is it worth upgrading from 2nd gen i5 to 2nd gen i7 for laptop

[InsaneGenius]

So I have a sony vaio laptop currently running i5 2450m I doubt I can upgrade up a gen but what about on the same gen? same tdp wattage, pin count etc would I gain and see a performance difference? I can confirm cpu is removable as i've had to pull the case off and its supper easy not like some others I've had, keeping in mind the vaio is running an amd radeon HD7000 series GPU with 1GB of graphics ram and 16GB of system ram with a 1TB SSHD.

 

[viveknayyar007]

Hello InsaneGenius

A short and simple answer would be, YES.

Upgrading the processor of a computer brings remarkable positive difference to its performance. However you must keep in mind that while upgrading to a new processor, the generation must be common (as you have mentioned in the title of this thread).

For example, if you are using Intel Core i5 2nd Gen, you can upgrade only to the Intel Core i7 2nd Gen processor (as you have said in the title.).

Good Luck!!

 

[InsaneGenius]

and I would have to keep with the same or lowe tdp? the current cpu uses max 35w so I guess my motherboard is 35w max? i have the manual and service manual but it shows how to pull everything apart handle and care and put back together no maximum specs.

I have a sony vaio SVE14A15FG if that helps.

 

[viveknayyar007]

and I would have to keep with the same or lowe tdp? the current cpu uses max 35w so I guess my motherboard is 35w max? i have the manual and service manual but it shows how to pull everything apart handle and care and put back together no maximum specs.

I have a sony vaio SVE14A15FG if that helps.

Hello again InsaneGenius

Even I did some research but cannot find anything related to the maximum TDP that your laptop model can handle. However I was able to get a list of i7 processors with their TDP if that is of some help.

It seems you need to talk to the Sony's Customer Support team to know about the max TDP. You can find the global page here and you can choose the region of your residence to continue.

Let me know if this is of some help.

 

[InsaneGenius]

Thanks viveknayyar007

I had a look in the service manual and it has a block diagram of the motherboards' parts i found this info; Processor: (IVB) Dual/Quad core (SNB) Dual core Micro-fcpga-988B (988-pin rPGA socket) TDP: Dual/Quad Core (35W) guess it is 35w max on the plus side there's a line going from the motherboard to the HDD and ODD with sata6GB/s and SATA3GB/s above the lines this gives me the assumption it supports sata 6GB/s to hdd and sata3GB/s to ODD intel RST program says the hdd is 3GB/s and ODD is 1.5GB/s, I'll get a new hdd and see if there's any blu ray 3GB's ultraslim ODD.

and what does IVB and SNB mean?

 

[TallestJon96]

You would see an improvement, but whether it's worth the cost is another issue. In my opinion, unless you can get a pretty good deal, it isn't worth spending much on it.

 

[InsaneGenius]

$80-$100 on ebay, or to much?

 

[TallestJon96]

In my opinion (just an opinion), if the seller is reliable, that's a good deal for an i7

 

[InsaneGenius]

haha good. Well I use paypal only so if anything is wrong I'll send it back. they have it in it's original box so the pins shouldn't get damaged and providing it still works prior from being pulled it should be right, they stated it still works and 30 days refund.

 

[InsaneGenius]

Might want to look at this, https/communities.intel.com/thread/49613 If I'm reading it right it sounds as though intel is saying 2nd gen to 3rd gen can be upgraded dependent on BIOS. this means I could go from i5 2450m to i7 3*** providing TDP is 35w. The cpu that person is referring to is lower than my cpu but has the same socket and 35w, intel said he can upgrade to i7 3520m they are also talking about the 6 series MB I have a 7 series MB can confirm in Device Manager.

from intel;

The Mobile Intel® HM76 Express Chipset is part of the Mobile Intel® 7 Series Chipset family, providing integrated USB 3.0 on a single chip architecture and supports both the 3rd and 2nd generation Intel® Core™ processor families. HM76 delivers:

 

[velo3100]

To answer your question, yes you will notice a performance increase but only if you are a serious multitasker. i7s generally are quad cores which will allow you to run more programs at once. Also it is good for cpu intense things like programming.

If any of these are the things you do normally, then upgrade, otherwise an i5 will be do the job just as good.

 

[InsaneGenius]

I'm going to contact Sony first for a hardware list as the wireless ac didn't work in my laptop till I taped pins# 20 and 51 because the wireless doesn't turn on the BIOS is blocking it without taping these pins