Mobile Processor Help

[CrazyTeaPot]

Hi,

I have a Compaq Presario CQ62 (http://www.amazon.com/Presario-CQ62-214NR-Celeron-802-11n-Windows/dp/B0040ZRH3E). I'm wondering if this processor (http://www.amazon.com/Pentium-Dual-core-T4200-Mobile-Processor/dp/B001XSP49K/ref=wl_it_dp_o_npd?ie=UTF8&coliid=I2U0Q83IVOPC48&colid=19Q50X0TNXSCR) is compatible with my notebook?

Thanks!

[diluzio91]

short answer? Maybe. The socket is the same, but it all depends on what the bios will support, i would shoot an email to compaq. Make sure you talk to someone who knows whats going on though, not the low level guy who asks if you restarted your computer when you ask about the bios

[Outlaw]

Don't forget to check thermal output even if the BIOS and cpu socket are supported. Also, do at your own risk! Laptops aren't like desktops in the sense of swapping parts.

OK, looked up the specs for you.
Celeron 900 2.2Ghz SPEC (http://ark.intel.com/products/41498/Intel-Celeron-Processor-900-%281M-Cache-2_20-GHz-800-MHz-FSB%29)
Pentium Dual Core T4200 SPEC (http://ark.intel.com/products/37251/Intel-Pentium-Processor-T4200-%281M-Cache-2_00-GHz-800-MHz-FSB%29)

I did this on a desktop. Put unsuppored (per sys board manufacturer) processor into my system. I went from a 65nm C2D to a 45nm C2Q. It didn't like it but it worked as a dual core at 800Mhz. BIOS update fixed everything and I am still using it. Chances are, the swap would work based off what little knowledge is currently known. WORST CASE- It doesn't work and you are out the 8-20 bucks it costs (check ebay). BEST CASE- A lot of performance gained.

Good Luck,
Outlaw

[CrazyTeaPot]

They seem exactly the same, and were released pretty much at the same time, except one has an extra core. Makes me wonder if perhaps Intel simply made a dual core version of the Celeron and rebranded it as a Dual Core?

[Outlaw]

It's possible. per intels website, they should be OK being the same socket and same thermal output. The question would be if the BIOS excepts it. Unless you find a detailed list of approved procy's for your board/BIOS, you wont know until you buy and install it.

They don't appear to be too expensive either if it doesn't work out. Just remember to clean the contact points well and apply new thermal paste.

Good Luck,
Outlaw

[CrazyTeaPot]

Update! Also cross posting for laziness and to get a wider sample of replies. ^_^

The Laptop: Compaq Presario CQ62-219WM

The Processor: Celeron M 900

Socket Type: 478

Codename: Penryn

TDP: 35W

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Intel-Celeron-M-900-Notebook-Processor.33961.0.html

So, assuming that the processor is even removable (From looking at similar motherboards on ebay, it seems that it might very well be), wouldn't I be able to basically drop any similar processors in and have it work? So long as they're 478, Penryn, etc etc?

Has anyone ever upgraded their notebook processors before? How did it go?

Thanks!!

Edit: Here is the service manual.

http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c02542455.pdf

Processor info is on 4-47. It does seem that the processor is not soldered and is removable. There is also a list of processors there, but I can't make heads or tails of what it means. :/

Edit:

http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Hardware-Upgrades-Replacements/cq62-219wm-cpu-compatable/td-p/952727

Looks like I can get a Core 2 Duo, if that person is telling the truth. I don't see why not though? It matches up with everything?

Edit: And.. I have no idea how to flash a BIOS. Or if it's even required? Hmm.

[Cale_Hagan]

Update! Also cross posting for laziness and to get a wider sample of replies. ^_^

The Laptop: Compaq Presario CQ62-219WM

The Processor: Celeron M 900

Socket Type: 478

Codename: Penryn

TDP: 35W

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Intel-Celeron-M-900-Notebook-Processor.33961.0.html

So, assuming that the processor is even removable (From looking at similar motherboards on ebay, it seems that it might very well be), wouldn't I be able to basically drop any similar processors in and have it work? So long as they're 478, Penryn, etc etc?

Has anyone ever upgraded their notebook processors before? How did it go?

