Upgrade processor for Toshiba M100?

[farns3000]

Hi there, Id like to refresh my brother's workhorse Toshiba Satellite M100 by swapping the T1300 for a dual-core and perhaps a faster HDD also. I have already got some ram to put in.

I have never pulled laptops apart other than a couple of ram upgrades, but I have googled the irisvista guide here, so will give it a shot unless advised otherwise. If I break his computer I will be dead meat though haha as he depends on it flying all over the world etc
Take apart Toshiba Satellite M105 notebook. Page 4.

His is part# PSMA0A-00G006, it has single-core T1300 Yonah and a 60gb 5400rpm.

I dont have the machine yet to run CPUZ through it but I think its 945GM, socketM judging by this intel link



Is a T5600 compatible without creating heat or other issues? T7xx are too expensive on ebay so Ill try E5xx if possible.
Compare Intel® Products,

I ask because its TDP is 34w compared to 27w for the T1300, also the die size on Merom (T5xx and T7xx) is 140mm vs 90mm so does that mean the current heatsink or fan may not cope?

The T2xxx is more compatible and just has a higher TDP of 31w vs 27w for T1300.
Id rather a T5xx though but theres probably not much difference aside from being 64-bit.

He just uses it for heavy browsing and word processing, often using google maps , would a dual-core make much difference in browsing? Will probably install Chrome as its pretty fast and simple.

Lastly, I might install a 7200rpm hard drive but the dual core might be the priority and its cheaper also.

[tilleroftheearth]

I'd be surprised if you could drop a dual core in there - but good luck if you can!

What O/S is used? If you can get Win7 installed: highly recommended with minimum 2GB RAM - better with 4GB RAM.

A 60GB, 5400 RPM HD? Wow - get him a 500GB Seagate Momentus XT Hybrid and partition it to 100GB - he'll still have more than double the HD space for his data needs and the computer will be at least 10 times faster.

Personally, I don't believe in upgrading a notebook's cpu as being cost effective, but with a new O/S, RAM and a modern HD set up properly, your brother's computer will feel like a new machine.

Chrome has messed up a few of my clients computers (different programs won't/can't connect to the internet) - highly not recommended.

With IE8 in Win7, your brother should have all the speed (and compatibility) he needs.

Good luck.

[R4000]

Well the notebook should accept the T2xxx series Core Duos, as that is what shipped on those units at the time. The T5x00 series C2D might be a gamble without BIOS support.

[farns3000]

Well the current T1300 Core Solo is just a T2300 with a core diabled, and aside from the slightly higher TDP its a drop in replacement, not sure if the heatsink is the same though.

Was wondering if the T5xx series were compatible in regards to heat, I guess it depends on the build of the laptop but thought Id ask as a 64-bit processor would be a bonus though Win7 32-bit is fine for him really.

I can get them for like US$40 here in NZ , and benchmarks say a dual is almost twice as fast in certain stuff so its worth a try if I dont break it

Regarding the HDD, the XT is too expensive here but that short-stroking thing is a great idea, Ill read up how to do it.

In the meantime Im just wondering whats the fastest CPU I can drop in this thing without it possibly overheating, bearing in mind the current CPU is 27W TDP and Id be putting in a 31W or 34W.

[R4000]

The TDP is neglible, I'd be more worried about BIOS support (as the machine may not boot). Whatever you decide, be sure to update to the latest BIOS before taking it apart.

Also stay away from Core 2's that have anything other than a "0" as the third number (ex:,T5650), as they are Socket P.

BTW, all Exxxx cpus are desktop models and wont work either.

[tilleroftheearth]

Short Stroking is easy:

When installing Windows, just do a custom install (instead of a default one) and specify the size of the partition in MB's.

The TDP is not what controls the heat - that is simply what the chip is built to withstand. For all we know, the 34W option may run cooler than the 27W TDP cpu that is currently in now.

For $40, I too would be tempted to get up to twice the performance - but I think both our cpu changing expertise combined is far below what I am comfortable with experimenting on my own computers - let alone a work machine for my brother!

[farns3000]

Thanks both of you, good points. Yes Ill definitely update the BIOS first (not sure if it supports Merom though) and run p95 on any new CPU for half an hour to keep an eye on temps

Thats good to know about the TDP, I see Merom can run at a lower voltage than Yonah so maybe they are cooler under normal use.

Guess I need to hear from someone thats worked on the actual model in regards to wether the heatsink covers Merom as it has a 50% bigger die size.

Have you seen those irivista.com pictorial guides before that I posted above?
Very useful, so as long as I remember where all the lil screws go and I dont break any tabs etc it should be good.

Im fairly experienced with pulling desktop computers apart, being an overclocker etc, but definitely no expert and i dont work in this field.

Point taken on pulling to bits but hes only my brother and I will have his stuff backed up to mine which he can use if necessary

[farns3000]

Intel Core 2 Duo Mobile T5500 (Socket M) vs Intel Core Duo T2300 (Socket M)

Seems the Merom dual-core has 9W more Peak Power Dissipation than Yonah, so Ill be "safe" and stick with the T2xx series.

There is an "E" suffix model also, such as T2300E that supposedly has lower power usage so Ill give that a try, I might get better battery life as well.

Ill update the thread when I install it, in case anyone else was thinking of replacing a crummy Core Solo.

[R4000]

Maybe you should run some before & after benchmarks, just to get an overall comparison between the stock setup and the upgrade......

[farns3000]

Works fine, I flashed the only BIOS on offer for M100 at Toshiba site and now have a T5600, also cannibalised a new Seagate 320gb portable hard drive which I short-stroked to 50gb and put the old one in the enclosure.

Used a generic 2gb stick of ram (Elpida) and its running Windows 7 great!

I didnt get benchmarks but its much snappier, especially multitasking.
There are some passmark benchies on the net saying a dual-core such as T2300 and T5600 is basically twice as fast in many applications.