help upgrading a laptop processor

[NamelessNom4d]

So here's the deal. I have this Compaq Presario CQ50-139WM laptop that I got a couple years ago. The whole reason I got this laptop is because it was on sale at Walmart for $298, so I figured, hell, why not that's pretty cheap! And it's really not a bad computer at all for the price. I've put a few upgrades into it since I've owned it and it's been a very cheap reliable laptop. I got an extended battery and a 750 GB 7200 RPM hard drive for it and that's actually made it a pretty sweet machine except for one thing: the CPU. It came stock with an Intel Celeron 575 clocked at 2.00 GHz, and it's a single core. This is slow as fuck nowdays. So I went on eBay last week for the hell of it and checked out some Socket P Core 2 Duos that would theoretically fit into this thing. I found a P8600 Core 2 Duo for only $20 which is a fucking steal. This CPU is dual core, with more cache memory and 2.40 GHz so it should be significantly faster than the shitty Celeron.

Anyway, I switched the CPUs and put some fresh thermal paste on the new one, carefully put everything back together and fired it up. Aaaaaand it doesn't work.



Did that like a half an hour ago and I'm stumped. It SHOULD work, at least I think so. It's the correct socket and the P8600 appears to be supported, but then I'm not 100% sure as there isn't a lot of documentation on upgrading this exact machine. I figured from here it could be a few things, but I'm not sure what to do next. I've mentally narrowed down the problem to these options, unless I'm missing something:

1. The CPU is simply not supported. This is a high-ish end Core 2 Duo and I'm upgrading from the lowest of the low grade Celerons, which this laptop was designed to handle. I guess it's possible the Core 2 Duo I put in it draws too much power or something and it just won't work. That would suck but I guess I wouldn't be surprised.

2. The BIOS doesn't know what the fuck I just put in it. I never upgraded the BIOS on this laptop, it didn't occur to me that I might have to. But I've never upgraded a processor on a laptop before, so I also thought that if I had to update the BIOS I could do it AFTER I installed the CPU (this is what I had to do with my desktop, the computer booted and worked anyway but it didn't know what kind of CPU it was running). So maybe on laptops like this if the BIOS doesn't know what kind of CPU it is the computer just won't work.

3. The CPU I got is shot. I bought it for way cheaper than they were listed elsewhere, but it was listed as tested and working so I assumed I had a working processor. Although I guess there is the off chance that it got damaged during shipping or it was on the way out anyway. Unfortunately I do not have an easy way of testing it. I have another laptop on hand but that one is more difficult to take apart than this one and I REALLY don't want to take that machine apart again. I guess if I really felt like it I could though, and see if the CPU works in that machine.

So what do you guys think? I'm about to take apart the computer FUCKING AGAIN and put the old CPU back, then try to update the BIOS and do the CPU swap over again. I really really really hope that works, because I'm already a little pissed off that this didn't work the first time.

Oh yeah and I forgot, with the new CPU this is what happens when you power it on: It powers on but nothing shows up on the screen, it does not POST or anything, then it powers back off by itself. Sometimes it will randomly come back on again and stay on. Taking the RAM out or trying spare RAM made no difference, so it's definitely the CPU.

So any of you expert enough to figure out what's going on here? I'm pretty good with computers but this is the first time I've upgraded a laptop CPU especially on a laptop that was low-end stock.

[IIIII]

The laptop has a 667 MHz FSB and that CPU has a 1066 MHz FSB so that is probably the problem.

The site below has some upgrades listed.

All models support: MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology (EIST), Intel 64, XD bit (an NX bit implementation), iAMT2 (Intel Active Management)
Model 7600G features an unlocked clock multiplier and can be overclocked up to 3.16 GHz.
Intel VT-x: Supported by T5600 and all T7xxx
Intel Dynamic Front Side Bus Frequency Switching: Supported by E1, G0, G2, M0 Steppings
Socket P processors are capable of throttling the front-side bus (FSB) anywhere between 400–800 MT/s as necessary.
Die size: 143 mm2 (Merom), 111 mm2 (Merom-2M)
Steppings: B2, E1, G0, G2 (Merom), L2, M0 (Merom-2M)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...ge.2C_65_nm.29

[NamelessNom4d]

Originally Posted by IIIII

The laptop has a 667 MHz FSB and that CPU has a 1066 MHz FSB so that is probably the problem.

The site below has some upgrades listed.




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...ge.2C_65_nm.29

Yeah probably should've done a little more research before I decided to go and buy this CPU. Although it did occur to me the 1066 FSB might be an issue I thought that it simply supports up to the 1066 FSB where my old CPU did not. I figured this would allow me to upgrade the memory to higher speed memory if I wanted to.

Socket P processors are capable of throttling the front-side bus (FSB) anywhere between 400–800 MT/s as necessary.

I guess we will see, I did successfully update the BIOS so hopefully it will work now and recognize the CPU. I guess I won't be too broken up if it doesn't work, I can always order a 667 Core 2 Duo for like $7 on eBay lol. It just won't be as fast as this one.

[NamelessNom4d]

So yeah, looks like I fucked up by buying that processor. Laptop motherboards, or at least this one, do not seem to be very flexible. So this board will most likely only accept 667 FSB CPUs, and me buying a 1066 mhz one was an error. I updated the BIOS and tried the new processor but it still didn't seem to want to boot. I don't think it will boot with this CPU either because there is no way to change the bus speed on the board or underclock the bus speed on the processor. If I want to get a dual core I will have to get one that runs at a 667 FSB speed.

FUCK

[roasted]

Not to kick a guy when he's down, but you probably wont be able to return that CPU you bought. I dont know of anybody who accepts open box returns on CPUs...

[NamelessNom4d]

Originally Posted by roasted

Not to kick a guy when he's down, but you probably wont be able to return that CPU you bought. I dont know of anybody who accepts open box returns on CPUs...

I got it on ebay anyway, no worries. Only thing that bugs me is that I paid $20 instead of like $7 just because I wanted to push for a faster CPU. If I got the cheap one like I originally intended it probably would've been fine AND I would've spent less money.

Right now I'm trying to figure out if this board will accept 800 mhz FSB processors because all the 667 ones I'm looking at suck.


this would explain why laptop CPUs are so cheap though, I was wondering why on ebay you can get 1.5GHz Core 2 Duos for < $4

[NamelessNom4d]

YES!

It works with a Core 2 Duo T7300. 2.00 GHz, 800 MHz FSB, 4 MB Cache

Only cost me $10

Except I wasted money on that P8600 and a shitty little 667 Core 2 Duo which now I won't use.

Still, it's noticably faster with a Core 2 Duo. Minecraft sucks a little bit less when I try to run it. XD