Thanks!!

Edit: Here is the service manual.

http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c02542455.pdf

Processor info is on 4-47. It does seem that the processor is not soldered and is removable. There is also a list of processors there, but I can't make heads or tails of what it means. :/

Edit:

http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Hardware-Upgrades-Replacements/cq62-219wm-cpu-compatable/td-p/952727

Looks like I can get a Core 2 Duo, if that person is telling the truth. I don't see why not though? It matches up with everything?

Edit: And.. I have no idea how to flash a BIOS. Or if it's even required? Hmm.

just a thought, if you don't know how to flash bios, how do you expect to take apart and put back together a laptop? i know how to do bios flash, and way more, but i can tell you from experience, on alot of older hp's, like the dv8000, getting there to the mainboard is a nightmare, especially if you lack the knowledge to flash bios. this may sound kind of negative, but i assure you it is meant in the best of intentions, i had a friend do something similar, and his laptop forever didn't run afterwards. even with dis-assembly instructions... and me trying to figure out what he did wrong. :whistler:

[CrazyTeaPot]

just a thought, if you don't know how to flash bios, how do you expect to take apart and put back together a laptop? i know how to do bios flash, and way more, but i can tell you from experience, on alot of older hp's, like the dv8000, getting there to the mainboard is a nightmare, especially if you lack the knowledge to flash bios. this may sound kind of negative, but i assure you it is meant in the best of intentions, i had a friend do something similar, and his laptop forever didn't run afterwards. even with dis-assembly instructions... and me trying to figure out what he did wrong. :whistler:

I've taken apart 3 laptops before. The first 2 were primarily just out of curiosity... and it didn't end super well in either case. lol

But the last one, which was a DV6000 with that crazy faulty BGA issue where it needs to be re-soldered/re-heated to the board, was more or less a success. The only problem I had was that one corner wouldn't go down all the way, but it was barely noticeable. Another problem... is that I had like 7 screws leftover. lol Which happens to me every time! I swear they spawn themselves once removed...

I've never flashed a BIOS though. I have no idea or even a clue on how to do it. But, from what I've gotten in response on other websites, it seems like it'll work so long as I flash the BIOS correctly before taking out the Celeron 900 and putting in the new processor.

So, can anyone help me on that? Because I genuinely have no clue what to do or where to even get the BIOS from. :/

[CrazyTeaPot]

I went to the HP website and installed the BIOS from there, but, it's exactly the same as the one that is currently installed. So. Hmm. :/

That was stupidly easy, by the way. I was expecting something... more. lol

[Cale_Hagan]

I've taken apart 3 laptops before. The first 2 were primarily just out of curiosity... and it didn't end super well in either case. lol

But the last one, which was a DV6000 with that crazy faulty BGA issue where it needs to be re-soldered/re-heated to the board, was more or less a success. The only problem I had was that one corner wouldn't go down all the way, but it was barely noticeable. Another problem... is that I had like 7 screws leftover. lol Which happens to me every time! I swear they spawn themselves once removed...

I've never flashed a BIOS though. I have no idea or even a clue on how to do it. But, from what I've gotten in response on other websites, it seems like it'll work so long as I flash the BIOS correctly before taking out the Celeron 900 and putting in the new processor.

So, can anyone help me on that? Because I genuinely have no clue what to do or where to even get the BIOS from. :/

well, if you are intent on doing it, i will help guide you.

first off, having extra screws, keep them together, draw out a schematic on paper and label them so they all go back together, put tape over the screws on paper. when disassembling, its also best to use an esd wristband. usually you want to disassemble in a room with hardwood floors, nothing really conductive or static electricity bearing. that being said as precautions, lets get to bios flashing...
DO AT YOUR OWN RISK. A FAILED FLASH CAN RESULT IN CATASTROPHIC RESULTS, THAT YOUR MAINBOARD WILL NOT BE ABLE TO RECOVER FROM.

