Aspire 5100 processor upgrade, update bios?

This is my first post here. I tried to post one a few days back but my laptop was on the brink of total failure (the reason I was posting) and I gave up after about an hour. Since then I have been able to bring it back to a operational state and have decided not to throw in the towel on this computer yet.

My current setup is:

AMD Turion Mk-36 2.0 ghz (Single Core)
1GB RAM
100GB HD
ATI Radeon Xpress 1100

I have surfed the net about upgrading my AMD MK-36 single core 2.0 mhz processor to a AMD TL-60 duel core 2.0 mhz and found out that is is possible. I am a civil engineer and the thought of duel core multi-tasking (on the go) is very exciting. At least compared to what I deal with now.

The one thing Im finding mixed reviews on is wether I should update my bios first. (For the record my laptop is an Aspire 5100 BL51). I have found many horror stories about updating the bios, and wanted to get some expert opinions on it. Should I do it? Do I even need to?

Anyway, the tl-60 and 2gb ram will be here on friday. I wanted to start this thread to get some advice on the bios, and to have an open line of communication in the event I need aditional help come friday(and to perhaps share my results/experiances).