Upgrading m4400 from Dual to Quad Core...

Can this be done without a new motherboard or special heatsink? I originally wanted to do with the an HP 8530w but as the dual-core mobo is not compatible with the quad mobo it's no longer an option for me. Is the m4400 constructed in a similar fashion? or did Dell opt for a universal mobo? Has anyone tried this?

 

The M4400 is compatible with quad core cpu's.

"
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo P8400 (2.26GHz, 3M L2 Cache, 1066MHz FSB) [Included in Price]


Intel® Core™ 2 Duo P8600 (2.40GHz, 3M L2 Cache, 1066MHz FSB) [add $49]


Intel® Core™ 2 Duo P8700 (2.53GHz, 3M L2 Cache, 1066MHz FSB) [add $49]


Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T9550 (2.66GHz, 6M L2 Cache, 1066MHz FSB) [add $106]


Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T9800 (2.93GHz, 6M L2 Cache, 1066MHz FSB) [add $311]


Intel® Core™ 2 Duo X9100 (3.06GHz, 6M L2 Cache, 1066MHz FSB) [add $566]
May delay your Dell Precision Workstation M4400 ship date


Intel® Core™ 2 Quad QX9300 (2.53GHz, 12M L2 Cache, 1066MHz FSB) [add $730]"


About the heatsink though... I'm not sure but I doubt dell has a different heatsink depending on the cpu...
Maybe if bye any chance someone here has an m4400 with a quad core cpu could help you more.

 

I believe that the heatsinks are the same for dual and quad. However, I caution you to contact Dell and ask/confirm if it can be done on a system bought with a dual core - I heard from one person here (who had a Sager or Clevo or something) that he found that the quad models shipped with a different mobo than the duals of the exact same model. I doubt Dell would do that, but give them a call just to make sure.

 

Won't the heat emission increase drastically with the quad core??

 

The picture's of the heatsink plate's I've seen don't look any different between the duo or quad.
I upgraded my P8600 to the X9100 and have had no problem's with heat and that has a TDP of 44w as compared to the 45w of the QX9300.
There's around a 20 degC increase in max cpu temp over the 25w P8600 and a 5degC GPU heat increase due to the shared nature of the cooling,both temps are well within acceptable limit's stated by intel and nvidia.

Can't imagine why they would use a different motherboard for the quad,but yeah,I don't know if you will have much luck with that question being asked of product support......they're just as likely to tell you it's different even if it's not.

My money would be on it being the identical.

 

If the standard motherboard didn't have the proper power circuitry to deliver the required 44W to 45W that an extreme or quad processor needed (as is the case with probably many consumer machines), they would need to have a special motherboard for those processors.

My money would also be on them being identical, though.

 

Agreed...but we are talking about Dell,and if anybody is talented at using the same part's across different model's to save on R&D,inventory etc ,it's them.
My notebook is proof that the wattage,voltage and cooling isn't a problem.....hopefully haven't put the kiss of death on it after saying that

 

Also consider that the M4400 is a Precision - a business model that is designed for maximum compatibility. So, I would also assume that it would be compatible. But, as I said before, it wouldn't hurt to contact Dell (I hear their Precision support is excellent) before buying.

 

I think that was the problem with the HP laptops. They used a different mobo for their extreme and quad core versions. If you upgraded to an extreme I suspect I'll be fine as well. Thanks guys!

 

It's the same motherboard.