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Help CPU replacement

R

RBA

Member
I have the Toshiba A45-S121 and I broke the a couple pins on the CPU. I guess this can't be fix. So I need to replace the CPU. What can I replace it with? It's a Celeron 2.8 ghz chip.

What are my options from cheapest, to modest, to most expensive upgrade. The laptop has always ran hot. I was cleaning out the dust when I broke the pins on the cpu.

Thanks
 
So after doing a couple of searches, I found that your laptop uses the 852GME Chipset.
http://www.intel.com/products/chipsets/852gme/

It supports a 533mhz FSB, so you could theoretically use any Mobile Pentium4, Mobile Celeron or newer Celeron D's.

Tell me, does the broken processor have the heatspreader, or is it an exposed core? I'm thinking exposed core, but you never know. A CeleronD 3.2ghz processor is only 130 bucks from Newegg and would actually be a significant increase over your current 2.8 due to double the L2 cache and higher FSB, and still being on the cheap. You may need to remove the heatspreader yourself though.

You're pretty much wide open to and Pentium4 or Celeron/CeleronD processor that's on the 533mhz FSB and S478. Just keep heat/voltage/power consumption in mind. Faster processors require more voltage, produce more heat and use more power. If you stay plugged in almost all the time, this may not be a big deal for you.
 
Okay, I'm not as smart as I would like to be on this.

I think it has the heat spreader. If you mean the big piece "glued" to the cpu. The piece I was trying to clean as dust was getting inside it.

As a side note, the Toshiba A45-S121 was advertised as having a "mobile" celeron in them. They actually used a regular celeron and Toshiba offered a refund at the time. Since I got it under $500 after rebaes, I just kept it.
 
Since the Celeron Ds are based on the Prescott core I don't think you'd want to try putting that in a laptop designed for a Northwood core. Celeron D/ Prescott requires more amperage and will probably not work in your laptop.

Are you sure the chip won't still work? Alot of the pins on the P4 are just for power / grounding...so if you break off one or two they can typically still function properly. If not then I'd look for an older Celeron.
 
Yes, it look like the one on the left. So it's a desktop chip.

Also, it won't boot at all, (It won't even power on) there is about 3 pins broken off as far as I can tell. All on the corners.
 
http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?p=2.8A_1M&c=pw
Specifications
Mfr Part Number: RK80546PE0721M
Processor Type: Pentium 4 processor
Processor Frequency: 2.80A GHz
Socket: 478 pin PPGA
Bus Speed: 533 MHz
L2 Cache Size: 1 MB
L2 Cache Speed: 2.80 GHz
Manufaturing Technology: 90 nm


I'm thinking of going with the Pentium 4 here.

Anyone think that's a good choice?

Thanks
 
That's a Prescott CPU and will need more amperage than your laptop can probably provide. Also, if you remember when Prescott first came out alot of desktop motherboards had problems because they couldn't provide the right amperage -- i.e. capacitors were either overheating / ready to blow. So I think a laptop would choke if it's not designed for it.

Better to find a Northwood core -- 512kb cache: http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=P42800B478&cat=CPU
 
With the old Celeron seated in as best I could with the broken pins, when I turn the laptop on the heatsink attach to the CPU is hot as hell and the fan does not come on. Question: Does anyone think I have more problems than a broken CPU. Would the improperly CPU still transfer heat and not let the system boot up with fan?

Anyone understand?
 
Could be something else wrong but I'm no familiar with Toshiba post codes -- or if they'd have them. Do you hear any beeps from the laptop? Have you tried hooking it up to an external monitor to see if you get any display?

Whenever I've seen motherboard problems in laptops the CPU has never heated up...so everything may be ok with your laptop -- the CPU could just be messed. Do you know anyone with a socket 478 motherboard that you could check the CPU with?
 
I'm not hearing any beeps and no sound (or HD light) from the hard drive. So I think it's the CPU. I don't know anyone with a motherboard.

I hope the new CPU from the Geeks works for me. I should clean the old cooling paste off with alcohol? And apply new paste? correct?
 
UPDATE:

CPU is overheating causing system to shutdown. Any suggestions? Anyway to cool this thing down.
 
Are you sure you re-attached the heatsink properly? May want to double check it. Also, make sure you're using a good thermal paste like Arctic Silver III and that the bottom of the heatsink and CPU die is cleaned with 99% alcohol first. Then you just need a thin layer of the paste on top of the cpu's heatspreader.

Make sure that the heatsink & exhaust vent are completely free of dust (may want to blast them out with compressed air). And that the fan spins up!

Use mobilemeter to check your temps: http://www.geocities.co.jp/SiliconValley-Oakland/8259/

 
Okay, the layer of paste is pretty thick. I used the whole tube that came with the CPU. So I'm going to try and rectify that. Who sells the paste locally? CompUSA?

Thanks
 
I believe your local radioshack should be able to hook you up with some paste. Last time I checked they definitely carried some type of thermal paste for CPU/HS attachment. I'm not sure what size tube you had, but generally you only need a little bit. You can try spreading it with the edge of a credit card - and clean the old stuff off with isopropyl alcohol and a q-tip. I've never actually used a modern CPU with a heatspreader - last computer I built used an AMD XP2500+. I would assume the even and thin rule still applies when applying paste though. If you put on too much the processor can very well overheat. The idea of paste is to fill in the tiny "cracks" between the HS and the die/headspreader - not form a thick layer between them.
 
Is that temperature after you replaced the thermal paste? You need just a thin layer -- about the thickness of a piece of paper. Arctic Silver is probably one of the better ones out there to use. The white paste you can get sometimes doesn't perform as well.

If you cant get any paste you could just remove the heatsink and scrape off the excess paste.

Here's some instructions: Link
 
I put a thin layer less than paper thickness. I'm now getting a reading of 64 C after I rebooted the machine. The temperature is constant. HDD is 48 degree.
 
Temps are still pretty high. Is the fan spinning and is there any dust in the exhaust vent / heatsink fins?

If it still gives you problems you could always buy one of those laptop coolers:

Basic Cooler

Antec Aluminum Cooler

I think the Antec one may provide slightly better cooling, but it's a little more $$

 
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