M6400 Diy Cpu Upgrade

Hi guys, in short the situation is like this : I orderd a m6400 from dell with a qx9300 and the delivery has been delayed until next year some point which they cant even confirm, it would have been delivered to the UK where I am now but I will leave the UK before dell can deliver.

The only solution I have come to is that there is a site in germany called planet-notebook selling the base systems. Completly unloaded.

So my question is will I be able to buy a qx9300 chip and fit it onto the laptop, does anyone have any idea how difficult this will be. Will I for example need any tools or equipment except for a screw driver? Do I need some kind of thermal paste I heard about or is that just an option as Id have no idea how to apply it.

Thanks.

 

....when I say unloaded I mean that it comes with a p8600 with 2gb ram etc.

 

It shouldn't be difficult but might it might void your warranty. And, it'll be more expensive as you'll be effectively paying for two cpus (the qx9300 and the p8600 aren't cheap by any measure)

Do you really need a quad core?

 

Id say so yes based on the amount of work intended to be done on the machine.

No doubt it would void the warranty - the p8600 I may get something for on ebay, I realise its not an ideal solution buts literally the only way I can think of that I will be able to order one.

 

....Has anyone out there removed a cpu from the m6400?

 

I've accessed the CPU in another laptop. It was a Compaq laptop that wasn't intended to be nearly as user servicable as the Dell Precisions.

Everything that follows was my experience with the COMPAQ. Just to be clear. It should be relevant to the type and amount of work on the M6400 but not the specifics.

It required a Torx T8 I believe. M6400 may or may not have these, but make sure you can find a screwdriver set with Torx all the way down to T6 or smaller.

I had to take the bottom panel apart, and take the screen assembly off. I found that the CPU was underneath a large assembly of heat pipes and heat sinks that carried heat to the fans. That whole thing had to come off. This stage is one where you have to be very careful. If there are screws in a square pattern around the CPU, you want to remove them all simultaneously to avoid uneven pressure on the core. Just unscrew two turns on one, then go to the one diagonal and do two turns on it, then an adjacent one and then the other diagonal. Basically a zig-zag pattern to minimize the amount of uneven pressure you apply. Doing one turn at a time would be overly careful but when you're first starting to move the screws it might be good because pressure goes way up in that last turn of the screw.

I'd say if you're applying heatsink paste there's no reason not to get Arctic Silver. Arctic Silver 5 is really cheap and comes in a tube big enough to apply several times. They sell it at Fry's and probably in lots of other places around town too, but you can order it for sure off of the internet. I think there's an Arctic Silver 7 but not sure. They're graded by heat transfer efficiency, but Silver 5 is already good stuff.

To apply the paste, you need a credit card edge or (better) a fresh razor blade from a box knife. Something rigid with a flat, straight edge. You will also need 91% or better rubbing alcohol, or acetone, and cotton swabs. You can find videos of how to do this everywhere btw - it will be the same for a laptop as a desktop, except your heatsink looks different.

Step 2 is remove the previous heatsink paste from both the heatsink and the CPU. In your case, since you have a new cpu, you could leave the old one messy. But whoever you sell it to wouldn't like that. You will use a lot of cotton swabs for this. Just get them damp in your cleaning fluid (the rubbing alcohol or acetone) and gradually rub the old paste off. Do this until the cotton swabs no longer show signs of picking up paste. The surfaces will look clean far before they are clean. Do not let the solvent pool up and run off of the cpu if you're cleaning it while it's on the board. You don't want that stuff getting down in the cpu pin connections. It shouldn't have a tendency to pool up anyway unless you're deliberately trying to transfer maximum fluids. While you work you want to make note somehow of where the CPU is on the heatsink. You can make marks, just don't make them exactly where the cpu is because the ink isn't a heat conductor.

Step 3 is to let all the solvent DRY OFF.

Step 4 is to apply new paste. You apply it to the heatsink, not the CPU, because the CPU is more delicate. If it's your first time applying it you will end up doing it twice or more. The idea is that a very thin layer of paste goes between the cpu and heatsink, doesn't squish out all over the other components when you screw things back down, doesn't trap any air bubbles, and covers the whole cpu surface. Since it's a laptop and subject to motion, torque and abuse, you might go a little thicker than people do on desktops, to avoid air bubbles. But really, that heatsink assembly should be rock solid sturdy for a laptop of this caliber... I'm guessing here.

Here's the method. Drop a thin line of heatsink paste on the heatsink. It should not have gaps or be composed of multiple dots - that's air bubbles. It should be as long as the CPU surface and positioned off to one side so it can be pushed over to cover the cpu. Next use the razor or credit card edge to slowly push the line of paste over the cpu area. It will spread out a bit as you push and cover slightly more than the CPU's actual size. It should be very thin. You can go over the area more than once, just make sure you aren't dragging globs around and messing up the surface. If you are using a credit card you might consider making the center very slightly thicker than the outside edges. That would cause the center to squeeze outward as the heatsink attaches, pushing air outward and not trapping any bubbles. Use the razor edge to scoop up any extra, leaving the paste covering just a little bit more than the CPU surface. (So you can manually put the heatsink back on without having to keep your hands on a millimeter tolerance.)

When you are satisfied with the heatsink paste, carefully place the heatsink back on the processor and screw it down again. Again if there are multiple screws use a crosshatch pattern to screw them in evenly all at the same time.

Here's the part you'll love to hear. Once the heatsink is on again, take it back off and check your work. I've done this many times and I still check my work, because every time I do it the heatsink assembly seems to be slightly different somehow. Chances are you used way too much the first time and it squeezed around everywhere. (I know I did, several times. I still do. I'm like, there's no way it has to be THAT thin. But it does.) Remove all the paste with cotton swabs and solvent, and redo it, correcting any mistakes. You can use the razor to scoop up the majority before you start in with swabs if you like. This way you know it's done right and there's a lot less guessing on this very expensive new laptop.

Search youtube or something for videos, I'm sure you'll find them. Also you can reference the Tom's Hardware forums for user-friendly guides on cpu replacements. And make sure you buy the laptop version of the quad core processor and not the significantly higher wattage, higher heat desktop one!


It's also possible that Dell might be willing to make up for your order delay by sending a tech for the cpu swap.

 

I have removed the cpu from my m6400. it took me about 20 minutes to do the whole thing. take out the battery, unscrew 2 screws to release the back door. disconnect all the cabling from wireless cards. turn the laptop over. remove keyboard bezel starting from the left. then 4 screws on the keyboard. 4 screws holding your lcd. take the screen off. there is 7 or 8 screws holding the palmrest and 5 or 6 different connectors which you have to take out. carefully take the palmrest off starting from the sides. and voila your cpu is under the heatsink. good luck!

 

The online service manuals show how to change out the CPU, but beware, it WILL void your warranty *if* the new CPU causes damage. I changed the CPU on my M90 easily enough, despite never having done anything like that before.

 

the short answer is yes. You can upgrade. You will void our warranty if Dell catches you. Read: If you send it in for repairs and it has the quad.

Long answer is to remove the processor you need to remove:

Access Panel
Hinge cover
Keyboard
Processor Fan
LCD Assembly
and Palmrest

off the system to get to the processor. To do this you will deal with cable routing that can be a massive pain. Multiple types of screws that if not put back in the same place can strip the threading.

I'm a Dell Tech. I've actually worked on a M6400 before. The first time even for me with training was.....interesting. But yes. It can be done.