Greetings, I've long wanted to upgrade the low power dual core processor in my Older Dell laptop into a more powerful one and decided to ask for some input on the matter. 1) Is it possible? 2) Is it costly? 3) Is it viable? Specs: Computer: Computer Type ACPI x64-based PC (Mobile) Operating System Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate OS Service Pack Service Pack 1 Motherboard: CPU Type Mobile DualCore Intel Core 2 Duo T9600, 2800 MHz (10.5 x 267) Motherboard Name Dell Latitude E6500 Motherboard Chipset Intel Cantiga PM45 System Memory 4083 MB (DDR2-800 DDR2 SDRAM) DIMM1: Samsung M4 70T5663EH3-CF7 2 GB DDR2-800 DDR2 SDRAM (6-6-6-18 @ 400 MHz) (5-5-5-15 @ 333 MHz) (4-4-4-12 @ 266 MHz) DIMM3: Samsung M4 70T5663EH3-CF7 2 GB DDR2-800 DDR2 SDRAM (6-6-6-18 @ 400 MHz) (5-5-5-15 @ 333 MHz) (4-4-4-12 @ 266 MHz) BIOS Type Phoenix (12/06/11) Display: Video Adapter NVIDIA Quadro NVS 160M (256 MB) Video Adapter NVIDIA Quadro NVS 160M (256 MB) 3D Accelerator nVIDIA Quadro NVS 160M Monitor LG Philips LP154WU2 [15.4" LCD] DMI: DMI BIOS Vendor Dell Inc. DMI BIOS Version A27 DMI System Manufacturer Dell Inc. DMI System Product Latitude E6500 DMI System Version DMI System Serial Number GP22L4J DMI System UUID 44454C4C-50001032-8032C7C0-4F4C344A DMI Motherboard Manufacturer Dell Inc. DMI Motherboard Product 0X564R DMI Motherboard Version DMI Motherboard Serial Number .GP22L4J.CN129619946323. DMI Chassis Manufacturer Dell Inc. DMI Chassis Version DMI Chassis Serial Number GP22L4J DMI Chassis Asset Tag DMI Chassis Type Portable --------[ Portable Computer ]------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Centrino (Carmel) Platform Compliancy: CPU: Intel Pentium M (Banias/Dothan) No (Mobile DualCore Intel Core 2 Duo T9600) Chipset: Intel i855GM/PM No (Intel Cantiga PM45) WLAN: Intel PRO/Wireless No System: Centrino Compliant No Centrino (Sonoma) Platform Compliancy: CPU: Intel Pentium M (Dothan) No (Mobile DualCore Intel Core 2 Duo T9600) Chipset: Intel i915GM/PM No (Intel Cantiga PM45) WLAN: Intel PRO/Wireless No System: Centrino Compliant No Centrino (Napa) Platform Compliancy: CPU: Intel Core (Yonah) / Core 2 (Merom) No (Mobile DualCore Intel Core 2 Duo T9600) Chipset: Intel i945GM/PM No (Intel Cantiga PM45) WLAN: Intel PRO/Wireless 3945 No System: Centrino Compliant No Centrino (Santa Rosa) Platform Compliancy: CPU: Intel Core 2 (Merom/Penryn) Yes (Mobile DualCore Intel Core 2 Duo T9600) Chipset: Intel GM965/PM965 No (Intel Cantiga PM45) WLAN: Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965 No System: Centrino Compliant No Centrino (Montevina) Platform Compliancy: CPU: Intel Core 2 (Penryn) Yes (Mobile DualCore Intel Core 2 Duo T9600) Chipset: Intel GM45/GM47/GS45/PM45 Yes (Intel Cantiga PM45) WLAN: Intel WiFi Link 5000 Series Yes System: Centrino Compliant Yes Further information can be provided per request, any help is appreciated.
My thanks for the fast reply. Ah, my apologies, I didn't specify in what use the computer is used. Which is gaming and some miscellaneous software testing. The T9900 hardly offers the power I'm looking for, unfortunately. As for the SSD, I'm actually getting a new Kingston HyperX for this old junker within the month, and considering upping memory as required but that's not a priority yet. But yeah, I did some thinking, calculations and related stuff on the processor switch and I think it may not be such a good idea after all. Considering all the heat, power and motherboard issues that may arise. Sticking with the SSD
I don't think that it would be much of an upgrade considering you already have a 2.8 GHz processor, as well as considering it is a DDR2 laptop. While you technically could get a higher clocked chip in that machine, more power means more heat and the heatsink installed is designed for the processor they put in it. If it runs hot now, it might not be a good idea to upgrade. I agree with the SSD upgrade. Memory upgrade to 8GB is going to be pretty expensive as 4GB sticks of DDR2 are pricey. It might be better in the long run to get a newer laptop. Refurbished laptops last a long time if you take care of them. My laptop proc upgrade experience: I have a ThinkPad L420 that came with an i5-2410M (2c/4t) that I replaced with an i7-2630QM (4c/8t) that I just happened to have. The heatsink contact for the processor is the perfect size for the i5, but the i7's die is much larger and therefore doesn't fully contact (about 1/4 of it isn't touching copper). In my case this isn't causing any problems. Though hotter than the i5, the CPU is sufficiently cooled for the amount of work the laptop does every day and it gets the job done faster and gets back to rest quicker. The most intensive thing the laptop does is HD video streaming (tested with 1080p60) and overall CPU usage is a lot less than the i5 playing the same quality video. Another thing to note is that the i7 requires 10W more power than the i5, so to avoid any problems I'm using a 90W adapter instead of the 65W that came with the notebook.
I think the sweet spot for the price of Core 2 Duo processors is the T9600. I got one on eBay used for $15. The T9900 were going for about $50 and were only about 10% faster. I upgraded a couple of Dell Inspiron 1545 from T4400 to T9400 or T9600 for a really good price.