eMachines eMD620-5777 upgrades

I recently bought a eMachines eMD620 from best buy for $299. I also have an Acer 4420-5239 with an onboard ATI x1250 which I got on clearance at Office Depot. The eMachines laptop looks almost exactly like the Acer 4420 except it uses a new low-power AMD processor called the 2650e (which I can't find much information on) and has the onboard ATI x1250.

My first question is: Does the emachines eMD620 use the same socket S1 motherboard as the acer 4420-5239? I put more ram in the eMachines laptop and looks like it is the same motherboard that uses the AMD S1 socket as the Acer 4420, except the heatsink is different. The acer 4420 uses the AMD M690G chipset for sure and is a socket S1. The emachines laptop uses the AMD RS690MC chipset.

Second question: Has anyone upgraded the processor on the eMachines eMD620 or taken it appart? I am going to upgrade the AMD TK-57 that came in the Acer 4420 with a TL-66 or a TL-64 because they are dirt cheap on ebay these days. I then want to put the AMD TK-57 in the EMachines eMD620.

Third question: The press release I see for the AMD 2650e shows that another low-power dual core processor called the 3250e is also available, but I can't find anyone selling it anywhere. Does anyone have one or know a place to get one? Are they both socket S1? The thing that is really throwing me off is the Ultra-Value Client (UVC) AMD Athlon X2 2650e processor. Information is really scarce on this processor.

Last Question: Has anyone installed an internal Blu-Ray or HD-DVD drive in the Acer 4420? Are the AMD processor and ATI video card enough to handle playback? The HD-DVD laptop drives are also pretty cheap on ebay and I was hoping to experiment a little. I have heard conflicting statements about system requirements depending on the playback software used.

 

Did you ever get any information on this motherboard? I wanted to see if it could handle two 2gb pc2-6400 or pc2-5300 sticks for a total of 4 gb ram. Support at emachines did not know. Thanks.

 

I have installed 2gb of pc2-5300 and it works. It has two slots and looks like it could handle 4gb. I have the 4gb of ddr2 ram in another laptop, so I will test it when I get a chance.

On a side note: this computer got a decent amount of press on the AP and a couple of canned reviews, why is no one talking about it on any forums?

 

I just had my eMachines eMD620-5777 apart and the processor socket is AM2 I plan to upgrade the cpu as soon as I can. Keep everyone posted with pics on upgrade

 

The emachines definitely doesnt have a socket AM2 chip in it.
AM2 is a desktop socket, and that laptop is not a desktop cpu based system.
I think you mean its socket S1

K-TRON

 

I do mean AM2 socket. It has a regular desktop CPU. Well not regular it is a low power comsumption new AM2 chip that fits the standard AM2 socket.

 

I did not think their were any AM2 based laptops. Its good to know their is at least one system which has it.
If it is AM2, than you can probably upgrade to any low power cpu, like 65 watts or less.
The only real question is motherboard Bios support for the new chips. It can probably make use of any dual core am2 procesor, but the cooling system in the laptop is going to limit your upgrades.

K-TRON

 

download copy of http://www.cpuid.com/cpuz.php

it will tell you want type cpu and socket type

 

I have had my eMD620 apart and have the pictures to show the socket, cpu, and entire steps to take apart the laptop to remove and install new AM2 cpu. These are not all the pictures but I can e-mail on request or I will post at a later date.

 

I just installed 4 gb of DDR2 PC5300 this weekend and it works perfectly.

If it is an AM2 socket, does this mean that the motherboards with the RS690MC designation can use desktop processors? I was under the impression that the RS690MC used socket S1.

The 2650e processor is 22 watts, I don't think any desktop processor will be adequately cooled in this laptop, even ones with the lowest watts. It might be better to wait and install the low watt AMD 3250e dual-core prcessor when it comes out. But if not, ehat about the old Athlon 64 X2 3800+ that came in AM2?

What other dual core processors in socket AM2 have low wattage?

The 2650e comes in both socket S1 and AM2. Are you sure it's AM2 because from my research the board in the eMachines eMD620 is identical to the one in the Acer 4420-5239 which is socket S1?

The heatsink from the Acer 4420 is much better than the one in the emachines emd620. They can cool AMD TL-64 or TL-66 processors, which are 35 watts. Will that heatsink fit in the emd620?

Could you email me some more picks?

 

There is an older X2 3800 that only uses 35 watts, hard to find. The 2650e uses 15watts and the soon to be released 3250e uses 22watts. The link shows the processor details and the picture is of my processor. cpu-world.com has the specs socket type and information. search ADG2650IAV4DP

 

4850e is in and running. So far no heat or other issues. Full processor reported in bios and desktop. I will run overnight to check for heat. So far 30 minutes running and normal temps.

 

WOW, I am surprised it is working for you. The upgrade from a 1.6GHz single core to a 2.5Ghz dual core should be a very noticeable upgrade.

I hope it works good for you.

You can use core temp, or AMD Overdrive to measure the cpu temperature,
and you can use Orthos to see if it is stable or not.

K-TRON

 

Thanks K-TRON, like you posted earlier in this thread heat would be the issue. My temps have doubled and are now at 54c after running all night with the cover off of the laptop. I can live with that. I think with this cooling setup going anywhere over a 45 watts processor could give a person trouble. I will attach thermal pads to the die and cover to dissapate heat better. The system ROCKS for a sub $400 notebook, $299 best buy special with a few upgrades.

 

You should try undervolting you processor a little with either cpu rightmark or AMD overdrive. You should be able to knock a few degrees off the running temperatures. 54C is not a bad temperature, and for the performance the 4850e has your system has one of the best processors any dual core laptop has.

K-TRON

 

What should the 4850e be underclocked to, so the underpanel can be closed?

 

Right now I am running with the underpanel on and my temps are stable at 58c. The paste is still on the die and computer has been on close to one hour with about 1hour and 38 minutes of battery life left. I am still reading full processor.
Newegg has another 45watt processor the 5050e its a 2.6Ghz that could run in this machine. I'm good at the 2.5Ghz 4850e, the price difference is about $14. Momosgarage I tried to send info, I hope the post have helped you.

 

So at this point it looks like a 45watt processor is not generating too much heat for the stock heatsink?

I have never measured a CPU temperature on a laptop, but do it all the time on desktops. Does anyone have any experience with laptop heatsink performance? Do manufactuers design in the possibility of one standard heatsink serving many different processor temperatures?

I have done lots of desktop PC builds and the stock heatsinks sometimes aren't good enough, is the same true of laptop heatsinks?

 

Yes to all four questions. But like unlike desktop there does'nt seem to be a aftermarket heatsink market for laptops.
What I do is the same thing for my laptop as I do for my Desktop heatsinks is clean the die and polish the heatsink to a mirror finish carefully as to not take away the flat surface then re-clean the heatsink and apply the best thermal pad you can find, only use paste on your laptop for testing. Laptops are subject to different temps because we tend to carry them around with us and most paste can break down and leach to to your circuits. Also if there is a metal backing to the backpanel cover use some of the thermal pad across the heatpipe and heatsink to bridge the heat over to the cover.
Even a stock heatsink can be made to perform as good as or better than some of the aftermarket if you mod the fan and prep it right.

 

fperez please update when you can I am very intereseted in the out come I have purchased this laptop for the wife for x mas. First laptop in the house I have build and moded many of desktops would be the first laptop to consider modifications to. I am the most interested in the extented outcome of your modification. Since this is the first laptop would love any advise in making the same switch?

 

Is everything still running stable? If so, it looks like the power supply can hanble the 45 watts of the processor.

 

Everthing is running great. Since I removed the thermal paste and applied the thermal pads to the die, heatpipe, and outside of heatsink my temps have dropped even further. The thermal pad to the outer heatsink and heatpipe were just folded to fit and make contact with the cover. I used a Fluke temp meter to read the hotspots on the heatsink to determine where the best places to put the pads would be WITHOUT blocking the vents on the cover. Normal intallation to the processor, just a good cleaning and polish to the copper heatsink.
Temps are now 48c-50c and 52c after several hours of gaming with games like FarCry and COD2 type games. Nothing too intense the integrated video wont handle it. But games like these played really good.
The only other upgrades I could see for this machine is to the hard drive, a 7200rpm 16mb cache, and the OS to Premium or even back to XP Pro.
Good luck to all

 

I set up a dual boot in XP and Vista on the Acer 4420-5239 (which has similar specs, drivers and parts) I considered downgrading the emd620-5777 to XP a few weeks ago, but at the time there were no XP drivers for the system (they are up now). So you shouldn't have any trouble at this point moving to XP.

If you clone the existing data on the hard drive to a larger one, you will probably have to give Microsoft a call to free up your license number. As far as I know only Ultra and business Vista will clone a HD and not give you trouble re-activating the license. The current process is not as easy as it was with XP and Ghost.

 

I would really like the step by step pictures and process for this upgrade. Can I have them emailed to me?

 

omg thanks so much for you guys help, i almost bought the wrong upgrade for this laptop. i'm ordering my new 4850e for 57 bucks, fre shipping good deal. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103255

 

fperez I also would like to request the step by step pictures and process to be emailed to me if possible. Wife will be opening this for x-mas and would love to upgrade this soon after for her. Thanks again for all of the information in this thread.

 

Did anyone get these instructions?

 

Not yet. I am hoping to recieve them but with the holidays upon us I don't mind waiting.

 

Just to make this discussion even crazier, what about adding a PCMICA cardbus or memory card reader to the emd620-5777? Since the case for this laptop is the same as the Acer Extensa 4420 series, the bottom of an Acer 4420 could easily be swapped out to replace the one on the emachines emd620-5777. The Acer case has slots for the SD card reader and PCMCIA slot. On the motherboard side of things, I have seen both the SD card reader and PCMICIA boards from the Acer 4420 both for sale on eBay. Does the AMD RS690MC have the same ability to add PCMCIA and SD card reader to the motherboard?

(for example: on the Acer 4420-5239 a 4-pin Bluetooth can be added, even though it was not standard on the model in the U.S. Basically you disassemble the bottom of the laptop and add the piece to the motherboard).

