Upgrade Gateway SX: CPU from i3 540 to i7 870

[Reinfeldx]

Question: Is this upgrade okay or am I missing something? I'm looking to upgrade the processor in my Gateway SX2850 from its existing i3 540 to a secondhand i7 870.

I've already upgraded the power supply to a SeaSonic SS-300M1U and put in a low-profile NVIDIA GTX 750 Ti. Link to PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151123

The motherboard supports LGA 1156 (H57 chipset). So I figure the best upgrade I might be able to make is to that i7 870. Link to PC specs: https://panam.gateway.com/s/desktop/2010/gateway/sx/sx2850/SX2850sp3.shtml

I've done a lot of searching and can't find good info. The only potential problem I was able to turn up is that someone said the Gateway SX only supports processors up to 65w. Not sure what that means or if it's accurate. I'm thinking that my PSU upgrade should make that irrelevant.

Any guidance?

 

[DonkeyOatie]

The motherboard is a bit light in its power phases. It may not be able to handle an i7 without overheating. That seems to be an overseas version of the Gateway and I cannot find out if an i7 version was ever made. An i5 was fitted to that motherboard.

Secondly, I would be concerned that the BIOS would recognize the i7. Do you know of anyone who has done this successfully?

 

[Reinfeldx]

The motherboard is a bit light in its power phases. It may not be able to handle an i7 without overheating. That seems to be an overseas version of the Gateway and I cannot find out if an i7 version was ever made. An i5 was fitted to that motherboard.

Secondly, I would be concerned that the BIOS would recognize the i7. Do you know of anyone who has done this successfully?

Thanks for the reply. [strike]Can I ask where you got the info about the power phases? That's a term I'm not familiar with.[/strike] (Googled). And I bought the Gateway here in the U.S.

I haven't been able to find any evidence of someone trying such an upgrade. If I installed the i7 and it's power draw proves to be too much, will I end up with a fried mobo?

 

[DonkeyOatie]

Although I'm in the USA, I'm from NZ. I looked at the motherboard and the VRM hardware. No. you won't fry the motherboard, the VRMs should throttle down as they overheat. I'd be more concerned about a 'locked' BIOS that would prevent you from recognizing the CPU.

 

[Reinfeldx]

Thanks again. I did some digging and the motherboard appears to be an ECS H57D02. BIOS is P01-A1.

Let's assume the BIOS recognizes the i7. When you refer to the VRMs overheating, would this be a consequence of inadequately cooling the CPU?

In other words, as long as the CPU temp is within a normal range under load, am I in the clear?

 

[DonkeyOatie]

No. The VRMs deliver power to the CPU. The more power, the hotter they get. If they overheat, they will deliver less power to the CPU. The CPU overheating is a separate issue. If it's running the standard BIOS, you should be able to update it if you need to, using your existing CPU.

 

[Reinfeldx]

If it's running the standard BIOS, you should be able to update it if you need to, using your existing CPU.

Helpful, but unclear on this part. Update what exactly?

 

[DonkeyOatie]

If you need to update the BIOS to run the i7, you will need your old i3 to do it.

 

[Reinfeldx]

Decided to hold off on the i7 idea for the moment. Not ready to risk my motherboard... yet!

 

[jrisberg]

For anyone running across this ancient post because they're hoping to eke a little more life out of their underpowered circa 2009 Gateway SX2850, I can confirm that an Intel Core I7-870 works like a charm with the stock BIOS, CPU fan, and power supply.

Also, a good video upgrade that fits in the super tight PCI slot is an MSI-branded Geforce GT 1030.

😎