RE: Swap
Thank you both for replying. The nature of my post that would have answered those questions was cut off by the board likely because I am in newbie mode here as compared to the old Seven Forums, anyway I will get right to it.
Hello Techno.
Cpu's in laptops are not the easiest things to change. It's also conceivable that when they decide on a certain CPU chip for a laptop, that they also program the BIOS to work with just that one CPU chip, so that no other CPU chip is going to work on that same motherboard.
This and asset tagging in the BIOS is/was one of my primary concerns that I do not think aside from phoning a "real" engineer at HP is something that could be found anywhere, barring another user already making the same swap.
I wouldn't even think of trying a CPU swap on a laptop, because when I've tried it on a desktop PC, it failed to boot. And I've found desktops to be much more forgiving than laptops.
My original post touched on this as well. I wear out laptops like people wear out shoes. I have always owned HP laptops (and not because I am an HP fanboy) but rather because every time when I compare all metrics with price and what will suit the need at that time, I find HP's lines at least in the past have won out. That being said, if I get 3 years out of a laptop I am pleased. Huh most people say? During that time I will replace on average three keyboards as they just wear out. I do not complain about such things much, for if you use or run a laptop 10-20 hours every day, I figure I have well over shot the devices' intended lifetime. I have been programing computers since the MOSS 6502 era 35+ years ago which helps to decreases my fear (sometimes wrongly) of servicing things. In that era we still serviced EVERYTHING!
I also work heavily with surface mount technology in the equipment I design and some I repair, so my fear and loathing for it is less than most - but I will say OT, the worst thing that happened to the electronics build and repair industries was the move away from Eutectic type 63/37 solder. (Silver solder makes melt and remelt temps often so high they destroy the device.) I am typing this into a dual CPU Quad Core Xeon W/32GB of ECC FBDIM RAM server of my own design which has 8 physical cores (since my last laptop went...) and have changed more CPU's, chipsets and SMC's on systems like this and others more times than most I would imagine. I actually OEM'ed the specs on these servers ten or more years ago! (Don't ask what this technology cost back then!) What I tried to post initially was that my greatest fear, even though I have done this in the past (had to replace this last laptop's motherboard) it is not easy work and in my experience, every time I must open a laptop (not desktops or servers) you subtract one from the magical number of times you can successfully open up the system before one ends up wearing something out and breaking it - or no repair is possible due to its nature. So yes I have concerns every time I open one up. This used machine got a new flat panel, bezel, and keyboard - all things I have no fear in changing on any maker's laptops. CPU's are easily changed after every screw and connector is in a pile in the lab - so I loath CPU replacements on laptops for they are easily destroyed when you have to dismantle them that far.
Now having said all that, I have to ask "WHY?" would you even want to change CPU chips on a laptop?
Because if you look at the specs on my old CPU compared to this new (used repaired unit) you'll see a tremendous increase in specs and instructions supported.
I should have mentioned above, I have done this before with successful results but absolutely agree that even if a person does not mechanically break the laptop in question tearing it down to the CPU, the notion of compatibility is hit or miss. I have done this once and it luckily worked. You need to flash the BIOS first (breaking it forever with its OEM configuration) tear it down, swap CPU's and if religious do lots of praying.
Don't misunderstand, I realize such a procedure is the fastest most painful way of creating a door stop out of your laptop - that much I will concede.
And, a question: If enduser has OEM Windows on one or both laptops, would the CPU swap cause problems?
Hello Roland and thank you as well for posting. The BIOS issue there are answers to as far as how to port this OEM system to another etc. but they require (AND I MEAN LEGAL METHODS HERE) some work with the SLIC key and BIOS reprogramming. I would have an answer for you, but I just pay Microsoft for the OS's of theirs I use and don't worry about OEM activation as it is not worth it for me to waste time and money on that considering how I license here. Besides, laptops are the only thing we buy here that are pre-programmed with an OS and full of bloat - all of that must be removed, so a fresh install is mandatory anyhow.
how about leaving presently working things - alone?
Well that is one of two alternatives - clearly the easiest and safest notion - I get that. But just the same, if someone pipes up and says, "Yes I have done such a swap and here are some pointers and suggestions on what worked for me..." Would be invaluable advice. The fact that we are all aware tearing a laptop down to yank the CPU even if it were to put in an identical processor is at best sort of scary and at worst, might cause total destruction of the machine.
Below, I think it should be OK to post hyperlinks to the data sheets so you will see why (since I have the other CPU sitting before me) I have even considered a trade. And as a postscript if anyone has any suggestions of forums and corners of the Internet where this question might be less out of place, I would welcome that as well. Thank you both.
PROCESSOR IN TARGET MACHINE RUNNING NOW:
Intel® Coreâ„¢ i7-2670QM Processor (6M Cache, up to 3.10 GHz) Specifications
EXTRA PROCESSOR I WOULD WISH TO SWAP:
Intel® Coreâ„¢ i7-2670QM Processor (6M Cache, up to 3.10 GHz) Specifications
Cheers everyone for the feedback. Now that this much is over and you know I understand the risks involved, if others wish to reply, it would be helpful if they no longer question my motivation or tell horror stories I have already lived.
But, rather any comments on actually performing such a swap would be of most relevance. I know I can not be the only user on Earth to have had to replace laptop CPU's before - right?