If so, this could be a really exciting low end PC (well if kind of already is when you add the 4850e).

 

lol I just bought this thing out of impulse at Best Try..I mean Buy.
I recently purchased the RAM and processor (4850e) and I am very adept at computers being a support tech for dell and all. Replacing a processor is not my very best thing that I am good at and I would like to know if I can have the process / pictures email to me? I already have all the pictures on this forum in my computer saved already. If you are not able to I can understand. I can technically do this alone but any help will help reduce the time it takes, and saving time is always a plus....which is why I wanted the upgrade. Thanks!


-Reu

 

Reu, any luck on instructions. I wanted to get them before I ordered the processor. I don't really understand how involved they are since I have never replaced a processor. Does it just pull out of the motherboard? Do you just plug the new one in. Any setup required on the OS?
Thx
Rich

 

I am in the same boat as Utahrich. I have worked on several PC builds but never messed with a laptop so just want to make sure i don't overlook anything. Especially since this laptop is the wife's X-mas gift.... So if anyone has received the instructions please post up if you are willing to share them.

For the most part Utahrich yes the processor pulls out of the motherboard they are usually clamped in but release the clamp and out they come. Then you just perform the reverse for installation.

 

ok you guys i'll have step by step instructions up by this time next week with pictures and everything. i'll show you how to upgrade the ram and the CPU. and in about a month i'll show you guys how to upgrade the hard drive. oh and when you guys order your cpu, buy good thermal grease no cheap stuff.


-hoo-rah

 

Bluntman thank you for your assistance. First thing I did was upgrade the RAM. Just looking for the CPU instructions to make sure I don't miss anything. Looks pretty straight forward but want to make sure since this is the first laptop I have attempted modifications to. Looking forward to your posts.

 

Thank you, I"ll get the processor ordered with some thermal grease

 

Ya thanks dude. I did not get the processor yet when I ordered it on Newegg about 3 days ago (12/26/08). I do know how to change the processor but my main concern is what he did with the thermal pads to help keep the temperatures stable. YA I bought premium grade thermal paste too and I got that the same day I ordered it (come Newegg seriously?!) So probably when you put the pictures up I will hopefully have my processor.

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=336445

Ive been playing around with this laptop. Been having a blast modding her. Here is the thread i started hope this helps some

 

I'll have to post at least six seperate to get all of the pictures because we can only post five at a time. 1-5

 

pictures 6 through 10

 

pictures 11 through 15

 

pictures 16 through 21

 

pictures 21 through 24

 

I hope that I helped someone at least with some of the instructions. the holidays have been real busy. Good luck to everybody working on their machines.

 

That is a very helpful guide. I am sure your hard work is going to help out everyone else in this thread who wants to upgrade their system

From the looks of it, every non-phenom based AM2 processor should work in the EMD620-5777
So even a 6400+ should work

K-TRON

 

Wow Thanks fperez! I do have one question:

How did you organize the heatsink with the pads from below? I see seven pads total when you said you used eight. Six on top and one on the processor I assume? Thanks again your a BIG help!

 

Typo... I meant seven, I used eight because I trashed one removing it from the the plastic.
Last update on system is the temps are normally around 52c and battery life runs close to 2hrs for web surfing 1.5 or slightly less for gaming with video settings on high for games.

 

Infrared temp meter was used for hotspots that did not block the vents on cover.

 

so you used absolutely no thermal paste right? just pads?

 

Hey I just bought one of those eMachines eMD620-5777 a few days ago as my christmas present (hahaha). I was reading on here trying to find out about upgrading the memory from 1GB to 4GB the manual that comes with the computer and the manual on the website for eMachines have conflicting information. So anyway as I read on here someone upgraded their memory with 2Gb of PC6400 800Mhz of memory, and others used 2x 2Gb of PC5300 667MHz (4Gb). Naturally I followed suite and upgraded mine with 4Gigs using PC5300 667MHz.

Well yesterday I went out on a whim since I figured I have the money I'd buy 4gbs of the 800MHz and I know its faster than 667mhz but no one knows if it will work since the specs says the computer only maxes out at 2GB. Well I got 2x 2Gb of PC6400 800Mhz and it works just the same as when I had 667mhz in there. Windows Vista recognizes the 4.00GB and that's all I know.

My next step is to upgrade the CPU as I've read someone else has done on here, but I was looking at other processors and not particularly the one that was being discussed in this forum. And really...does the motherboard for this emachines model facilitate a dual-core processor? I'm really leaning toward such a thing. I might have to just swap the motherboard for another one just so I can have a better onboard graphics chip, but of course that would defeat the purpose of purchasing a cheap computer since intense gaming wasn't the intent.

I seen a AMD single-core processor 2.6Ghz that I could use. If this motherboard does support dual-core then perhaps I should AMD 2.6Ghz Dual-core.

Can someone tell me what they thing of this?

 

An amd athlon 6400+ is a 125 watt cpu lol. That laptop wont be a laptop at that point. I dont see why a phenom wouldnt work they have some 65watt phenoms out there i belive and they are designed to work with older chipsets they just cant use faster memory and other things.