Overclocking a Merom laptop?

[OSFP]

I need a machine for use as an HTPC and I am thinking of a laptop because of the convenience to move around the house mostly. But to justify the higher cost of it I must be able to OC it, otherwise the performance difference from desktop would be huge.

For example, for about 1000-1100 euros I can get a laptop with merom 1.83 2mb (let's just call it an E6300 for comparison's sake) and a 7600 256mb (6600gt desktop performance).

For the same amount of money I can get a desktop with E6300 overclocked to 3.5GHz and an 8800gts and the performance difference would be huge. However since I don't care about games, I will neglect the 8800gts difference. So the CPU that is of ultimate importance (because HD video is demanding with H.264 and I want HD-DVD/Blueray playback when I add a hybrid player later on) the difference is huge again taking in account how much I can OC the desktop with ease. Those E6300 hit 3GHz+ so easy it's ridiculous.
So, taking into account the the Merom is not a hot CPU and that the desktop E6300 have lot's of headroom without any voltage bump, I believe with the appropriate tools the laptop could hit 2.5-3ghz without more voltage (so no heat problems).

The question is, are there any tools available? I assume the bios of the laptop would be a joke, so I put all my hopes in Clockgen. The core2duo notebooks use the 945PM chipset, can you use clockgen to overclock them from windows? Anybody tried it?

 

[FeuerFrei]

As a Merom laptop owner, I can say that a C2D@stock will be plenty, even for HD videos. It will be even better if you use AVIVO/Purevideo.

As for the overclocking, I have not yet seen a laptop OC program, but I don't think it is a good idea to OC a laptop, mainly for battery and heat concerns . It will be on EIST most of the time.

Who OCs an HTPC anyway?

 

[OSFP]

well, most heat increase doesn't come from the actual overclocking itself, but from the coltage you raise at some point to get even further. Sticking with stock voltage you won't see more than 5c increase whatever the clock speed. I think most laptop coolling systems can handle this extra 5c, it's when voltage comes into play that they would become inadequate.

Here comes the interesting part, the Core2duo desktop chips have shown a great overclocking potential even before you raise the voltage. It's as if Intel could have released all it's chips at +500MHz but they just decided they didn't need it yet to beat the competition. Especially the low models seem severely restricted from what they can really do. I have yet to see a E6300 that doesn't get past 3GHz on air and stock voltage. I guess it's almost the same core in the laptops too.

So, the 1.83ghz speed of the merom, might be OK for HD movies in 720p/1080i but HD-dvds and Blueray discs are much more greedy and I would feel more safe at 2.5GHz+. I have seen a Toshiba laptop with 1.83 c2d, and 7600 256mb with HDMI and hd-dvd rom built-in to struggle with hd-dvd playback, it lost a few frames here and there, and this was a system that was supposed to do this task perfectly!

Bottom line, I think as far as hardware is concerned you can get a laptop at least close to 3GHz, the question is if the software pieces are available.

And the fact is, I don't really need a laptop, I can move my desktop around the house every now and then to give picture to the projector. But since I don't need top video performance, the rare possibility of getting the laptop to a friend's house is tempting. But if I can have a 3.5GHz C2D with 2gb ram and 7600gt in desktop for 500 euros, then I need at least 2.5GHz C2D in the 1100 euros laptop to justify the purchase...otherwise I pay double the cost and I get half the performance, and I only gain mobility that I will rarely use...

 

[freakdiablo]

Well, if you know the ICS #, you can always try clockgen. might be compatible since its a desktop cpu, unlike the fricken pentium M I have in my T40. And even if it runs a little hotter, my cooling mat works awesomely.

 

[Korndog]

don't overestimate laptop cooling. i've seen many brands of laptops with melted fans because of just high loads, not even overclocking. my sister use to fold on her laptop and even though she has speedstep, the fan warped from the heat and lead to constant rebooting until i replaced it for her.

i seriously think you'd be better off with a mini ITX computer if you want more performance especially since you'll probably have it stationary and plugged into the power all the time. you can only justify a laptop purchase because of its portability.

 

[FeuerFrei]

Don't overestimate laptop cooling. i've seen many brands of laptops with melted fans because of just high loads, not even overclocking

Agreed. Add to that a dedicated Gfx and you'll boil in your pants...

 

[Charr]

You would probably be better off with the desktop. You have a variety of components availible for less money.