Question Help with CPU / Graphics upgrade

[Paul Techie78]

I have a (rather old but very sturdy) Dell Latitude E6320 laptop with old HD 3000 Graphics integrated.
I have had this Laptop for many many many years and it is still doing me well (takes a lot of grief from time to time and not found a laptop that comes close at a price)......

It is loaded with so many useful programs/applications that I use on a daily basis, and I need to continue having access to these.

However I have now come to an issue where the OpenGL will not support my requirement for a Software program that I am requiring to work with.

This laptop only takes up to OpenGL 3.1
I know, in the past many people have criticised being a Laptop is better to just buy a new one, however I cannot afford a new laptop, yet alone to spend all my time to reinstall all the software applications over to a new hard drive (as time is money)

My question is.... (and just to make you aware, I can Micro / SMD reflow/re-solder)
Is there a CPU that I can swap out that my motherboard will accept without issues and accept the more modern OpenGL 3.3 or higher please?

Many thanks in advanced

 

[Darkbreeze]

The short answer is no, there is not. Even if you COULD solder in an Ivy bridge mobile part, one generation newer than what yours has, that would have the same socket compatibility and would have support for HD graphics 4000, it would STILL require BIOS support which means you'd have to have access to an existing BIOS revision that adds support for the newer CPU model which I do not believe exists in OEM form, or get a custom BIOS mod made through one of the niche sites like BIOS-MOD. And that is actually fairly risky business.

Supposedly HD graphics 4000 supports up to OpenGL 4.0, and the 3rd Gen parts some with HD graphics 4000, it just isn't very feasible to believe you can swap in a BGA socket CPU from a newer generation and get it to work unless the OEM has released a nearly identical model using the same motherboard with a newer Gen GPU so that BIOS support already exists, and this is unlikely to the point of being almost certainly impossible.

 

[Nighthawk117]

I have a (rather old but very sturdy) Dell Latitude E6320 laptop with old HD 3000 Graphics integrated.

I'm not surprised you've had it a while they are solid machines.

The Ivy Bridge CPU's with the Intel HD 4000 from the Dell Latitude E6330 may well meet your Open GL requirements. The chassis is almost identical to the E6320 but not quite. Your only potential solution would be to transplant the Ivy Bridge board from the newer machine into your existing one, however minor differences in the port layout may complicate things. Removing the CPU and soldering it to your existing board is out of the question, it likely would not boot even if you were successful.

I cannot afford a new laptop, yet alone to spend all my time to reinstall all the software applications over to a new hard drive (as time is money)

I understand everyone has budgets, however any temporary downtime would likely be more than compensated for over the long term by a modern machines much greater processing power.

 

[Paul Techie78]

The short answer is no, there is not. Even if you COULD solder in an Ivy bridge mobile part, one generation newer than what yours has, that would have the same socket compatibility and would have support for HD graphics 4000, it would STILL require BIOS support which means you'd have to have access to an existing BIOS revision that adds support for the newer CPU model which I do not believe exists in OEM form, or get a custom BIOS mod made through one of the niche sites like BIOS-MOD. And that is actually fairly risky business.

Supposedly HD graphics 4000 supports up to OpenGL 4.0, and the 3rd Gen parts some with HD graphics 4000, it just isn't very feasible to believe you can swap in a BGA socket CPU from a newer generation and get it to work unless the OEM has released a nearly identical model using the same motherboard with a newer Gen GPU so that BIOS support already exists, and this is unlikely to the point of being almost certainly impossible.

@Darkbreeze -thank you so much for your detailed explanation and honesty.
I completely see what you are saying...

Looks like I need to ask Santa for a new Laptop this Christmas haha

 

[Paul Techie78]

I'm not surprised you've had it a while they are solid machines.

The Ivy Bridge CPU's with the Intel HD 4000 from the Dell Latitude E6330 may well meet your Open GL requirements. The chassis is almost identical to the E6320 but not quite. Your only potential solution would be to transplant the Ivy Bridge board from the newer machine into your existing one, however minor differences in the port layout may complicate things. Removing the CPU and soldering it to your existing board is out of the question, it likely would not boot even if you were successful.


I understand everyone has budgets, however any temporary downtime would likely be more than compensated for over the long term by a modern machines much greater processing power.


@Nighthawk117 - Oooh that's made things a little more interesting. I might look at that as an alternative option.

I'm not surprised you've had it a while they are solid machines.

It most certainly is a solid machine... my only complaint is its maximum Ram. it could really have done with a little more in my eyes. Obviously, its only meant to be for business stuff really such as spreadsheets, word processing etc.. but I use it daily with software pushes it to its limits.

 

[Darkbreeze]

I have yet to see ANY laptop motherboard from different generations that had an identical port layout. Pretty much EVERY generation something changes, because newer technologies are added, older technologies discarded and it is almost a foregone conclusion that each new generation will undergo at least a moderate chassis redesign that renders the possibility of using a board from an older or newer gen model with a different gen model almost impossible without major modifications. So, of course, anything is possible, but I would REALLY not count on it and you will REALLY want to do your homework on it.

Besides which, the chances are good that by the time you pay for a newer board and CPU, and whatever modifications are required, it's absolutely going to be money that would have been MUCH better spent on something far newer. You can get very good new old stock or refurbished laptops that are way newer than what you have for like 150-300 dollars in many cases. That might be the better way to go. But, I'll leave such things up to you to decide. I feel like buying new is always better, simply for the fact of a full warranty if nothing else.