Asus G73JH will I be able to upgrade the processor later?

[Gerry47]

Hi
I have ordered a G73JH but don't have the option to specify the core i7 820 processor at the time of purchase in Ireland.

Will I be able to have this upgrade done easily at a later date if I want to?

Thanks

Gerry

[sev7en]

Looking forward for this thread me too
Mine should be at home within next week, but really I can't wait it more... absolutely an awesome notebook!

[DRevan]

Yes, you will be able to upgrade the CPU, but it won't be easy, you must take almost the entire laptop apart, recomended only if you are experienced in these things. And there is the other thing, that you loose the warranty if your retailer can prove it that you took it apart.

[Mandrake]

My G73 is completely apart right now as I work on the heatsinks. I can post some pics when I get home if you want to see it.

[notyou]

Hey Mandrake,

Since you've already got yours apart, I've got a couple of questions.

1. How difficult was it to disassemble? (can't be worse than my previous Toshiba)
2. How long did it take to disassemble?
3. Can you snap some pics of the CPU and GPU with both the HS on and off.
- I want to see if I should replace the thermal pads on the vRAM with a copper shim if I decide to re-paste the GPU.
4. When screwing down the GPU HS, do you need to apply a lot of pressure? I've heard that the GPU core doesn't make good contact otherwise.

[Mandrake]

Hey Mandrake,

Since you've already got yours apart, I've got a couple of questions.

1. How difficult was it to disassemble? (can't be worse than my previous Toshiba)
2. How long did it take to disassemble?
3. Can you snap some pics of the CPU and GPU with both the HS on and off.
- I want to see if I should replace the thermal pads on the vRAM with a copper shim if I decide to re-paste the GPU.
4. When screwing down the GPU HS, do you need to apply a lot of pressure? I've heard that the GPU core doesn't make good contact otherwise.

1. This was my forth time doing it so I got the hang of it. I guess it depends on experience.
2. First time about 45 minutes. I can do it in 20 minutes now.
3. Yes and I'm replacing the thermal pads and lapping the heatsink. FYI, I bought 1.2mm thick pads and they are too thick. I have .5mm pads on order now so it will remain disassembled for a few more days.
4. The screws lock into place so it will go down only so far. You don't need to apply any additional pressure to make contact unless your shims/pads are too thick.

[notyou]

1. This was my forth time doing it so I got the hang of it. I guess it depends on experience.
2. First time about 45 minutes. I can do it in 20 minutes now.
3. Yes and I'm replacing the thermal pads and lapping the heatsink. FYI, I bought 1.2mm thick pads and they are too thick. I have .5mm pads on order now so it will remain disassembled for a few more days.
4. The screws lock into place so it will go down only so far. You don't need to apply any additional pressure to make contact unless your shims/pads are too thick.

1. How about the first time, was it relatively easy or were there things (eg. difficult parts/screws to get at) to make it somewhat difficult?
2. Cool
3. Yeah. From when I took the bottom panel just to see what things look like. The gap is very small, probably close to .5mm. Do you think we'd be able to bridge the gap just buy using thermal paste and tightening the HS? If you're willing, could you try this out when you get a chance?

[Mandrake]

1. How about the first time, was it relatively easy or were there things (eg. difficult parts/screws to get at) to make it somewhat difficult?
2. Cool
3. Yeah. From when I took the bottom panel just to see what things look like. The gap is very small, probably close to .5mm. Do you think we'd be able to bridge the gap just buy using thermal paste and tightening the HS? If you're willing, could you try this out when you get a chance?

1. I followed the service manual but there are a couple places it says to pry the plastic off but prying wasn't needed. It just popped off. Some of the cables are really thin so that's another place to be careful. The other thing is the keyboard, it unclips easily but the tape underneath it really doesn't want to let go.

3. You mean no thermal pads at all? I'll take a look.

[jota1500]

I already order a 920xm, cause it was only $350, can I put that in this notebook or it only allow me to put the 820qm?

If so I will just resell it and order a 820qm..

Thanks

[notyou]

1. I followed the service manual but there are a couple places it says to pry the plastic off but prying wasn't needed. It just popped off. Some of the cables are really thin so that's another place to be careful. The other thing is the keyboard, it unclips easily but the tape underneath it really doesn't want to let go.

3. You mean no thermal pads at all? I'll take a look.

1. You mean thin as in like a speaker wire or like a keyboard ribbon?

3. Yes. Since it's a small gap, we may be able to get away with direct contact = much better vRAM temps.