Processors...

[Alice-Bee]

Im sorry if Im posting this in the wrong place. But I need some help.

I would like to replace the processor on my laptop. I really like my laptop but its starting to struggle a little. How easy or hard would this be to do?
I would prefer NOT to buy a new laptop so dont suggest that. Thanks

 

[Envy]

It's a bit tricky, but I think it's possible.

However, in many cases the laptop is optimized for a specific processor, so it might not work very well with other ones.
As well as the fact that it may not actually improve the performance.
Best to just consult a professional.

 

[Forster]

Hmmm are you sure it's the processor and not your hard drive/operating system getting bogged down? I usually go the route of putting a new hard drive in (easy) and installing the operating system fresh. Of course you need to have access to an operating system installation CD/DVD.

 

[Alice-Bee]

My laptop fan kicks in and whirs like mad when I have anything that uses a lot of memory open.

 

[Alice-Bee]

Any help here??

 

[Chryssie]

As Forster said, it could be any number of reasons for your issues. Always try to deal with software first; for example make sure you have done all the maintenance such as disk cleanup and defrag. Sometimes a fresh install of the OS does wonders, but you do need a disk. I have tons of experience with desktops; building, repairing, upgrading. Not so much with laptops however.

 

[Forster]

Doesn't look like it, at least not too much. I've never replaced a processor before. I did help my son build a desktop computer, but that was relatively easy given there is considerably more room to to work around in.

If you're going to give it a try, find out exactly what motherboard your computer has and go to a website like new egg and see if you can find a replacement processor for it. Personally given the cost of new laptops vs/upgrade costs I'd go with a new laptop.

One other thing you might look at if you haven't already is make sure your fan area is cleaned out and not full of dust bunnies.

Also you might consider getting one of these, I know my boys use them to help keep their laptops running cool when doing heavy gaming.

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master...8&qid=1340983934&sr=8-5&keywords=coolermaster

 

[sleepydvdr]

If you are willing to take your laptop apart, I would suggest using compressed air to blow out any dust that has built up inside. Dust can easily cause low airflow, make the processor overheat, and turn on the fan to try and cool it off. But if dust is blocking airflow, it's not getting cooled off.

 

[Alice-Bee]

Would that cause it to whir like mad when im working in a program or something?

Sorry if this is dumb, im a computer dunce!

 

[sleepydvdr]

Yep, it very well could. To find out if the processor is overheating, you can use something like RealTemp to tell you how hot it is running. Anything over 60 degrees Celsius is hot. Over 68, your processor is at risk of being fried. A good temperature would be under 45 C.

 

[Alice-Bee]

Oh thankyou!
I really dont want to get rid of my laptop I love it. I just thought the processor was a bit slow...it handles photoshop but then the fan starts whiring like mad :/

 

[sleepydvdr]

Photoshop is a memory intense program. Check how much memory you have. If you have less than 2 GB of memory, your computer may be working overtime using the swap file to make up for the lack of memory.

Also, there's one more possibility. I once worked on a laptop that had a poor design where the heatsink didn't quite reach the processor and the laptop overheated all the time because of it. There was a class action lawsuit again HP for that line of laptops. You could search to see if there are any known defects with your model. Search with your laptop's model number, 'overheating' and 'recall'. If you see a lot of other people having the same problems, there might be a design flaw.

 

[Alice-Bee]

Ihave 3/4GB memory.

Thanks again I will try that. The processor is a duel centrino which at the time was ok, now with all these I5 and I7 ones coming out it seems very old!