View Full Version : Should I upgrade my Yonah CPU to Merom?
Hello, I have a very aged Dell Inspiron 9400 with the old "Core Duo" T2400 Yonah. The rest of my system still has a lot of life left in it - the Go 7900 GS, 7200 RPM HDD, and upgraded 2GB of DDR2-533. But the CPU was very low-end when I bought it (as I did not need a higher grade at the time) and it is now really starting to show its age despite its great service these past few years.
The question is, would it be worth it to throw in a T7600 Merom, the fastest Socket M CPU available (socket M has since been phased out with socket P and newer platforms) for around $100-$200 off of eBay (used/OEM) or would it be wiser to just let the laptop go and save that money for a newer one?
Thanks.
JLK03F150
12-21-08, 07:58 AM
IMO a dual core would really help that 7900GS. It would cost you a LOT more to get a new Core 2 notebook with equivelent video. Go for the upgrade. :)
Oh, that's provided you are sure the mobo chipset will support the T7200.
benbaked
12-21-08, 08:26 AM
Core Duos aren't that much of a step below Core 2 Duos. If you only had a single core my suggestion would be to go for it, but for a price of between $100-$200 for the chip alone I don't think it is worth it unless you know for a fact that you will see a worthwhile benefit going to a Merom.
I'm shocked at how much money those T7200s are still commanding, I paid $300 for one nearly two years ago and I thought that was robbery at the time, and still do. They're nice chips, I have one in a mac mini, but they're just too overpriced.
JLK03F150
12-21-08, 08:44 AM
Oops, I read Yonah and assumed single core.:o I agree with Ben, a Core Duo to Core 2 Duo upgrade really wouldn't be much of an upgrade.
Know Nuttin
12-21-08, 01:13 PM
not worth it really. I upgraded my Acer from T2450 to T7400. It now runs hotter than before (fan is on more often and exhaust air hotter), haven't noticed much of a difference in performance, and not worth the cost imo. I wouldn't have done it knowing what i know now.
realtadiquantu
12-22-08, 01:41 AM
I have the E1705 (same as 9400). In 2006 I upgraded it to the T7200 (C2D Merom). I saw a noticeable increase in loading times and multi-tasking. Yes, I still use a 32-bit Windows XP. But first ask yourself, can you do everything you want to do now with this CPU? Is the cost/benefit ratio good?
Also, I applied AC5 paste to the CPU, Chipset, and GPU while upgrading the CPU.
Recently, I upgraded from 1x2GB to 2x2GB. There are two issues why I can't use the full 4GB: 1. 32-bit OS limit 2. Dell's BIOS doesn't have the memory remap code
In Windows I see ~3.25GB available RAM. For $30, it was an acceptable upgrade because I often run many applications.
*edit, Yes I need to update my sig for the RAM =p
As far as normal usage goes, the Yonah does what I want. But, I want to extend the life of this laptops' usefulness another couple of years. Right now the T2400 really holds it back in the newer games such as Crysis and some source engine games, etc. I know the 7900 GS and the 2GB of DDR2-667 have a lot of life yet, and ultimately I am hoping by upgrading the CPU to the T7200/7400/7600 that it will be able to 'run' SC2 and Diablo 3. Perhaps, also Crysis on low settings. Right now it will run Crysis on low but the FPS dips around 20 or so, which I believe is really the limitation of this very aged CPU.
BTW, I am not especially versed in the 9400/E1705 subject as evidenced by my post here. Is it still not possible to get full use out of 4GB of memory due to BIOS limitations?
realtadiquantu
12-22-08, 11:23 PM
1. Correct, even with a 64-bit OS, the BIOS prevents you from utilizing all 4GB of the RAM
2. How much can you acquire one of these 667MHz FSB Merom's for? If it's at a resonable price and will enable you to do what you'd like then go for it.
3. I have a 7800 GO and I can play CS Source with most settings set to max. Haven't tried Crysis.
My system had some issues with running portal at the highest settings, there were instances where it would dip into low 20's in very shader/lighting intensive areas. Other than that, though, the source games run just as you said.
The Meroms are still fetching an annoyingly high price, which is why I am considering holding back upgrading until those games are actually released for which I might need the upgrade.
The 7200 is going for around $100-150, the 7400 $125-200, and the 7600 is still garnering around $250 or so.
benbaked
12-23-08, 08:18 AM
I just saw a T5600 C2D in the classies yesterday for $25, it had been there for a month but somebody just bought it yesterday. It was only the 2 meg cache version, but still a smokin' deal. For something like $25 the upgrade would definitely be worth it. :)
Yeah, unfortunately I don't think the T5600 would be a worthy upgrade, even for $25, as it still operates at 1.83GHz. I'm really looking at T7200 minimum, but right now T7400 looks to have the best price/performance. I still am hoping to find a used one somewhere other than eBay as I feel $150 for a legacy CPU like that is still a bit much.
realtadiquantu
12-24-08, 01:56 AM
Yeah, unfortunately I don't think the T5600 would be a worthy upgrade, even for $25, as it still operates at 1.83GHz. I'm really looking at T7200 minimum, but right now T7400 looks to have the best price/performance. I still am hoping to find a used one somewhere other than eBay as I feel $150 for a legacy CPU like that is still a bit much.
It may be legacy, but it is still very fast.
vBulletin® v3.8.7, Copyright ©2000-2012, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.