Replace laptop CPU

daiyue

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Feb 9, 2011
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hi,all I wonder anyone had experience of replacing CPUs for own laptops, especially for thinkpad edge e50, I had one with i5 430M, but i like to upgrade it with i7 640M, which supports HM55 chipset, so i wonder is it possible, or i can use i5 580M instead.

cheers

 

rocknrollz

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Nov 16, 2011
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CPU's in laptops are usually soldered directly to the motherboard. So replacing it would not be a smart idea, as it would probably cost more to do than just buying a whole new board.

If you want a different CPU, then I suggest you find a compatible motherboard with the CPU you want onto it.
 

flowingbass

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Oct 28, 2010
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If its an ultrabook the cpu might be directly soldered onto the motherboard. If not, most modern laptops are using sockets for their cpus. I did replace my old c2d T5550 with a c2d T7100 in the past. Make sure both cpus are the same socket. And BTW, 580m or 480m are your best choice.
 

daiyue

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Feb 9, 2011
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why my best bet should be 580M, i see both 580 and 640 use the same socket, BGA1288, PGA988,

http://ark.intel.com/products/49652/Intel-Core-i5-580M-Processor-(3M-Cache-2_66-GHz)
http://ark.intel.com/products/49666/Intel-Core-i7-640M-Processor-(4M-Cache-2_80-GHz)

but CPU-Z detects my CPU package is 989 rPGA, which is confusing.
 

flowingbass

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Oct 28, 2010
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Try to read more reviews of the CPUs you are eyeing. Just to make sure that they are really are the socket that they are listed on.

In my case i trusted intel's site, and i wasnt disappointed.

Yes your best bet should be the 580m. the 640m commands a premium in price.