CPU upgrade options for HP TouchSmart 520-1175a

[Tim_H1]

Hi,

I wanted to know what CPUs are supported in a  HP TouchSmart 520-1175a.  Currently its got a 2nd gen i3.  Wondering whether a Core i5-2400s or Core i7-2600s would work.  Or even better, an Ivy Bridge i5 or i7.  Can anyone provide this information, or perhaps direct me to the documentation for the  HP TouchSmart 520-1175a.

(Found a thread about a  HP TouchSmart 520-1030 https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Desktops-Archive-Read-Only/520-1030-cpu-upgrade/td-p/1452095 , but not sure how closely related this model is.)

Thanks!

[Paul_Tikkanen · Accepted solution]

Hi:

Below is the link to the parts list for your PC:

HP PartSurfer

It has a Lavaca motherboard and a 65W processor and heat sink, so you should be able to upgrade to any of the 65W processors listed in that discussion you posted such as the Core i7-2600s (Sandy Bridge) quad core 65W processor.

[Tim_H1]

Thanks Paul, that was very useful.  Now that I know the motherboard (Lavaca3-SB) it seems that there may be a few good options.  

Its seems like the motherboard may indeed support Ivy bridge (based on https://support.hp.com/nz-en/document/c03691670  )

So I'm thinking that I'll upgrade the bios and try a spare i3-3220 that I have.  If that works might buy a i5-3470S or  even i7-3770S

Here's the CPU benchmarks from www.cpubenchmark.net

i3-2130  2040
i3-3220 2265
i5-3470S 4400
i7-3770S 6200

So looks like some big gains might be possible for a minimal cost. 

[Tim_H1]

Just an update in case anyone finds it useful:-

Yesterday I successfully upgraded from a gen 2 i3 to a gen 3 i5 ( a $8 i5-3470S ).   The bios was updated before the upgrade.