Question HP G62-340US CPU Upgrade

[TheLeftybar]

I have been wondering about doing this upgrade for a while & decided to ask for another's opinion, but first, some information

I have a HP G62-340US Laptop from the Windows 7 era with the following parts: AMD Athlon II P340, ATI Radeon HD 4250, 8GB DDR3-1333MHz RAM (upgraded from original 3GB DDR3-1066 RAM), 1TB SP A58 SATA SSD (upgraded from 250GB WD 7200rpm HDD).

I's wanting to play older games & do general tasks, but I met issues off the bat. Newest Windows 10 made it run bad, Linux dont work, and Windows 7 is too old. Finally, learned about Windows LTSB 2015 and found out the Athlon II CPU sucks. Basically, you do anything, the usage would want to hit 100% and make the computer run bad.

Well after doing research, the Athlon II is on the AMD S1 platform, which is a socketed platform, so I looked around and found the AMD Phenom II N970.

So I'm now in the predicament on whether I should upgrade to the N970, upgrade to a lower performing CPU, or just leave it alone?

Comparing the two CPU's.
The current CPU, AMD Athlon II P340 specs are:
2C, 2T, 2.2GHz, 1MB L2 Cache, 25W TDP. The CPU I'm looking at upgrading to, AMD Phenom II N970 specs are:
4C, 4T, 2.2GHz, 2MB L2 cache, 35W TDP.

In addition to the question, how much of a temperature change would the Laptop have from a 10 watt increase (as a baseline with the Athlon, the temp after playing Counter Strike Source is around 60°C).

I know this is a lot of info and it might not be very organized, but I would appreciate a response from anyone, especially who can calculate the possible temp or has an N970 in their HP G62-340US.

 

[Darkbreeze]

The first thing you need to do is find out if that laptop model ever came with that CPU as an option OR if the CPU is in any way supported via the BIOS. Because if not, it's a non-starter. Just because a CPU will fit the socket does not mean that THAT manufacturer ever intended for it to be used in that machine and if they didn't then BIOS support for that CPU model may never have been included or added later.

Secondly, you need to see what the highest TDP CPU that was ever used in that laptop series was, because if a 35w CPU was never an option then the cooling is likely going to struggle since they generally only include cooling that is capable of handling the hardware intended for use with it.

You'll probably double your threaded performance but single core performance isn't going to change all that much. A little, but not a lot.

And if you can't get the CPU for less than ten bucks, then IMO the whole thing is a wash because as old as it is and the fact that even with the best CPU possible in there, the difference is not going to be astounding. But, there WILL be some improvement especially if any of the games require a 4 core CPU.

 

[TheLeftybar]

The first thing you need to do is find out if that laptop model ever came with that CPU as an option OR if the CPU is in any way supported via the BIOS. Because if not, it's a non-starter. Just because a CPU will fit the socket does not mean that THAT manufacturer ever intended for it to be used in that machine and if they didn't then BIOS support for that CPU model may never have been included or added later.

Secondly, you need to see what the highest TDP CPU that was ever used in that laptop series was, because if a 35w CPU was never an option then the cooling is likely going to struggle since they generally only include cooling that is capable of handling the hardware intended for use with it.

You'll probably double your threaded performance but single core performance isn't going to change all that much. A little, but not a lot.

And if you can't get the CPU for less than ten bucks, then IMO the whole thing is a wash because as old as it is and the fact that even with the best CPU possible in there, the difference is not going to be astounding. But, there WILL be some improvement especially if any of the games require a 4 core CPU.

There's a plethora of CPU's on the S1G4 socket that I could choose, and there are videos & info online of people putting like a P360 into the laptop and not have any issues with the bios or Windows.

On multiple websites, there are a list of supported CPU's that HP said was compatible with the laptop, the N970 is on that list even though it has a higher TDP. There are some CPU's on the S1 socket that go up to 45W like the X940 but are not on the support list. So I would assume that would mean the laptop would handle a 10W TDP increase

Also, the N970 isn't Even the fastest, the fastest is the Phenom X940 CPU. Most N970's you can't find cheaper than $25 on eBay unless I could negotiate something. But that's not as bad as the X940. I really believe that the upgrade from 2 to 4 cores will majorly improve the performance in everything since...well....The bigger the number, the better it'll perform.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Then, you should be fine. If a 45w CPU was an option on that series you should not have any problems because on a "per chassis" basis I've never heard of there being multiple coolers that were intended for the same series. If there was a higher TDP processor available for the same model (Even though sub models can vary greatly) then it would have had the same cooler and should be ok.

The bigger question might be, are you familiar with tearing down and putting back together laptops? Because, even though those older systems were usually much easier, laptop r&r ain't for the faint of heart in most cases. But, it should be a lot easier than anything from the last 15 years.

 

[TheLeftybar]

Then, you should be fine. If a 45w CPU was an option on that series you should not have any problems because on a "per chassis" basis I've never heard of there being multiple coolers that were intended for the same series. If there was a higher TDP processor available for the same model (Even though sub models can vary greatly) then it would have had the same cooler and should be ok.

The bigger question might be, are you familiar with tearing down and putting back together laptops? Because, even though those older systems were usually much easier, laptop r&r ain't for the faint of heart in most cases. But, it should be a lot easier than anything from the last 15 years.

There were no supported CPU's on the list for the laptop with at TDP of 45W. The max TDP of the N970 & other CPU's like it on the support list is 35W. Also, I've already taken it apart multiple times, two times with getting to the motherboard. Even then, there videos online.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Then I would recommend not using a CPU with a higher TDP than any similar model came with otherwise you are likely to suffer thermal issues.

 

[TheLeftybar]

Then I would recommend not using a CPU with a higher TDP than any similar model came with otherwise you are likely to suffer thermal issues.

Here, this is the page I'm looking at. https://www.cpu-upgrade.com/mb-HP/G62.html
With the Athlon II, when playing Counter Strike Source basically at 100% utilization, the temps get to about 60°C. Also it's cooling system is a lot better than most. It has a direct intake vent right under the fan and exhausts clearly out the side. Comparing it to the Dell Latitude E6420 we got with I think a I5-2520 getting up to 93°C and thermal throttling.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Well, I mean do whatever you feel works. I've offered my opinion. That's all I can do.