its actually pretty simple these days, most manufacturers create a .exe to run from within windows, with your bios update. they almost always check file, if that is the case. verify it is the correct brand/version you are updating, if it is phoenix (which with it being hp it probably is) make sure that is the one you download. go to HP's website for the product, and enter all the model specific info on the sticker on your laptop to get the most accurate results. when you run it, it is extremely important you do not lose power, or it shut down for any reason while updating, or you risk unrecoverable issues. its pretty easy, if its an exe run it, and just follow the directions. another nice thing about hp is they are known for overheating- bios updates sometimes help with that is what they told me, and weather i believe that or not, is a totally different subject. lol

[CrazyTeaPot]

its actually pretty simple these days, most manufacturers create a .exe to run from within windows, with your bios update. they almost always check file, if that is the case. verify it is the correct brand/version you are updating, if it is phoenix (which with it being hp it probably is) make sure that is the one you download. go to HP's website for the product, and enter all the model specific info on the sticker on your laptop to get the most accurate results. when you run it, it is extremely important you do not lose power, or it shut down for any reason while updating, or you risk unrecoverable issues. its pretty easy, if its an exe run it, and just follow the directions. another nice thing about hp is they are known for overheating- bios updates sometimes help with that is what they told me, and weather i believe that or not, is a totally different subject. lol

Yep, that's exactly what I did. Found the exact model of my laptop, downloaded the BIOS file from there and it self installed with all the typical warnings and the like. However, it was the same BIOS version as the one that was already on here. I went through with it anyways, just in case, but.. yeah...

How do people even know that a BIOS will support a specific processor or not? I couldn't find anything on that in the description or when I was installing it or anything like that. Sure would make things a lot easier. lol

[CrazyTeaPot]

I just read somewhere that so long as the BIOS is basically up to date with accordance to the manufacturers website, that any hardware changes will be automatically detected and dealt with by the operating system? I was reading a review on Amazon on a similar processor model and they stated that they just popped it right in and the computer restarted once for something to do with the BIOS and then again for the OS, or something like that. I lost the link so I'm not sure. :/

But, that sounds plausible and even a bit familiar? Would that be right at all? Anyone know?

[Outlaw]

I would give it a shot. I spent over 70bucks on a whim of upgrading my motherboard in a laptop and it proved to be worth it.

Here is a comparison of the 3 chips: Celeron 900, Pentium D and C2D T6400
http://ark.intel.com/compare/40479,37251,41498

Based off that I wouldn't see why this wouldn't work. The T6400 is listed for $25 (US) new on ebay. http://www.ebay.com/ctg/Intel-Core-2-Duo-T6400-2-GHz-Dual-Core-AW80577GG0412MA-Processor-/74039814

[CrazyTeaPot]

I decided to buy this one.

http://www.amazon.com/Intel-Core-Mobile-Processor-T8300/dp/B005MFI6P4/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1330565229&sr=1-2

Hopefully I can just pop it in and it'll all go smoothly, else I don't know what to do, since I already checked the HP website for an updated BIOS, which it didn't have. (or I already have it)

I also picked up another 2GB of DDR2 memory, bringing me to 3GB. I couldn't afford another one to bring it to 4GB. T_T Eh, should be enough anyways. I've only seen it get close to maxing out once.

[Cale_Hagan]

I decided to buy this one.

http://www.amazon.com/Intel-Core-Mobile-Processor-T8300/dp/B005MFI6P4/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1330565229&sr=1-2

Hopefully I can just pop it in and it'll all go smoothly, else I don't know what to do, since I already checked the HP website for an updated BIOS, which it didn't have. (or I already have it)

I also picked up another 2GB of DDR2 memory, bringing me to 3GB. I couldn't afford another one to bring it to 4GB. T_T Eh, should be enough anyways. I've only seen it get close to maxing out once.

awesome! looks like it should be good to go!

[Outlaw]

Nice. Should bring a nice performance boost. The extra ram should show big gains too because of the video using up to 797MB. You'll have 2GB dedicated to the system.

Spec of T8300 for anyone interested-
http://ark.intel.com/products/33099/Intel-Core2-Duo-Processor-T8300-%283M-Cache-2_40-GHz-800-MHz-FSB%29

[CrazyTeaPot]

For the love of... sigh.

Okay, the screen won't turn on. At all. In any way. I've taken it apart twice now and reassembled it. I have no idea what's wrong.

There was a thermal pad on the heatsink for the GPU chip which I removed and added a tiny dab of arctic silver.

