Upgrade Laptop CPU? Which one would you pick?

[GTaudiophile]

I have a now 3-year-old HP ZT3300 (3000 Series) laptop that I am not ready to part with. It is in great shape and am thinking about doing a few upgrades.

It currently has 1.25GB of DDR 333Mhz RAM. I think I will take out the 256MB SODIMM and add another 1GB. I will probably also replace the Seagate 80GB 5400RPM HDD with a 7200RPM version from either Seagate or Hitachi.

The stock CPU in the laptop is an Intel Pentium M 705, 1.5Ghz/1MB L2 Cache/.13 micron/Banias CPU.

I have found the how-to videos on HP's web site on how to replace the CPU, and I think I am up to the challenge. The question is, which one?

I am currently considering three new CPUs I have found online, each compatible with my laptop as HP originally offered the laptop with these CPUs as options:

1) Intel Pentium M 715, 1.5Ghz/2MB L2 Cache/.09 micron/Dothan CPU
Condition: New, OEM
Price: $20.00 (eBay)

2) Intel Pentium M 745, 1.8Ghz/2MB L2 Cache/.09 micron/Dothan CPU
Condition: New, OEM
Price: $99.00 (small but reputable online vendor)

3) Intel Pentium M 755, 2.0Ghz/2MB L2 Cache/.09 micron/Dothan CPU
Condition: New, Retail
Price: $315.00 (large, popular, reputable online vendor)

So, is a 500Mhz speed boost worth $295? Or is a 300Mhz speed boost worth $80?

 

[NutBucket]

I'd say option 3 is the least useful...I mean, $300 is about half way to a new lappy, not including what you'd spend on ram and the HD.

I doubt option 1 will net you a noticeable performance increase. Option 2 probably would. Are you planning on reinstalling the OS or just ghosting the drive? Maybe a fresh install will get you the performance you're after without any processor upgrade.

 

[Brainonska511]

With that platform, I remember a lot of people pin-modding Banias CPUs to run at higher clocks. You might want to check it out.

 

[GTaudiophile]

Option 1 gives me at the least another 1MB of L2 Cache and a cooler/less power hungry CPU. For $20, how does one go wrong?
Option 2 is about the most I want to spend and gives the added benefit of a Mhz increase.
Option 3 is just too expensive I think.

So I think it boils down to 1 and 2...

Yes, I would plan on doing a fresh install, not ghosting.

 

[Parasitic]

Originally posted by: GTaudiophile
Option 1 gives me at the least another 1MB of L2 Cache and a cooler/less power hungry CPU. For $20, how does one go wrong?
Option 2 is about the most I want to spend and gives the added benefit of a Mhz increase.
Option 3 is just too expensive I think.

So I think it boils down to 1 and 2...

Yes, I would plan on doing a fresh install, not ghosting.

Lots of things can go wrong with #1, in terms of installing that sucker in your laptop. Plus I don't think you'll see much real-life difference with the doubling of L2 cache?

 

[GTaudiophile]

Originally posted by: Parasitic

Originally posted by: GTaudiophile
Option 1 gives me at the least another 1MB of L2 Cache and a cooler/less power hungry CPU. For $20, how does one go wrong?
Option 2 is about the most I want to spend and gives the added benefit of a Mhz increase.
Option 3 is just too expensive I think.

So I think it boils down to 1 and 2...

Yes, I would plan on doing a fresh install, not ghosting.

Lots of things can go wrong with #1, in terms of installing that sucker in your laptop. Plus I don't think you'll see much real-life difference with the doubling of L2 cache?

So you're saying you would do nothing/don't attempt the upgrade or that option 2 is possible the best value?

 

[alimoalem]

i really doubt the hdd is the bottleneck in ur system...why would u just buy a 7200rpm drive of the same size? it'll be a waste of $80 (newegg pricing).

for cpu, i say go for #2 or nothing.

 

[GTaudiophile]

Originally posted by: alimoalem
i really doubt the hdd is the bottleneck in ur system...why would u just buy a 7200rpm drive of the same size? it'll be a waste of $80 (newegg pricing).

for cpu, i say go for #2 or nothing.

I just upgraded my mom's laptop from a 4200 RPM drive to a 7200 and noticed a massive difference. Therefore I was thinking about doing the same for my laptop.

 

[GTaudiophile]

Any additional commentary?