- Jan 9, 2015
- 2
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- 4,510
Recently decided to upgrade an old laptop.
It is an Asus K53Z:
AMD A4-3305M APU (1.9Ghz) (Llano)
4 GB DDR3 1333 Mhz RAM
a new 120GB PNY SSD (the old HDD died)
The laptop had been working fine, but it was getting a bit slow. I occasionally use it for mobile media streaming and light gaming when I am on the road.
I had read that this laptop can can have its APU upgraded so long as its also a Llano with the same TDP. Others had success installing an A8-3520M, which has 4 cores instead of 2, way more L2 cache, and a significantly better built-in GPU:
http
/www.tomsguide.com/answers/id-1828748/upgrading-laptop-asus-k53z.html
http/www.cpu-world.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=19054
https/www.ebay.com/p/AMD-A8-3520M-1-6GHz-Quad-Core-AM3520DDX43GX-Processor/166536794
It was about $25, so not too bad an expense for what I think is a pretty hefty upgrade, plus I thought it would be a fun project as I had never done a CPU replacement in a laptop before.
I installed the A8, however when I turn on the laptop only the power button light and main power light come on. There is no post, or anything on the screen. I thought it might be a BIOS issue, so I put the A4 back in, and it came on fine. I flashed the latest BIOS from Asus's website (from v212 to v214; https/www.asus.com/Laptops/K53Z/HelpDesk_BIOS/), and tried reinstalling the A8. But nada, same problem. I thought maybe I did not reconnect the laptop screen well, but nothing comes up on a connected monitor either. I am not sure if the fan even spins, but I do hear the DVD drive come on as it normally does when I first turn on the computer.
So I've come to one of either two conclusions, neither of which is good in my opinion. 1) My laptop APU cannot be upgraded and I shouldn't have trusted the internet, or 2) I received a defective A8 APU, which at best will be a hassle to return and get a replacement.
My question is: is there ANYTHING I am not thinking about that could be causing this that will make my life easier? Is there perhaps an even more modern BIOS that I am not aware of? Thanks in advance!
It is an Asus K53Z:
AMD A4-3305M APU (1.9Ghz) (Llano)
4 GB DDR3 1333 Mhz RAM
a new 120GB PNY SSD (the old HDD died)
The laptop had been working fine, but it was getting a bit slow. I occasionally use it for mobile media streaming and light gaming when I am on the road.
I had read that this laptop can can have its APU upgraded so long as its also a Llano with the same TDP. Others had success installing an A8-3520M, which has 4 cores instead of 2, way more L2 cache, and a significantly better built-in GPU:
http
/www.tomsguide.com/answers/id-1828748/upgrading-laptop-asus-k53z.htmlhttp
/www.cpu-world.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=19054https
/www.ebay.com/p/AMD-A8-3520M-1-6GHz-Quad-Core-AM3520DDX43GX-Processor/166536794It was about $25, so not too bad an expense for what I think is a pretty hefty upgrade, plus I thought it would be a fun project as I had never done a CPU replacement in a laptop before.
I installed the A8, however when I turn on the laptop only the power button light and main power light come on. There is no post, or anything on the screen. I thought it might be a BIOS issue, so I put the A4 back in, and it came on fine. I flashed the latest BIOS from Asus's website (from v212 to v214; https
/www.asus.com/Laptops/K53Z/HelpDesk_BIOS/), and tried reinstalling the A8. But nada, same problem. I thought maybe I did not reconnect the laptop screen well, but nothing comes up on a connected monitor either. I am not sure if the fan even spins, but I do hear the DVD drive come on as it normally does when I first turn on the computer.So I've come to one of either two conclusions, neither of which is good in my opinion. 1) My laptop APU cannot be upgraded and I shouldn't have trusted the internet, or 2) I received a defective A8 APU, which at best will be a hassle to return and get a replacement.
My question is: is there ANYTHING I am not thinking about that could be causing this that will make my life easier? Is there perhaps an even more modern BIOS that I am not aware of? Thanks in advance!
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