Asus K73E Upgrading

[ExMxer]

Due to the increased amount of inexpensive processors available have been comparing the i5-2520m and the i7-2620m for this laptop, presently have the i3-2350m and have seen the K73 advertised with the i5 cpu. The spec differences are mostly the secondary cache size on the i7. All three cpu's use the DDR3-1066/DDR3-1333 memory and share the G2/rPGA988B socket, So What Say You Guys.....will the i7 work and if so maybe the i7-2640 @ 2.8GHz, that would be fun to experiment with, they have gotten reasonable, for the techies' the motherboard is #60-N3YMB1100-D04. Thanks bunches for any imput or ideas.

 

[ExMxer]

I found my own answer, the K73E was designed (if source reliable) to support the i3-2310m , i3-2350m, i5-2410m, and the i7-2630qm. If other mobile processors in the Sandy Bridge architecture/HM65 chipset are compatible, I have not determined yet.

 

[bridgeridoo]

I successfully installed a 2760QM (not 2670QM) in my Asus K73E-A1. I bought the used CPU on eBay for $60, from some kind of electronics salvage company (wastecom). I replaced the original 2310M. I just popped it in, cleaned & applied a line of thermal paste, re-assembled the laptop, & it worked. Temps are great. Turbo speeds reach 3.2ghz on 4 cores, and 3.5ghz on single core, as it should be. The BIOS is the latest version (208).

Proof @ userbenchmarks

I assume the 2670QM would also work, since similar models (K73SM) offer the option. And I have little doubt that the 2630QM would be fully compatible, since it is an option on this specific model: https/www.asus.com/us/Laptops/K73E/specifications/

- 6GB RAM 1333
- Win 10 pro x64
- SSD + HDD

After the CPU upgrade, I also swapped in a K73SM motherboard, which has a GT 630M GPU onboard.

 

[Prostar Computer]

I found my own answer, the K73E was designed (if source reliable) to support the i3-2310m , i3-2350m, i5-2410m, and the i7-2630qm. If other mobile processors in the Sandy Bridge architecture/HM65 chipset are compatible, I have not determined yet.

That's correct, and other chips of the Sandy Bridge architecture should work as well. Some Ivy Bridge CPUs use the same socket, but the K73E does not support them.

Make sure your BIOS version is up to speed if you attempt one of the other CPUs not "officially" listed as supported by Asus. And if you're upgrading to an i7, mind the heat; getting a good thermal compound is highly recommended (something like IC Diamond or Gelid GC Extreme).