Aside from that... there's only three cables from the screen. WiFi. A tiny cable and the video cable. All are plugged in. I unplugged and replugged them just to make sure.

I have no idea what the problem could be.........

[CrazyTeaPot]

I replaced the old processor and it changed nothing.

It sounds like everything is working just fine, there's just no video.

[CrazyTeaPot]

Just tried a VGA cable to a monitor. Nothing.

Edit: And new motherboards are $140...

I seriously hate my life sometimes. Nothing ever goes right.

My only guess is that I somehow damaged the GPU... which is just a ridiculous notion. Yet, I see no other possibility.

Can thermal paste damage a chip? I mean, I used a tiny dab. Smaller than a pea. It looks like it still went over the edge of the chip itself, but only by a smidgen. So would that be enough to damage it?

[CrazyTeaPot]

Well, I can't figure it out. I guess if anyone wants to make me an offer for it, it might be worth parting out or repairing it if you know how. Looks like the motherboards go for $140 on ebay, which I can't afford, so. If I could at least get my money back that would be great, which was $70. Here are the specs.

-15.4"
-Intel 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo Processor
-3GB DDR2
-250GB SATA
-Wireless-N
-GMA 4500M with 797MB graphics memory.
-4 Hour Battery Life
-Windows 7 64-Bit

Edit: Woudn't the screen still have power even if the gpu is dead? Maybe it's the cable that's broken?

[Outlaw]

Did you...
verify the CPU is seated properly?
verify the RAM is seated properly?
verify all cables are plugged in securely?
verify cables are not pinched between solder points on board/chips and casing?
verify you didn't scratch the board/s removing screws or putting back in?
verify you used all screws removed?
try putting the original CPU back in?
try putting the original RAM back in?

A little paste off of the primary chip shouldn't be an issue unless it was making contact with pins or other metal leads. The tops of the chips usually don't have this.



From Arctic Silver website

Not Electrically Conductive:
Arctic Silver 5 was formulated to conduct heat, not electricity.
(While much safer than electrically conductive silver and copper greases, Arctic Silver 5 should be kept away from electrical traces, pins, and leads. While it is not electrically conductive, the compound is very slightly capacitive and could potentially cause problems if it bridges two close-proximity electrical paths.)

Hopefully this can get you pointed in the right direction.
Outlaw

[Cale_Hagan]

I replaced the old processor and it changed nothing.

It sounds like everything is working just fine, there's just no video.

check to make sure the video card is all the way in, with any necessary
cables I.E. ribbon cables... also, that can be due to incompatible memory, try swapping that back to old.... but the most important thing in trouble shooting, is to do one change in hardware at a time.

Just tried a VGA cable to a monitor. Nothing.

Edit: And new motherboards are $140...

I seriously hate my life sometimes. Nothing ever goes right.

My only guess is that I somehow damaged the GPU... which is just a ridiculous notion. Yet, I see no other possibility.

Can thermal paste damage a chip? I mean, I used a tiny dab. Smaller than a pea. It looks like it still went over the edge of the chip itself, but only by a smidgen. So would that be enough to damage it?

as i mentioned, i would check above, because that can lead to both.
if neither of those work, i'd look at outlaws suggestions. sometimes, its the littlest most stupid thing... :(


Did you...
verify the CPU is seated properly?
verify the RAM is seated properly?
verify all cables are plugged in securely?
verify cables are not pinched between solder points on board/chips and casing?
verify you didn't scratch the board/s removing screws or putting back in?
verify you used all screws removed?
try putting the original CPU back in?
try putting the original RAM back in?

A little paste off of the primary chip shouldn't be an issue unless it was making contact with pins or other metal leads. The tops of the chips usually don't have this.



From Arctic Silver website

Not Electrically Conductive:
Arctic Silver 5 was formulated to conduct heat, not electricity.
(While much safer than electrically conductive silver and copper greases, Arctic Silver 5 should be kept away from electrical traces, pins, and leads. While it is not electrically conductive, the compound is very slightly capacitive and could potentially cause problems if it bridges two close-proximity electrical paths.)

Hopefully this can get you pointed in the right direction.
Outlaw