Are CPUs upgradeable in any of these laptops?

I searched and couldn't find a definite answer. Perhaps I just missed it.

But, can any of these laptops be upgradeable to Merom?

- E1505
- D820
- HP 5000 series
- Toshiba A105 series ...specifically the A105-4134 or 4114
- Lenovo T60

I picked the laptops above since those are the most popular choices around besides the Asus and HEL80(which we know will do).

I know that a Bios upgrade maybe needed, but with experience from the past, are any of these companies "pro-active" in support for Bios flashes??

Thanx for any insight.

 

I think most laptops with a Core Duo are upgradeable, except the Apples because they are soldered to the motherboard. So far Dell has released BIOS Updates for the new processor on a couple laptops, but not all yet. I have seen experiments online with different computers, like the M1710. Apparently that one was drop'n go

 

Also please remember that before you do this

IT WILL VOID YOUR WARRANTY!!!!

so think carefully!

 

Good point, I almost forgot about that. The other thing is it's difficult to get to the CPU(in my opinion) there are plenty of guides though. I say it is difficult, however my only experiences with dissection were on machines before 1999, so it may have been difficult on older models, i'm not sure. (on a completely unrelated topic, YAY! I'm a Notebook Consultant!)

 

I realize that the warranty would be void, however, I was thinking that I can get a laptop with the low-end CoreDuo now and after a couple of years, upgrade with the Core2Duo on high-end.

Warranty point would be mute by then unless of course there is extended warranty coverage.

 

Most warranties wont void your warranty, rather they wont warranty the new part or anything it takes down with it. For instance if the c2d goes bad they wont replace it, or if the cpu takes the mobo and cpu down and they both need to be replaced then the warranty wont cover that. But say your ram goes bad it should be covered. Please consult your manufacturer and warranty company before you make a decision. SO support modding and some dont, so be carefull.

I would say unless your planning on doing 64bit processing the regular core duo will be more then enough.

 

That is only true for RAM, HD and batteries. CPU upgrades, GPU or Motherboard upgrades will completely invalidate your warranty

 

The reason Im saying this is I called my warranty company before doing a cpu upgrade and they said it was fine. They said exactly what I said "we wont cover the new hardware, or any failures due to the new hardware. But the rest of the laptop is still covered". That is why I said he may get lucky, like I did.

 

Thats true, but whos to determine whether the new cpu that is not covered is the culprit of damage to say a motherboard. Most likely, even tho the rest of ur system is under warranty, the manufacturer will see the different cpu, and will then say to u that it caused the other part to malfunction, and thus not replace that part. And most likely the cpu didn't cause that damage, but manufacturers will try and get out of it by blaming it on ur upgrade, and u really cant prove them wrong and cant force them to fix ur laptop when they disagree with u.

 

True, but if I send it in for service Ill switch the standard cpu back in. Current systems are extremly easy to do that in. But how they take it is all in the discretion of the repair tech and/or warranty clerk. Honesty is a key here...they cant say that a LCD was damaged by a cpu install.

 

I am not aware of a law in the computer world, but automakers and warranty companies are prohibited by law to deny you warranty repair due to mods/upgrades unless the warranty work you need is a direct result of the mod/upgrade's failure.

So, I can add big turbo to my Magnum, and if my suspension fails, they have to fix it, however if a piece of metal breaks off inside my turbo and ruins the engine, then I get no coverage... Common sense to me.

 

Yeah basically what they told me.

 

Are you with the laptops warranty, or a different warranty thats provided by third parties? Becasue they can differ, i know that most laptop warranties from the manufacturer will not give you cover if you upgrade the CPU.

 

Aside from the warranty issue, does anyone know the answer to the original question?

 

I think we covered it, so long as it has a Core Solo or Core Duo and is not soldered to the board (and there are no other interior shenanigans), a CPU upgrade should work out just fine.

Compatible chipsets are the 945GM, 945PM, and 945GMS. The 945GMS is only backward compatible with low voltage and ultra-low voltage Core 2 Duos, however. If you can't tell what chipset you have via the BIOS or POST, you can download a chipset identifier from Intel.

 

Ive read other places that a BIOS update is necessary to switch a core duo with a core 2 duo. Is that the case? Or can you just take the core duo out and put the core 2 duo in and it should work..

 

No you will need a compatible bois - that usually means an upgrade