Thinking about upgrading my processor(Laptop)

[RaidenDude]

Hey there guys, i've been thinking of upgrading my processor on my Acer Aspire 7738G. I know that the PC is compatible with the Intel? Core?2 Extreme Q9000, and that one would be perfect for me.
My current processor is VERY slow, it is a Intel T6600, Dual core @ 2.2 GHz.

Does this seem like a reasonable purchase?
If so, does anyone know where i can get one?
(I live in Norway, so if you can find an online-store selling it near Norway, it would be GREATLY appreciated)

 

[Cut Chem!st]

Upgrading components on laptops are a pain.. almost better to just buy a whole new laptop then go through the hassle. You can't just use PC parts like that core2extreme you found. You need specific laptop parts, which aren't really popular to buy.

 

[reflex99]

Upgrading components on laptops are a pain.. almost better to just buy a whole new laptop then go through the hassle. You can't just use PC parts like that core2extreme you found. You need specific laptop parts, which aren't really popular to buy.

the Q9000 is a laptop part silly.

 

[Cut Chem!st]

the Q9000 is a laptop part silly.

Ah.. I was assuming he meant the core2extreme series. Not very savvy on laptop components. Still, a pain to upgrade a laptop. His GPU is probably under preforming also, so upgrading a CPU isn't going to do it.

 

[Tsunade]

Ah.. I was assuming he meant the core2extreme series. Not very savvy on laptop components. Still, a pain to upgrade a laptop. His GPU is probably under preforming also, so upgrading a CPU isn't going to do it.

Not all laptops are difficult to upgrade. I can get to my Vostro 1500 motherboard in less than 5 minutes cause I've taken it apart to upgrade it so many times.

Acers aren't the hardest to upgrade too. Many older Core 2 Acers actually use MXM cards and you can upgrade the GPU if it has the Acer vbios.

The Core 2 Extreme is an X9000. If you get a CPU-Z screenshot of your motherboard or your chipset then we can determine the best upgrade for you.

 

[RaidenDude]

Here's my CPU -

Here's my Mainboard -

Also, my GPU is okay, it's an GeForce GT 240M, with 1GB VRAM.

 

[reflex99]

could you possibly open it up and see if the CPU is removable? (or get us a specific

there are 2 types of sockets, BGA (Ball grid array) and PGA (pin grid array)

PGA are removable, while BGA are permenatly soldered to the motherboard.

from a quick google search, it sounds like yours is replaceable

 

[Tsunade]

It all depends on what you are doing to be honest. Gaming wise and normal usage, more "speed" and "cache" does not yield more FPS as alot of games are GPU bound. Only in rendering are you going to see more "speed" and "cache" benefit.

A reasonable upgrade would be like to a P8700 but why pay 150 for just 300 MHz more? Might as well shell out 250 for a X9100 though may want to watch out if your cooling system can handle a 45 watt TDP processor. Also many BIOS do not accept Core 2 Quad mobile chips out of the box. You may need a BIOS flash to the latest version.

 

[RaidenDude]

I only have 150 $ to use right now, but maybe i should just wait then?
I'm 95% sure that i have PGA though, since i've seen MANY people upgrade the CPU on this PC.
Also, worth noting, my PC has had issues with overheating, but aslong as i clean it around once a month it never overheats(even after like 48 hours).

 

[lolcopter]

i would either save up and buy a new laptop or build a desktop no its not really worth just upgrading one part on a laptop by the time you get done everything else will be out of date

 

[microwolf96]

A core 2 duo at 2.2ghz is actually quite fast for a laptop. Mobile processors aren't really that fast yet. Most of the quad-cores you find are between 1.6ghz and 2.3ghz. Your dual-core can support quite a few games as long as your video card is up to par.

The laptop I use can play World of Warcraft with the "Ultra" preset in the video options and still have an average of 30 fps. The shadows in World of Warcraft, especially when set to ultra, really kill your performance. My processor is only 300mhz faster than yours, too.

It's probably not your processor that you need to upgrade, but rather the GPU.

It all depends on what you are doing to be honest. Gaming wise and normal usage, more "speed" and "cache" does not yield more FPS as alot of games are GPU bound.