at least) is covered by a one-year warranty. Sony here also can order parts for you from Singapore (Sony Oceania Central) or even Japan, though it costs a wee bit more.

I'm personally planning a CPU upgrade, but saving up for all the required parts (see my sig) so I can do everything in one foul swoop~ Though I was told a Premium Carbon fibre lid won't 'fit' onto my Z...

If you ain't confident with a PC's insides (let-alone a lappie's insides), don't try the upgrade yourself.

 

Yes, simple as that.

 

i've taken apart the Z at least 20 times, on two different Z models, a Z590 and a Z790.

I've upgraded the CPU, changed out the thermal grease to IC Diamond. Changed the wireless cards, added an extra antenna and even toyed with adding a second SSD drive replacing the DVD-ROM.

It's really easy if you just follow the manual that was posted near the beginning of the thread.

For $20, or a 6 pack of beer, I'll even do it for you haha I'm located in SoCal, but i'm betting you're probably not even remotely located near me!

 

To Megaman & 5ushiMonster & Nutman:

Where could I purchase a new P9700 without the ES (Engineering Sample) marking (mobile for laptop 2.8 GHz 6MB L2 Cache] [ Will SONY sell it to me] and what would be the approx. price ?
Also do you think I should wait for the warranty to expire before I try upgrading ?

 

Please stop screaming (bold coloured text).
If people want to read everything in bigger fonts, they will set their reading fonts themselves.

And learn to use Google. Click "Shopping", enter "P9700" as the search term. Or use the search engine of your choice. You can't expect people here to do all the research for you.

 

Hold it Arth, I actually did all the research in a previous post and all the answers to the questions he keeps asking have been given in this thread.

I say it is our fault for providing every answer to every little thing without letting them look it up first.
To be honest I sometimes get tired of this... nevermind.

 

To: Arth & Nutman

Roger & Wilco !! (Have noted and will make efforts to research before posting threads ..) Thanks very much Nutman for all your information. I really appreciate your patience and valuable information. ( I'm kind of new to forums, but have noted your observations... once again, thanks !!)

gytzsgb

gytzsgb

 

Guys, quick question on the CPU upgrade. Reading the disassembly guide, there are some "non-reusable thermal sheets". So since they are non-reusable, what do you use instead? The thermal paste? If so, which one is better? The Arctic Silver or the IC Diamond?

Cheers,

Der Doppelgänger

 

Bump. Just about to buy the new processor...