Switching CPU for Sandy Bridge laptops.

[killer8297]

Hi, I have a i7-2670QM ASUS laptop, x53e, the machine gives me decent performance for everything I do except for gaming plus it's kind of bulky. So I was wondering if I get a sandy bridge i3 laptop with Nvidia GT540m, would I be able to switch the cpu of the too machine and still have two working laptops. What kind of issue would I run into? And is the power supply of the laptop an issue in this case?

 

[WR2]

Hello killer8297;

It could be possible to do something like that.
What model of i3 notebook are you looking at? Any idea what type of motherboard it has?

 

[Pyree]

I think it should be ok. ASUS x53e had i7-2670QM as an upgrade option

Edit: I got it wrong, stupid me. You already have the i7-2670QM in x53e. Need to know which laptop is receiving the i7-2670.

 

[killer8297]

Hello killer8297;

It could be possible to do something like that.
What model of i3 notebook are you looking at? Any idea what type of motherboard it has?

My friend has a Acer Aspire Timeline X Notebbook, so I'm prob gonna take a crack at his laptop first before getting my own. The CPU is i3-2310M. The only concern I have is that the TDP Rating for the i3 is 35 Watts and the i7 is 45 Watts. I don't want to fry anything that doesn't belong to me.

 

[WR2]

@ Pyree - great idea.

@ killer8297 - does that i3 / GT 540M notebook you're looking at also have a Core i7 CPU option?

 

[WR2]

@ killer8297; Acer Aspire Timeline X - which model? There are several.

If you run CPU-z you're get specific info on the motherboard.
Check the Mainboard tab:
www.cpuid.com/softwares/cpu-z.html

 

[killer8297]

I'm pretty sure its this one.
http/www.staples.ca/ENG/Catalog/cat_sku.asp?CatIds=&webid=375410&affixedcode=WW
Hold up I'm gonna post the CPU-z For my i7 laptop

 

[Pyree]

Link is not working

 

[killer8297]

Link is not working

you sure? worked for me

 

[Pyree]

Not working.

 

[WR2]

It worked for you - cause Staples knows your Canadian postal code already.

It's asking Pyree and me for a Canadian postal code

 

[killer8297]

whoops sorry, the model # should be AS3830TG-6415

 

[photonboy]

Do NOT start swapping laptop CPU's, even if you could.

There are PLENTY of laptop configurations. Plus, any laptop with a good graphics chip will have a good CPU to support it.

A great, light-gaming laptop costs $700.

Anything above that is basically better CPU and Graphics for better games, so it boils down to how much you wish to spend.

Since anything considered a half-decent gaming laptop starts at about $1000 I strongly suggest you don't crack it open, VOID your warranty and end up with $1000 of spare parts.

Summary:
- choose your budget
- pick a laptop with the best GPU in that budget
- make sure it supports NVIDIA's Optimus (two GPU's. Turns off the gaming GPU when not needed to save power and HEAT.) Absolutely do NOT get a good graphics card without Optimus. My brother-in-law did and the HEAT is annoying when even typing when not gaming!
- avoid ACER (recommend ASUS first. Others are Toshiba, HP, Lenovo..)
- other: screen size/resolution, USB3, eSATA, 1 or 2 hard drive slots? (nice for backups though only 17" have 2.) etc.

Kepler:
Some 6xxM series are the new Kepler and some are not. I believe the 660M and 680M are Kepler. The best value, once available, might be a laptop using the 660M chipset.

*As long as you are aware of the cost and relative performance vs a desktop that's fine. I just had a LONG discussion with a friend who decided to get a quad-core APU laptop for light-gaming but mainly school. It sits in his small dorm room, is basically silent and cost $600. He also hooked it up to a Samsung 22", 1920x1080 monitor via HDMI to get video AND sound, and uses a Logitech mouse/keyboard with the micro-USB connection so he can leave it in at all times even in his case.

He plays these games on his $600 laptop:
Torchlight, Angry Birds, Sam&Max, Bastion, Magicka, L4D2 (not sure of settings), Super Meat Boy, Serious Sam HD and Command&Conquer 3.

(He's pretty pleased and got all his games, on sale, at STEAM.)

 

[killer8297]

Do NOT start swapping laptop CPU's, even if you could.

There are PLENTY of laptop configurations. Plus, any laptop with a good graphics chip will have a good CPU to support it.

A great laptop costs $700.

Anything above that is basically better CPU and Graphics, so it boils down to how much you wish to spend.

Since anything considered a half-decent gaming laptop starts at about $1000 I strongly suggest you don't crack it open, VOID your warranty and end up with $1000 of spare parts.

Summary:
- choose your budget
- pick a laptop with the best GPU in that budget
- make sure it supports NVIDIA's Optimus (two GPU's. Turns off the gaming GPU when not needed to save power and HEAT.)
- avoid ACER (recommend ASUS first. Others are Toshiba, HP, Lenovo..)
- other: screen size/resolution, USB3, eSATA, 1 or 2 hard drive slots? (nice for backups though only 17" have 2.) etc.

Kepler:
Some 6xxM series are the new Kepler and some are not. I believe the 660M and 680M are Kepler. The best value, once available, might be a laptop using the 660M chipset.

*As long as you are aware of the cost and relative performance vs a desktop that's fine. I just had a LONG discussion with a friend who decided to get a quad-core APU laptop for light-gaming but mainly school. It sits in his small dorm room, is basically silent and cost $600. He also hooked it up to a Samsung 22", 1920x1080 monitor via HDMI to get video AND sound, and uses a Logitech mouse/keyboard with the micro-USB connection so he can leave it in at all times even in his case.

He plays these games on his $600 laptop:
Torchlight, Angry Birds, Sam&Max, Bastion, Magicka, L4D2 (not sure of settings), Super Meat Boy, Serious Sam HD and Command&Conquer 3.

(He's pretty pleased and got all his games, on sale, at STEAM.)

Thanks for the advice but that's a huge budget that I'm not willing to spent. The reason I want to switch the is because I can get the acer for for $400, switching the cpu would make it a $700 machine. I'm not looking for a complete gaming experience on a portable laptop, more of casual gaming on the go, I have a good desktop for that. Of course I'm doing my research first before I break anything.

 

[killer8297]

Heres the cpu-z for the i7 laptop btw.
http/i42.tinypic.com/n6ys7b.png
http/i41.tinypic.com/izom6w.png

 

[WR2]

Feedback on AS5830TG & AS3830TG-6415 models

 

[Pyree]

Throttle in cold cold Canada. That's not good.

Also, it doesn't look like that Acer can take i7. Even if it can, the heat from the i7 will just make things worse.

 

[WR2]

I'm now leaning toward 'this isn't a good idea' .
If the AS3830TG-6415 is throttling with a Core i3 you can probably guess what would happen with higher TDP Core i7.

 

[killer8297]

Feedback on AS5830TG & AS3830TG-6415 models

Interesting find. I guess the 3.1ghz would be useless on this laptop even if it works. Guess I'll have to find an other computer for the job.