Laptop CPU upgrade

Factual Questions
1

Anyone with any experience upgrading a laptop with a new CPU? I am quite experienced with desktops but have never even opened up a laptop. Mine is a Compaq PIII-750 purchased last year and I am thinking of upping it to a 1.1GHz (or whatever is the fastest chip in the same technology node as my 750. Is the CPU typically in a socket or soldered in? Is the heatsink typically attached with thermal epoxy? Any other pitfalls?

2

There’s a very good chance that you can’t upgrade it…or if you can, you’ll have to get Compaq to do it.

  1. Name brand computers often have proprietary parts.

  2. Laptops, and in my experience particularly presarios, can be a REAL pain to open up and get back together.

  3. The motherboard determines what kinds of porcessors the computer can handle. Yours may not be upgradable.

Basically, you need to call Compaq and ask them. Their website may be able to tell you.

3

*Originally posted by sghoul *
**There’s a very good chance that you can’t upgrade it…or if you can, you’ll have to get Compaq to do it.

  1. Name brand computers often have proprietary parts.**

Even the CPU?

2) Laptops, and in my experience particularly presarios, can be a REAL pain to open up and get back together.

:mad:

3) The motherboard determines what kinds of porcessors the computer can handle. Yours may not be upgradable.

Yeah, that’s what I meant by the fastest processor in the same technology node, though the bios may be limited in what multipliers it will recognize, I suppose. The website seems pretty useless for laptop support.

**Basically, you need to call Compaq and ask them. Their website may be able to tell you. **

I’ll do that. I just assumed they wouldn’t be too motivated to help.

Thanks for your help, sghoul!

4

Well, the CPU, would be “normal” but I have seen them be built in to the motherboard.

And Compaq will be very helpful, because more than likely, you will have to buy the parts from them. And, I should point out that in my experience as a warrantee provider for Dell, Compaq, and HP (all in the past), parts you buy from them cost WAY more than they should. It may end up that you would be better off buying a whole new laptop…a GENERIC one if you can find it :slight_smile: