Upgrading Mobile Turion Processors

Hello!

I am new to this forums, i joined because i have this question i have been unable to answer, or found no answer with the tech support of my Manufacturer.

So, the topic for this post, alas its contents may be a bit old in comparison to newer hot topics, so please hear me out:

I have an old ACER 5520 series pc ( specifically a 5520-3992 one, alas the 5520-xxxx series is practically a small variation in components on a same model, usually videocard, hard drive size or so, basically the 5520 series share a lot of common components within their variations)

This laptop comes with a Turion 64 MK-38 ("Richmond" 90nm) @ 2200 Ghz Processor

As far as im aware this is a single core processor, my questions are, is there a chance to swap this processor for a AMD with 2 cores? im under the impression its possible to swap this procesor for a better one, specifically the Turion 64 X2 TL-60 ("Trinidad" 90nm) @2000 ghz or the Turion 64 X2 TL-64 @2200 Ghz or, in case its unable, can i swap it for any other 2-core processor (even if each core runs at less speed? which ones should be recomended?)

The reason id like to swap is that this processor has given me a great service but more and more programs require dual processing active in order to work smoothly, it seems the models i mentioned above use the same S1G1 Socket, but the voltage seems to vary on each processor, the MK-38 series take 1.15v @ 31w to work while the TL series have 0.8-1.125v range and 35w.

How would this affect me? is the swapping possible or do i have to take note on something else i skipped, what else do i need to take on account before the swapping? can the cooling method be the same with the stock cooling device or would it be nessesary to change the cooling system?

Sorry, my "two questions" became this many, but im really curious and eager, i know this processors are kind of old but so far the mk-38 has given me a superb service and id love to extend the usefulness of my laptop, ill gladly reply to any further questions, all the info i ve gotten from this comparison was from wikipedia, im definitely not an expert on the matter

I also add a new extra info, it seems its necessary, my motherboard part or model No. is LXAJAOX1768030A2971601 for Acer and im on the latest bios aviable via my manufacturer (Acer webpage) Which is v1.33

i attach 2 pictures run by my tweaknow tool with a full descritpion of my motherboard and processor

Picture one

Picture 2

Many thanks in advance!

 

According to a service guide 5520/5220 series supports:

AMD Turion™ 64 X2 dual-core mobile technology TL-66 / TL-64 / TL-60 / TL-58 / TL-56 / TL-52 (2x512 KB L2 cache, 2.3 GHz / 2.2 GHz /2.0 GHz / 1.9 GHz / 1.8 GHz / 1.6 GHz),
AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 Mobile Technology TK-53/TK-55 (1.70/1.80 GHz, 2x 256 KB L2 cache),

...and Semprons which I omitted on purpose.

Anyway it should be possible.

 

Nice!

Thanks for the fast reply, if im allowed to ask:

What do i need to take in account to be sure the change is possible (voltage? watts?), or which one would you recommend me to use and why? will there be any need to modify my heatsink or do you think the stock one would suffice?

Thanks again in advance

 

I am only guessing, but since there were 5520 with TL CPU being released by Acer, and BIOS 1.33 was released in 2008 while TL-64 was released in 2007, I think there is a good chance it would work. In the worst case, the computer just won't boot. You might also check the max CPU frequency your computer can handle with Everest (computer/dmi/processor). I think the original heatsink should do. Just make sure it was properly cleaned and reapply the compound. Good luck.

 

There should be no issues with voltage not heat (or heat sink for that matter).
Just make sure you have the latest possible BIOS to be sure that CPU microcode will be recognized.
The only thing I've noticed is that service guide mentions AMD RevF/RevG CPUs so it would be prudent to stick to those revisions if possible.

As for which one should you buy- this depends on price and availability more than on anything else. Check what's available and for how much first.

 

Hello again!

I have taken note of all your points and i apreciate it, truly.

Alas i ve looked far and wide with all the processor providers in my City and no one knows anything about the RevF/RevG cpu so i guess ill stick with the "regulars" for the test

I checked both models and seems they share the same 800Mhz HyperTransport and seems to run with the same ram and video clock, so i think it should be covered by that

As a caution i spared a little more and i decided, just in case to use the Arctic Silver Termal Paste from coolermaster, its expensive but totally worth it

I ve decided to try with a low level cpu first, i picked a Turion 64 X2 TL-52 @ 1600 Ghz with the same S1G1 socket but i have a few more questions before i begin the procedure:

1) i noticed the mk-38 has a clock multiplier of 11x whilst the TL-52 has a 8x one, how would this affect me?

