Question:
B120 Processor Upgrade
I just finished speaking with some Dell Tech Support guy online about upgrading my processor and he said it was not possible because the configuration is fixed. Of course, I thought that was a load of crap, so I want to ask you guys if I can upgrade my Celeron M to a Dothan Pentium M. Obviously if this guy is any indication of what the rest of Dell's support techs are gonna say, I won't be able to have Dell do the upgrade, so if I do decide to upgrade, how difficult would it be to do the upgrade myself?
Answer:
Re: B120 Processor Upgrade
The chip may not be socketed, which isn't abnormal for lower-end machines. I haven't looked inside, maybe someone else can confirm or deny this.
Answer:
Re: B120 Processor Upgrade
Well you need to make sure that whatever processor you are planning on putting in is supported by the 910GML chipset as thats what is in the the B1300 series laptops.
Answer:
Re: B120 Processor Upgrade
http://support.dell.com/support/edoc....htm#wp1084976
Answer:
Re: B120 Processor Upgrade
Well seeing that they had that guide for upgrading processor....apparantly that Dell Rep lied to your face about it being fixed, but maybe he meant that you cant choose another processor (and have them do it) because Dell has decided only to have that processor for use with the b130 line.
However, I fail to see why you'd wanna upgrade the processor, it still doesnt change the fact that your mobo has a 400mhz FBS, which is what intel's website says about the 910GML chipset.
Now, like I've said on any other thread, hopefully for anyone who has gotten the Pentium M version of the 1300, its using a different motherboard.
Answer:
Re: B120 Processor Upgrade
Well seeing that they had that guide for upgrading processor....apparantly that Dell Rep lied to your face about it being fixed, but maybe he meant that you cant choose another processor (and have them do it) because Dell has decided only to have that processor for use with the b130 line.
Thats my quess too. I don't think the really consider the processor to be "user servicable"
Answer:
Re: B120 Processor Upgrade
It seems they are pretty sneaky with their wordings or something.
Answer:
Re: B120 Processor Upgrade
The main reason why I want to swap a Pentium M processor in is for the SpeedStep feature. Battery life is just under 2 hours on this 4-cell battery...so do you think I should grab a 400MHz FSB Pentium M off eBay for $90 or hold out until Dell starts selling an expanded capacity battery?
Answer:
Re: B120 Processor Upgrade
The main reason why I want to swap a Pentium M processor in is for the SpeedStep feature. Battery life is just under 2 hours on this 4-cell battery...so do you think I should grab a 400MHz FSB Pentium M off eBay for $90 or hold out until Dell starts selling an expanded capacity battery?
I've been wondering the same thing, though I have the B130. I see there are 400 MHz Pentium M models, but from what little I've glanced at about them, I wonder if there's really any performance gain with the Pentium M other than the power-saving technology which the Celeron M doesn't have. Maybe someone who knows these processors can tell is if there is much difference. I imagine the 2MB cache that might be on the 400 MHz Pentium M might help some; but is it worth the cost of a CPU upgrade, or worth more putting that money toward a longer life battery (I can't find any extra batteries for the B120 or B130 available). I'm leaning to the battery upgrade, as the Celeron looks like it will do most of what I want right now. If in a year or two I want to upgrade the processor I would imagine the pricey Pentium Ms that will work in the B120/B130 wouldn't be as expensive an investment. Right now, the Pentium Ms shown on Newegg are 33% or higher of the full cost of the new notebook computer.
Answer:
Re: B120 Processor Upgrade
The reason why they told you it wasn't upgradeable was because Dell doesn't want you messing around with the internals of it.
The Pentium M will be considerably faster than the Celeron M at the same clock speed.
Intel's Celeron M is actually a decent processor - the only problem is, as you know, it can't regulate its voltage nor clock speed.
I think upgrading the battery is your best bet - cheaper, and then you have the battery already in your notebook that you can use. That will give you a longer life than getting the Pentium M.
If you really want to do the processor upgrade, then I would get the Pentium M 725A. The 400MHz FSB models run both cooler and get longer battery life than the models with a 533MHz FSB.
Cheers,