Laptop Processor Upgrade 1

[zahead31]

I am a newbie when it comes to upgrading laptop hardware.

I am not looking to purchase a new laptop, but wanted to throw some cheap upgrades to get my current laptop to perform a bit better. I have a 4 year old Compaq laptop that runs a 2Ghz Celeron processor. After doing some research I found that the MB will support up to a 2.66Ghz Pentium 4.

The P4 is cheap, and I would like to throw it in, I am just concerned about the processor overheating. Will this be an issue? Is there anything else I should consider before trying this upgrade?

Thanks in advance for your insight!

 

[xwb]

Why not up the RAM and increase the disk at the same time. The problem with the RAM is that after a while, manufacturers will stop making it. You will be offered faster alternatives but they won't always work so increase to the max that you can put on your laptop.

Disks aren't that bad. If, like me, you can't even half fill a 40Gb disk after 5 years, then it is not worth changing. If however, you are hovering around the 5% free mark, then it is worth considering.

 

[zahead31]

Thanks for the advice, xwb. Most likely, I will upgrade the RAM and hard drive as well. I just don't want to invest in all those parts, then have the new processor crap out on me. If it's too risky, I will just do the RAM and disk.

Thanks!

 

[xwb]

Can't say anything about processor upgrades as I've never had one done on any of my laptops. They were normally too old to be upgraded by the time I got them. Maybe one of the other MVPs can advice you on that.

 

[wahnula]

zahead31

Make sure you have a service manual w/ pictures for the disassembly process. They are available, you should seek one out, possibly from tech support for your pc.

There is a difference in a MOBILE P4 vs. a standard P4, as the mobile version has Enhanced Speed Step to keep the chip throttled back as well as different thermal characteristics:

http://www.intel.com/products/processor/mobilepentium4/

I know you said you were not looking to buy new, but with Core 2 Duo laptops going for ~$900 w/100 GB HDDs and 1 GB system RAM (just bought one) I would hesitate to sink more $$$ into a legacy technology.

I will wager there will not be a huge performance increase between the 2.0GHz Celeron (a good processor) and a 2.66 P4M, plus you risk damaging the laptop during the repair procedure. Laptop construction/repair requires patience and a gentle touch.

Have you seen the prices for SDRAM, even used? The demand is high and supply is low.

Defrag your HD, uninstall old programs, maybe buy some improvement you can take with you, like a 100GB 7200 RPM Travelstar drive, which if partitioned correctly, will only drain your battery slightly more than your current 4200 or 5400 rpm drive, and offer a performance increase.

Tony

 

[zahead31]

I really appreciate the advice! This helps me out a ton figuring out what to do with this laptop.

Matt

 

[xwb]

You could use it as a second screen. Have a look at Maxivista.

 

[zahead31]

That is a really cool program. I have a dual monitor setup at work... it would be really nice to have that at home as well. I find it hard to go back and work on only one monitor!

 

[kmcferrin]

I know you said you were not looking to buy new, but with Core 2 Duo laptops going for ~$900 w/100 GB HDDs and 1 GB system RAM (just bought one) I would hesitate to sink more $$$ into a legacy technology.

I have you beat. I just paid $899 for a Core 2 Duo laptop with 160 GB drive and 2GB of RAM. It's only 1.6 GHz, but it's still quite fast.

At any rate, I agree about the service manuals. Working on laptops is a delicate business, and if you force something because you think that it should come apart a certain way, and you're wrong, it will definitely break. Where I used to work we would always do the hardware repairs/parts replacements for desktop PCs ourselves, but we always had a tech come on site and do the laptops for us. Even the hard disk trays can be fragile.

 

[gbaughma]

I would hesitate to upgrade a processor in a laptop... for the .66GHz increase, the additional heat (you can't put a bigger heat sink in there... only so much room) and the performance boost you're going to get is negligable.

Better off to max it out with RAM and a larger/faster hard drive.

Rule 1: Whenever a computer is being slow, RAM is the single best thing you can do to get more performance out of it.



Just my 2¢
-There once was a man from Peru
Who wanted to write a Haiku
but...

--Greg

http://parallel.tzo.com