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Resolved Question

Intel Core i3 to i7 upgrade, possible?

by Aug 5, 2014 2:00AM PDT

I have a 4 year old HP Pavilion dv4-2165dx that has an Intel Core i3 processor. Assuming I could find a processor with the right socket type, is it possible to swap the i3 for an i7? Would it be worth it/would I see a noticeable difference?

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minions301 has chosen the best answer to their question. View answer
4 Posts
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Best Answer

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Probably not to both questions
by Aug 5, 2014 2:56AM PDT

You really need to ask HP for a definitive answer, but I'll go so far as to say it's not likely this would work, and if it did, you wouldn't likely see much performance benefit. The reason is that the motherboard and RAM are customized for the processor your computer had when new. A 4 year old motherboard isn't likely to support all the features of a new CPU, but even if it somehow worked, the bus speeds and memory speeds wouldn't be likely to keep up with the increased speed of the I7 processor.

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Answer
Since most are soldered down.
by Forum moderator Aug 5, 2014 3:04AM PDT

Did you see a socket?

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Yes
by minions301 Aug 7, 2014 2:32PM PDT

Yes, there is a socket. I have a Core i3-330M with a PGA988 socket, and looking at the comparisons on Intel's site, it seems that the i7-620M and i7-640M would be compatible, as long as my BIOS can accept it. But who knows. I'm still deciding. Would I see much of a difference? Also, I've seen a few forum threads where people have said they've upgraded from a dual core to a quad core? Is that even possible?

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A difference at what?
by r. proffitt Forum moderator Aug 8, 2014 1:58AM PDT

Overall I have to write no. Certainly it won't help games but could help video transcoding with Handbrake.

My wife has some old HP laptop with the i7 three number M series and it's a lot more power. I would not be doing this without the maker telling you it would work or if you are willing to take risks.
Bob

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