Laptop CPU upgrade

[Vi Tiet Thiet]

What to consider when upgrading a laptop CPU?

 

[cosmo77]

Does the CPU fit the socket my laptop currently uses.
Doe the CPU have the same thermal requirements as my current CPU.
It is price efficient to upgrade the CPU.
Am I voiding a warranty that I care about upgrading the CPU.

 

[jaguarskx]

1. Determine what socket the CPU uses. Basically all "U" (like i5-4210u) and "Y" (like i5-4220y) model Intel mobile CPUs uses socket FCBGA1168. "BGA" basically means the pins are meant to be soldered into the motherboard and you cannot upgrade it. All other models like "M", "H", "MQ", "HQ" and "MX" should be socket FCPGA946 which means they actually go into a socket and can technically be upgraded.

2. If the laptop you have does allow you to upgrade the CPU, then you should search to see if there is a version of that laptop with the CPU you want to install. This is because the CPU must be listed in the laptop's BIOS. The BIOS has a list of "acceptable" CPUs. If the CPU is not on the list, then the laptop may not boot up or it may only function at it's lowest speed.

 

[Vi Tiet Thiet]

1. Determine what socket the CPU uses. Basically all "U" (like i5-4210u) and "Y" (like i5-4220y) model Intel mobile CPUs uses socket FCBGA1168. "BGA" basically means the pins are meant to be soldered into the motherboard and you cannot upgrade it. All other models like "M", "H", "MQ", "HQ" and "MX" should be socket FCPGA946 which means they actually go into a socket and can technically be upgraded.

2. If the laptop you have does allow you to upgrade the CPU, then you should search to see if there is a version of that laptop with the CPU you want to install. This is because the CPU must be listed in the laptop's BIOS. The BIOS has a list of "acceptable" CPUs. If the CPU is not on the list, then the laptop may not boot up or it may only function at it's lowest speed.

Thank you for your detailed answer. I made this thread in corresponding with another thread of mine also about laptop CPU on tomshardware. Look like I should have researched more before I went on and buy a CPU that would not work with my laptop. Anyway, best answer I have read online.

Thank you,
Vi.