Help- Can I upgrade the CPU in my Satellite laptop?

kosimov

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May 19, 2009
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I have a Toshiba Satellite model # 2455-S305 laptop. It has a ~2.6GHz Pentium4 CPU, 1GB Ram, etc. The FSB is at 533 MHz. I can supply more details if necessary.

I am an EE (Electrical/Electronic Engineer) with a lot of experience in general hardware and software, but, I do not have much experience with overclocking, CPU upgrades, CPU part numbers vs. performance and other specs, etc. I can design about anything which would be required for the question I am going to ask, but I need more information first, and I am a bit lost trying to wade through many thousands of "hits" on Google and others when I ask about upgrading the CPU to a more contemporary, up-to-date version for better performance.

So, that is my question: Can I upgrade the CPU in this laptop without replacing or heavily modifying the motherboard? I know the more obvious stuff: the socket must match the new CPU, the voltages must be right, etc. I am wondering if anyone has tried to put a newer CPU in this laptop, and would be willing to share their experience with me so I don't have to blunder through the process, only to discover after many hours of research that it can't be done because of [reasons].

You see, I am getting a bit "long in the tooth" (that is, old), I don't have very good eyesight, having lost vision in my "best" eye to a detached retina, leaving me "blind in one eye and can't see out t'other", and, on top of all that, I am inherently lazy. The last is probably the predominant reason I am writing to you here!

It wouldn't make sense to spend more than the cost of the new CPU plus a few bucks for miscellaneous parts, etc., as there are new laptops which would be roughly equal to this or better, in $500 price range, sometimes even lower if you accept a refurbished laptop. I don't want to spend that now, though; I want to try to "make do" with this Satellite until I save my pennies and can buy a workstation grade laptop with a larger, higher res screen, etc. So, if I can find a way to upgrade this "plain Jane" P4 to a multi-core with lotsa features, I would like to do that to get me by until later this year.

If you have any knowledge or experience with this or a similar situation, I sure would appreciate hearing from you. Even if it isn't with this particular laptop, I am sure the situation is the same for any brand, as it is the CPU which controls this question.

Thank you, in advance;

Larry
 
Solution


Toshiba used desktop processors in those fat notebook computers, so you can just pop in a Pentium 4 2.80 GHz with 533 MHz FSB, or a Pentium 4 3.06 GHz (not 3.00 GHz). It's an easy upgrade, but it's not much of a performance boost.

Crashman

Polypheme
Former Staff


Toshiba used desktop processors in those fat notebook computers, so you can just pop in a Pentium 4 2.80 GHz with 533 MHz FSB, or a Pentium 4 3.06 GHz (not 3.00 GHz). It's an easy upgrade, but it's not much of a performance boost.
 
Solution