2) considering the mk38 runs at 2200 Ghz (having one core) and the TL-52 runs at 1600 Ghz but has 2 cores, what can i expect to find in terms of performance? (will it go better? faster? hotter?)

thanks for your kind replies

ps: on a curious note, it says in the wiki webpage that the MK-38 is newer than the TL-52 actually, but id rather consult with you guys

 

Depends on the program.

Single threaded apps will be a bit slower, dual threaded ones a bit faster.

I'd recommend going for a faster one. Get one off ebay.

 

Once again, hello!

After a veeery careful revision, checkups and god knows what else, i managed to get my hands with a Turion 64 X2 TL-60 @ 2.0 Ghz, i thought i finally had it, until i realized, and i have to be honest, my heart almost stopped, the architecture of this processor was not Trinidad (90nm) but a tyler (65nm)!

My first thought was that i screwed up and i was on my way to epic disaster, so i held my breath, i started disassembly and replaced the processor in a normal procedure, removing and replacing is not hard at all.

Result:

Success!!

I certainly didn't expect it to work, it takes about 2-3 more seconds to power up, but the bios recognized the new processor right away, windows 7 did the same and after an installation restart, everything runs just as smooth.

I immediately started to check about everything in the system using everest and i noticed the CPU temp is actually maintained and par with the old processor

But i noticed my GPU temp actually rose above 10 degrees, it was usually sitting at 50-60º without doing anything in particular, but now it sits at about 65-70º

Take note im no newbie when it comes how to apply thermal paste, and i used the most expensive available (Arctic Silver 5 from CoolerMaster)

Can anyone explain me why is doing this?

and also, how was it possible to run a 65nm "Tyler" processor instead a 90nm "trinidad" one, was it mere luck?

Heres a picture with the average temp on each sector

Heres another picture with the New processor Specs according to Everest

Your thoughts are much appreciated!

 

If you ask me, I'd say those "highend" thermal pastes are BS. I have tried AS5 too and it's actually the 2nd worst I have used, and topped by MX-2. The generic white paste is slightly more effective time & again with different computers I have tried. Then again, 10-15C difference is too much. If there is a big gap, use copper shim.

 

AS5 has been around for many MANY years, it's old and obsolete.

You are better off with MX-4 or IC-diamond paste.

 

Being old doesn't make it obsolete in any way. Copper has been with us for much longer and it's still kind of good, isn't it?

 

What makes it obsolete is its expense and performance compared to other pastes.

Copper was pretty much obsolete till we found new uses for it.

So unless AS5 is a good pipe cleaner or the like then its best to get something else.

 

Ok after an extensive test and benchmark here are the results:

Temperature wont go higher than 71º before the vent kicks in and keeps the temperature in check between the 70-80º range on GPU, although the temp range its reached faster, it still doesn't seem it'l pose a problem

Cpu temp remains almost unaltered and barely rises about 80º when on max load doing extensive work so its about par with the single core

to make sure i revised again the thermal paste (AS5) on my GPU and it seems everything is correctly applied

i still cannot explain why the GPU temp went up after the processor change, any thoughts?


on a side note:this laptop moves at supreme speed, my benchmark and stress test points is almost double the amount with the dual core now, this change was positive! I wonder what can i compare it with, as in another Acer model?

As for thermal paste, i know there are wayyy better things, but i'd rather keep using this instead of generic silicon-based paste, plus this one has worked for me for 3 years now, so when i get the chance i may try something better, but for now ill keep using AS5

 

GPU temp went up because TDP of your CPU is higher (even though it sounds crazy). There's a limited thermal capacity of the radiator at the end of the heatpipe.
I'm guessing both CPU and GPU heatpipes lead to the same radiator. So if CPU emits more heat than the previous one and GPU still the same total amount is increased while your radiator and fan remain the same.
If you had separate heatpipes each with its own radiator this wouldn't have happened.
Another possibility is that CPU gets hotter and as a result chassis & mobo get hotter heating everything up.
Anyway- nothing to worry about.