Need help upgrading CPU

[The Mailman]

Hi, quick question

is it possible to upgrade a laptop with a MK series AMD Turion CPU to one of the newer X2 processors? Both are Socket S1 if you need to know

just wondering on compatibility issues, if any

thanks

 

[TheStu]

If the laptop has an actual socket and not a soldered processor then yes, it is possible. However you would have to check to make sure that the chipset supports both the MK and the X2. I really don't have any idea how to check that out.

 

[The Mailman]

alright, thanks!

i havnt got the laptop yet, shopping around used ones on the 'bay and seeing what my upgrade options would be.

how would I find out if theres a socket or if its soldered without actually owning one to see inside? im looking at the compaq v6000 if it means anything

 

[TheStu]

What are you planning on using the laptop for? If portability and battey life are concerns, I would actually recommend you look toward the Core 2 Duos. They have better power management than the AMD mobile lineup, and the Centrino Suite really does help with things.

 

[The Mailman]

well I was looking at the Compaq v6000 series. Really like the look at have been happy with my current HP. They only seem to be with AMD cpu's on ebay though...

Battery life that big difference between the Centrino Duo's and the X2's? What difference we talking here?

 

[TheStu]

I honestly couldnt say, it is pretty hard to guage since there aren't too many laptops out there that are equivalently equipped in terms of everything but the processor.

If the battery life isnt too big of an issue, then go for what you want. I don't think it will be that considerable, but the fact remains that it is better battery life than the AMDs. I am not saying anything like double the life but it will be better.

 

[zig3695]

Originally posted by: TheStu
What are you planning on using the laptop for? If portability and battey life are concerns, I would actually recommend you look toward the Core 2 Duos. They have better power management than the AMD mobile lineup, and the Centrino Suite really does help with things.

what does 'centrino marketing ploy' help with?

i really would like to see some real-world benches on battery life between core2 and turion x2 laptops. i HIGHLY doubt its anything really worth worrying about. i absolutely love my amd laptop, even though it wasnt my first choice of processor.

 

[TheStu]

Originally posted by: zig3695

Originally posted by: TheStu
What are you planning on using the laptop for? If portability and battey life are concerns, I would actually recommend you look toward the Core 2 Duos. They have better power management than the AMD mobile lineup, and the Centrino Suite really does help with things.

what does 'centrino marketing ploy' help with?

i really would like to see some real-world benches on battery life between core2 and turion x2 laptops. i HIGHLY doubt its anything really worth worrying about. i absolutely love my amd laptop, even though it wasnt my first choice of processor.

In order to recieve the Centrino Sticker, certain parts of laptop have to be compatible with each other beyond simple plug and play. A Centrino laptop will generally get better battery life than a comparably equipped machine that is not in centrino spec (the wireless card is different or something like that). As far as benchmarks go, I have never seen one that compares just because of the difficulty involved with comparing two laptops with different processors. It is one thing to compare desktops since you can get everything almost identical on them, but not so on a laptop.

I do know that my two friends got Inspirons at about the same time (maybe 1 month apart tops) one with a Core 2 and the other with the Turion. The clock speeds were about the same, and so was everything else. They both had onboard graphics, 15" screens at 1280*800 i think (definitely the same res) same amount of RAM, different sized hard drives. So very close to the same machine, as close as can be at least, and I saw that the Core 2 lasted anywhere from 30-60 minutes longer depending on what they were doing. It seemed that if they weren't doing anything major (listening to music with the wifi off) the Intel definitely beat the AMD, but when you actually started doing stuff on them, there was not that significant a difference that was the 30 minute difference.

 

[zig3695]

ok... so i was right. im kiddin man im not sayin that but it seems you just explained exactly what i was tryin to say. 1- the actual laptop matters more then the chip does when it comes to battery life, and 2- core2 can maybe/probably give you 30min more on a charge so people can take that for what they want.

i suppose by your explanation that we could base the difference on what the person is actually doing with the laptop then. word processing, internet, regular stuff there will probably be a noticeable improvement for battery life with core2's, but for heavy use forget about it- just buy whatever tickles your pickle.

my only problem with centrino was it pretty much sucked in my t40, and, my 1501, without centrino crap, works TWICE as good. easily, and thats not just sayin. i get better range, cooler running and worry free use out of the dell. the t40 was a mess, especially when i tried to swap out the wifi card (youre definitely right, EVERYTHING has to match perfectly ) im actually much happier knowing now there are a wide range of cards i could use for internal wifi, as i saw literally no real world benefit to the centrino package anyway.

 

[The Mailman]

well you could, for example, get 2 Compaq v6000's

the line has both intel centrino or turion x2, so i assume all specs would and could be the same - save for the CPU and chipset

that would provide an even playing field

 

[The Mailman]

back on topic, I found this on another forum....

"MK-36 just give you an opportunity to upgrade to X2 when 65nm price is down. If you are not a DIY fan, then there is no difference, you won't change your CPU on your own anyway." src: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=92567

so, does this suggest I would be able to upgrade? just want to make sure i'm reading it right