Pavilion 550-102a CPU upgrade

[pgking]

My Pavilion 550-102a is short of grunt - the AMD A4-7300 processor is not up to handling anything beyond basic email it seems.

The official HP product page for my system lists the following quad core CPU upgrade options: A10-8850, A10-8750, A8-8650, A10-7800, A8-7600.

I am seeking some advice as to the suitability of the aforementioned processors, or any others which may be better and will fit the available FM2+ socket?

Also, having never done a CPU upgrade before, is it as physically straight forward as a memory upgrade?

Thanks.

[old_geekster]

@pgking, welcome to the forum.

The CPU's that are listed in the HP documents are the only ones that have been tested to assure they work.  Therefore, they are the only ones that are supported by HP and the motherboard.  All things equal, the A10-8850 should be the fastest one that is supported.  Upgrading the CPU is a bit more technical than upgrading the memory.  There are numerous videos online that will help you.

If you want to add some additional performance, I suggest considering a SSD.  I will never have a computer without a SSD as the boot drive.

Please click the Thumbs up + button if I have helped you and click Accept as Solution if your problem is solved.

[pgking]

Many thanks for the info.

Finding where to buy the A10-8850 is proving a challenge. Any suggestions as to an online retailer?

Much appreciated.

[old_geekster]

I am surprised that I couldn't find the A10-8850 for sale, either.  It may be  proprietary.  I suggest that you contact AMD's Tech Support for help.

[pgking]

My apologies for prolonging this matter but AMD has provided this list of available processors for sale - only the A8-7600 on the HP approved list seems to be available.

Would this quad core be a significantly better option that the incumbent dual core A4-7300?

Also, AMD referred me back to HP, specifically due to the BIOS needing upgrade after the processor is upgraded. Is the BIOS upgrade a show stopper?

Thanks again for any assistance.

[old_geekster · Accepted solution]

Thank you for the additional information, @pgking.  Don't worry about the delay.  I am here everyday.

There is a BIOS update here.  It is the 6th one in the list for the SSID 2B52.  If you do the update, please be extremely careful to follow the instructions.  A failed BIOS update will make a good boat anchor.  HP does reconmmend updating it, however.  Normally, if a processor is recommended in the specs, it will work without any changes to the BIOS.

Now, for the difference a Quad core will make in performance.  Even with the slower speed, it should give better performance.  The more cores the better performance for multi-tasking, etc.  Also, a memory upgrade will add considerable performance.  Another component that I always install is a SSD.  This will make a major dirrerence in the boot speed.  I won't have another computer without a SSD boot drive.  The difference is phenomenal.

[pgking]

Thanks again old_geekster - your support has been invaluable.

Just to upgrade the story - I have completed the BIOS upgrade and am researching a SSD drive.

Perhaps more crucially for the moment, I have pushed back on HP locally (I am in Australia) to try and source the best possible processor upgrade. This may take a day or so of "effort" by HP product staff I am told - we live in eternal hope.

Cheers, Peter.

[old_geekster]

You are welcome, @pgking.

I am glad that you were able to update the BIOS without any problems.  If you can buy Samsung SSD's in Australia, I suggest them highly.  They seem to work best with HP BIOS's.  I will be glad to give you help with the easiest way to install the SSD.

Cheers to you, Peter.

[pgking]

Hi again old_geekster, I trust you are well and survived the holiday season without too much damage.

After much more work than I would have liked, I finally found an AMD A10-7800 (secondhand) - in Japan (!).

Following installation and driver upgrades, my little Pavilion is starting to behave more in line with expectations.

However, of the 16 GB RAM I have installed I am only seeing the usable benefit of 6.95 GB.

I have done the usual unchecking of the maximum memory in the BOOT advanced options to no effect, and am wondering if there are some BIOS settings that require tampering.

As usual, you wisdom appreciated.

Cheers, Peter.

[old_geekster]

I came through the holidays with just a refreshed attitude.  Thank you for asking, @pgking.  I hope that you did, also.

I am glad the you got the computer to run better.  I don't believe that there is anyway to change the way memory is recognized in the BIOS.  I suggest that you contact the manufacturer's Tech Support to see what they have to say.  They are the experts on their product and have a vested interest in making you happy.

Good luck!