Upgrading CPU in my Vaio all-in-one, I'm pretty sure this will work but need confirmation

I have a Vaio VGC-LT28E (there are about a dozen model variations of the VGC-LT series and almost all use the same BIOS firmware as mine). I want to upgrade my T8100 2.1ghz Intel C2D to a T9500 2.6ghz C2D. I noticed the highest end Vaio LT has a T9300 2.5ghz C2D. The BIOS firmware is the exact same for both my Vaio LT and this high end LT (VGC-LT39U). But, since the high end LT only uses the 2.5ghz and not the 2.6ghz, is there a risk buying the CPU and my BIOS not recognizing it?

The CPU wattages are the same at 35w, the fsb are both 800mhz, and both belong to the same chipset. But do you think Sony's BIOS is stringent enough to not boot a processor that is 100mhz more than what its highest end LT model comes preinstalled with? If I have to end up buying the 2.5ghz that is fine (as I know this CPU will work), but I'd like to get every last bit of ghz if I can. Thanks.

 

I think I would be less concerned about the BIOS than I would about the chipset. If you chipset is not capable of handling the T9500 then you are wasting you money. There is a program called CPU-Z, you can download from cpuid.com, that should be able to give you some information about your system, including the chipset. Once you have that information then I would research the chipset and see if it is compatible with the T9500. In reality you probably are not going to notice a huge difference between the T9300 and T9500.

 

I replaced the T7250 with a T9300 in my AR51J. The difference between that and the 9500 is 100mhz. You really are not likely to notice the difference (and I am obsessive about each cycle myself), and it has a faster fsb so will probably run warmer. In terms of bang for buck, the 9300 is way ahead as the 9500 has a huge price premium for that 100mhz

 

The chipsets/sockets are all the same, so I know for certain that the T9300 2.5ghz will work on my Vaio LT since I have the exact same motherboard/BIOS firmware as the high end LT and that computer has the T9300. I was wondering if a BIOS can prevent a CPU from working because of its mhz frequency? The T9300 and T9500 both consume 35w, and both have the same fsb, the only difference is the extra 100mhz. And since Sony doesn't use the T9500 in its high end Vaio LT but uses the T9300, what are the odds that my BIOS would not be compatible with the T9500?

I'm not sure how exactly a BIOS decides what CPUs it wants to accept. I wouldn't think the BIOS would have instructions telling it the 2.5ghz is okay to use, but the 2.6ghz is not okay.

It's only an extra 100mhz, but these two processors are cheap enough to where I'd buy the best one I can get since I play games.

 

Well, the T7250 went into my girlfriend's machine, the NR180E with a T5250 on board as standard. This took this happily even though the 7250 runs at 800mhz rather than the 5250's 667. There were no heat issues, as speedstep is very effective and while I had the machine apart I cleaned the fan and grill and put new thermal paste in. It was, according to the lesser fan activity at least, very much cooler in fact. It was quite a leap in performance too, from 1.5ghz to 2ghz dual core. As far as I am aware as bgpiper said, if the chipset supports it then you should be good to go. The 9500 runs at 1066mhz fsb as opposed to the 800mhz fsb of the 9300 but other than that (and the 100mhz) there is very little difference. If it were me though, if I were punting out any cash, then I'd go for the certain one, though you could always sell the 9500 on if you were unlucky.

 

Just had a quick look on Ebay, the T9300s start at £58, including post and packing, buy it now. The T9500s start at £92 inclusive. That has to be 100 mega hurts!

 

you can add T9900 3.06GHz

 

i know it's an old thread, but i just got one of these beasts for free and am wondering if anyone has tried upgrading the GPU. i know it's a Mobille 965 Chipset in there, but is it MXM or dedicated? has anyone been able to enable RAID for the two drives?

 

Late response due to no email notifications: I have upgraded to a T9500 processor a while ago and it worked just fine on my VGC-LT28E Sony Vaio. I am now going to try the X9000 processor since the heatsinks on these seem larger than what you'd find on a laptop and should handle the extra voltage. Not sure if I can do one of the 1066mhz FSB chips such as the X9100 so will not bother buying one.

You can't upgrade the GPU as it's soldered onto the motherboard.... but, there is an expresscard slot on the side and I am using the ViDock egpu with a Geforce GTX560 displaying on the TV. I have been trying my best to upgrade this all-in-one computer, elongating its use life. The SSD from HDD was obviously the best upgrade so far.

I have taken apart this computer many times, and the first time you do it you're overwhelmed due to all the extra wiring and PCBs that make up this all-in-one, but if you know how to build a computer then you should know how to disassemble.