Upgrade from Celeron M to Pentium M

[13b590j]

Would I be right in assuming that it is possible (and easy) to upgrade an Intel Celeron M processor 370 (1.5 GHz, MB L2 cache, 400 MHz front-side bus) to an Intel Pentium M processor 760 (2.0 GHz, 2 MB L2 cache, 533 MHz front-side bus)?

Extract from my Lenovo C-100 laptop spec:

Available Processors

Intel Celeron M processor 370 (1.5 GHz), 1-MB L2 cache
Intel Celeron M processor 380 (1.6 GHz), 1-MB L2 cache
Intel Pentium M processor 730 (1.6 GHz), 2-MB L2 cache
Intel Pentium M processor 740 (1.73 GHz), 2-MB L2 cache
Intel Pentium M processor 750 (1.86 GHz), 2-MB L2 cache
Intel Pentium M processor 760 (2.0 GHz), 2-MB L2 cache

Bus architecture

v 533-MHz PSB
533-MHz DDR2 SDRAM (PC2-4200)
HUB link
PCI bus
LPC bus

Thanks

 

[joefriday]

looks like you'll be fine.

 

[rodney_ws]

I think it really depends on the thermal characteristics of each processor... in other words... how damned hot is the new CPU going to run? If your particular laptop was originally offered with the CPU you're considering, you should be fine as long as you make sure the processor has good contact with with heatsink/fan... you'll probably want to invest in some thermal paste.

 

[jwolf24601]

The hard part will be disassembling your laptop. Go slow and take notes if you've not done it before.

Hopefully your current heatsink isnt glued to the old processor. Would make it much harder to remove.

 

[13b590j]

I've got hold of a Hardware Maintenance Manual for my laptop. It looks straight forward to replace the CPU and there is no mention of thermal paste or glue.

I was pretty sure that the part was compatible just wanted some else to confirm it.

Thanks for your help.

 

[MU_Engineer]

Would I be right in assuming that it is possible (and easy) to upgrade an Intel Celeron M processor 370 (1.5 GHz, MB L2 cache, 400 MHz front-side bus) to an Intel Pentium M processor 760 (2.0 GHz, 2 MB L2 cache, 533 MHz front-side bus)?

It should be easy as long as the notebook uses a socketed (PGA) rather than a soldered (BGA) unit. You'll figure out which one it is as soon as you open up the computer and take a look at it. BGA CPUs require an expensive vacuum desoldering tool and fine dexterity to remove the solder and then an expensive soldering rig set up to Intel's FCBGA6 arrangement to get everything soldered correctly. My guess is that since there are several CPU choices listed and none are LV or ULV, it's going to be a standard mPGA-479 socket and an easy swap job. Most standard-voltage CPUs are PGA, but some models, especially thin-and-light ones, use the BGA chips to save on thickness. These units will offer one or two CPU choices per model because the OEM orders the CPU already soldered to the boards and doesn't want to be stuck with a bunch of unsold boards with the less-popular speed CPU on it. Also, all LV and ULV chips will be BGA as well, mostly because of the thickness factor.

One more thing: make sure to remove all thermal grease from the heatsink with some anhydrous or nearly anhydrous (<10% H2O) solvent like absolute ethanol, xylene, or Goof-Off (xylene, toluene + a few ethers and ketones IIRC.) Wipe the top of the new CPU off with the solvent too, for good measure. Then put a half-a-grain-of-rice-sized bead of thermal grease on the die of the new CPU and spread with a credit card to make a thin, hazy layer. Then put the heatsink back on and fire the computer up with some high-stress application like Prime95 or Folding@Home for a day or so to ensure a good thermal grease cure, watching the temps all along.

Happy swapping!

 

[joefriday]

Pretty sure Intel never made a BGA Celeron M 370.

 

[warlordone]

If you want more speed for free you can pin mod your Celeron M which will get you to 2Ghz. If you're doing this to add speedstep you could do the same with a Dothan 715 (1.5Ghz) to net a 2Ghz Pentium M. The cost is half as much by using a Dothan over the Sonoma. I've had 100% success in pinmodding and undervolting the Celeron M's and Pentium M's up to 1.6Ghz stock speed (for 2.13Ghz on the laptop).

Your Lappy is compatible with both Dothan (400Mhz FSB) and Sonoma (533 Mhz FSB) Processors. Also if it can handle the heat of a Celeron M that runs 100% speed at all times you won't have any issues with the speedstep enabled Pentium M's. You'll find that swapping out to a PM will allow your laptop to run cooler, faster, and longer on batteries.

If you need any help let me know.