Satellite L675-S7018 Upgrade Issue

Jan 5, 2019
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First time actually posting in one of these communities, as I have for the first time hit a wall. I decided to upgrade the initial Core i3-380m (gen1) in the laptop to an i7-840qm.

According to the data sheet for the HM55 chipset, it is indeed a compatible cpu for the laptop, though not officially supported through Toshiba. I did the swap and upon boot, nothing happens on the monitor. I again took everything apart, ensured all wiring was back where it should be, checked cable seating...you know the routine. Even checked pressure seating on the heatsink. Everything is good. Boot it up again and it boots up, but nothing on the monitor.

Swap them back out to the factory 380m cpu, and it boots fine. Monitor pops on, everything. So I happen to see that the official paper on the HM55 chipset, had a little note tucked in somewhere about i7 quad core not having integrated graphics, and requires a discreet gpu card to operate.

So the question is, do I need to use the spare m2 slot to hookup an external gpu in order to use the i7 cpu? Correct me if Im wrong, but isnt the integrated graphics part of the mobo, usually to the left of the cpu socket and not on the cpu itself? Nothing I have read about the i3 states the graphics were integrated onto the cpu.

If anyone has some incite or advice, it would be apreciated.
 
Jan 11, 2014
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I3 380M is 35W CPU. I don’t think it is ok event if that i7 840QM fits the socket because according to the Intel’s official page they confirm that i7 840QM will use about 45W… so I don’t think it is possible because your in-built power controllers may have a limit at 35W where it will never go more than that for a i7.

I couldn’t found any i7 models of that Lap either… so this is a kind of dead end for you. or else you could've change those controllers and try... but i can't be so sure about that.
 
Jan 5, 2019
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Yeah I couldnt locate a gen 1 model either. Its a strange case as you can see the laptop actually booting up via all the standard noises and hdd spinning. Could it actually be a case of "not enough power to utilize" the monitor because of the additional 10 watts? At the end of the day its a bummer but not a huge problem. I bought the laptop for $35 off Goodwill, and only spent around $70 between the new hdd, the i7 and 8gb of ram. Its a decent enough laptop for office stuff I often have to do when Im away from my desktop.

I was just kind of hoping to boost its capabilities a little so I could pass it off to one of my kids.