Is the CPU in the Gateway P-6831 FX laptop upgradeable? 1

[blackranger]

I am looking to buy a new laptop and I want something that will be a desktop replacement. I have decided that I would rather just get something that has some quality hardware now with the option for upgrading in the future.

The Gateway P-6831 seems to be a good fit for me. (link)

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...oc=01&srccode=cii_11138&cpncode=10-64085555-2

My question is: Does anyone know if this laptop's cpu is going to be upgradeable? More specifically will I be able to upgrade it to the Intel CPU Core 2 Duo T9300? (link)

http://www.lagoom.com/INTEL_CPU_CORE_2_DUO_T9300_2.50GHZ/BX80576T9300/partinfo-id-579832.html

I think with the upgraded cpu, I will have a pretty nice machine that will last for quite a while for me.

 

[wahnula]

blackranger,

I tried to compare the T9300 with other ships but it looks like Intel hasn't updated their "compare" page yet:

http://www.intel.com/products/centrino/compare.htm

Most users, even power users, don't look towards upgrading a laptop, except for maybe RAM and HDD. Chances are good the cooling solution for one CPU might not be suitable for another, plus the complexity involved in a CPU switch. There also might be generational improvements in other parts on the machine making a CPU swap impractical.

I've built laptops from barebones before, and it doesn't scare me, but I've never upgraded a laptop processor, either. There's lots of things that can go wrong swapping a laptop CPU, I would recommend biting the bullet and buying the best processor you can afford...today.

Tony

Users helping Users...

 

[paparazi]

Interesting...
The Intel PM965 chipset does support 800fsb processors and as it is one of Intels latest chipsets it certainly should support the T9300.
As for the cooling, well the slower part is based on the older 65nm die the faster T9300 on newer 45nm architecture so although faster it shouldn't be that much hotter.
I'm going to take a wild guess and say:
As long as the socket type is the same and
The newest bios recognises it....the T9300 is likely to be compatible and work fine.
I would however seek definitive answers from Gateway before buying anything.
Martin

On wings like angels whispers sweet
my heart it feels a broken beat
Touched soul and hurt lay wounded deep
Brown eyes are lost afar and sleep

 

[wahnula]

I would however seek definitive answers from Gateway

Good luck on that one...

Tony

Users helping Users...

 

[blackranger]

Thanks guys for your input.

 

[paparazi]

I guess I should add that CPU upgrades on laptops are not to be carry out by the faint hearted,
They are pretty extreme and usually require extensive strip down.
But possible.
Martin

On wings like angels whispers sweet
my heart it feels a broken beat
Touched soul and hurt lay wounded deep
Brown eyes are lost afar and sleep

 

[wahnula]

CPU upgrades on laptops are not to be carry out by the faint hearted

OR the big-fingered;
OR the impatient;
OR those without means of removing/replacing tiny tiny screws;
OR those without a service manual w/ pictures.

NOTE: The visible screws on a laptop NEVER do what you think they do

Tony

Users helping Users...

 

[blackranger]

Thanks again for your input. I don't think I'm qualified to perform a cpu upgrade on a laptop. I could probably find someone though, however I have been looking at the
Gateway P-171-XFX. It is a$800 more than the P6831 FX.(ouch) But it has a 2.4 ghz processor with a true high def. screen resolution as well as the 8800GTX GPU.

I'm probably going to just save for another month or so and try to get this one. It's alot of money to drop at once but I don't think I'll need to buy another computer for some time. Plus multi-media and gaming should be excellent.

I have been wondering though, do the external HD tv tuner's for laptops work as efficently as the tv tuner's that are installed in the laptop? Just curious, maybe you've heard something about that.

thanks....

 

[blackranger]

Here's the link if you were curious about the new laptop I was talking about...

http://www.gateway.com/systems/product/529667906.php

 

[wahnula]

Sounds like a good machine...but I would remove the "three year warranty" which is betting them $150 that you will need to send your machine in between year one and year three. If it was on-site service that would be worth it, but send-in means it will take a long time and you might not get YOUR machine back with YOUR data on it, you might get a refurb.

It comes with a one-year, and most problems pop up in the first year. Look into other warranty options ONLY if they include on-site repairs. I really got my $300 worth from Dell's on-site service when I bought my Inspiron 4000 in 2001. Three screens, two mainboards, two touchpads etc., and most of the problems were apparent immediately after purchase. In other words, a one-year on-site would have been fine.

Likewise with the $150 for Office 2007, can it. OpenOffice.org is free, StarOffice is cheap, and MS Student 2007 does not include Outlook (an important omission), which you will need if you plan on joining an Exchange domain...wait, Vista Home will not allow you to join a domain either. Maybe, for the future, you should consider Vista Business or Ultimate. It depends on how long you plan to keep the machine, and if you want to carry it into the workplace.

I would also nix the $59.99 Internet Security. It's a resource hog, and AVG and Avast are both better A/V's & free, and for security so is Windows Defender (for now). My point is, these three options are totally dispensable and add up to 15% of the PC's cost.

So...high marks on hardware, but some questions on software. See if Gateway has a "no bloatware" option...the scads of "trial programs" that come with a new PC. I'd be willing to bet that if the deal hinged on it they would comply. You are doing the right thing by getting other's opinions on your machine before you lay out that much coin.

Tony

Users helping Users...

 

[blackranger]

Thanks for the input, especially about the 3 yr warranty. I was thinking that was a decent deal, 3 yrs for $149.00.
But if I have to wait a long time for service and I might lose my data, it would seem that the one year deal should be sufficient.

I wasn't going to take the other software offers. I'm surprised that you have so much faith in AVG. I don't have much experience with it but it seems strange that a free A/V would be sufficient to protect yourself with. I'm using Norton right now and I'm not too impressed, the whole hog issue, but I was reading some good reviews for Kaspersky A/V. Agnitum Outpost Firewall Pro looks pretty good for firewall security.

I'm going to check into the AVG and Avast a bit more though. Kaspersky is a $69.99 piece of software and it would be nice to save that. Maybe between a solid firewall and AVG I would be pretty secure.

thanks again for your thoughts.

 

[wahnula]

Kaspersky is one of the best. So is ESET's e-Nod32. But, for non-enterprise users, it's hard to beat AVG free. It's very good, and has a paid version if you want more control. ZoneAlarm is a famous free firewall.

It's not the Symantec A/V that's the resource hog, it's the Internet Security suite. Still, I run Norton 2001 & 2002 on some of the office machines, they're quite efficient. Thanks for the star!

Tony

Users helping Users...