hp dv9235nr, upgrade CPU from T5200 to T7200?

[icebox]

I inherited a HP DV9235nr laptop. It came installed with an Intel T5200 processor. I noticed in the manuals that the 9200 series machines can have processors installed up to the T7200. According to the HP website, the DV9260 has the T7200, and also has the same mainboard as the 9235. Am I correct in thinking that I could upgrade mine to a T7200? Or are there other factors that would make this a bad or impossible choice.

And if it could work, would the performance boost be worth it? The clock speed difference between the two is just under 30%, 1.66 to 2.13. T7200s can be had for just over $300 right now, though HP wants $700 for one. Sheesh.

Also, I noticed that there are two mainboards for the 9200 series, the G73 and G73M. G73 has 512 MB of video memory, and G73M has 256. Anyone know what other differences there are between the two boards? Mine has the G73M.

Thanks!

 

[mattwathen]

I've done a little research and this is what I can assume:

The ability to replace the CPU should be possible. I would be concerned about heat, though. A faster processor needs more power and therefore puts out more heat. Is the cooling in this laptop capable of keeping up with the heat generated? Also, can you find anywhere in the BIOS where you can change voltages and multipliers? Or have you looked on the board itself for a set of switches? You'll likely need to tweak these settings for a new processor, I'm almost certain the power requirement will be different. Of course, I found a forum where a guy said he had the same laptop as you, and he had the T7200, so it's a toss-up...

As for the G73 vs G73M, what you are talking about is the GPU. Those are the Nvidia G73 and G73M onboard graphics cards. The mainboard itself will have a much uglier part number, if it's even printed on the board. You'll likely need to call HP and ask them what the model number of the board is. While you have them on the phone, you can ask them about the CPU upgrade as well, if that's the way you still want to go.

I really don't think you'll find much of a performance gain, though. That is, unless you are performing heavy calculations, or your software is. In games, the GPU is used more than the CPU. I replaced the CPU on my desktop at one time, and didn't get a performance boost until I replaced the video card as well. I merely traded one bottleneck for another. But for $300, I personally don't feel it would be worth it. Put that money towards a laptop with a faster GPU, and you'll get one with a superior CPU in the process.

 

[icebox]

The BIOS has no options of any kind relating to clock mulitpliers or the like. Very basic. Since the same board can apparently handle both processors, I would guess that they are on the board.

I've got the model number of the board, though there's no documentation I can find on HP's site relating to its features. Thanks for the ideas.

 

[icebox]

Also Matt, as for heat issues, the same basic chassis and heat sink (I checked by part numbers) is used on a similar HP laptop model with the T7200, so I would guess that it could handle the heat.