HP Pavillion DV6000 processor upgrade question

[veefer800canuck]

Hi, first post.

Was just given a free DV6000 laptop, and I love to tinker. Have built & modified several desktops over the years, but this is my first laptop.

First thing, identifying it. Top RH of screen bezel says HP Pavillion DV6000

Sticker on bottom says DV6700, but also DV6818CA (it`s a Canadian laptop, eh, with a bilingual keyboard).

I think I`m gonna ditch the bilingual keyboard, as it`s missing the F10 key they`re only like 15 bucks off Ebay anyhow.

BUT, when I ran a memory scan on Crucial.com, they said it was a Pavilion dv6700t Series

Product #  off bottom is:  KN948UA#ABC  if that helps nail it down??????

Googling the product # gives this hit: http://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c01393353

So it has 4 Gb RAM in it right now, and is running Win7 Home Premium.  

I'm thinking about getting the fastest processor that the Mobo can handle and stuffing it in there. Right now, it has a T2370 @1.73Ghz, and from what I can gather, the fastest processor I can put in is a T7800 @ 2.6Ghz (if I have been reading correctly)

Link: http://ark.intel.com/compare/34445,31729

Tips or direct esperience anyone? Thanks in advance.

Oh, and PS, I had read that a BIOS update while running Win7 would brick the PC, is that true?

I can easily revert to Vista, and do a BIOS update first, if needed for the new processor, then reinstall Win7.

My BIOS version is F.52   24/03/2008

[veefer800canuck]

Apparently, the latest BIOS is Version F.58 A

I'm not sure if I would need this or not for the newer processor?

[veefer800canuck]

Anyone.......anyone......Bueller???

[Paul_Tikkanen · Accepted solution]

Hi:

I must have missed reading your post. 

That is because I only normally look at unanswered posts, and yours shows up as answered because you posted more than once before I woke up the next morning. 

Your notebook can actually take up to the T9500 since you have a bios equal to or greater than F.45.

The release notes for F.45 state...Adds support for Intel Core 2 Duo Mobile Processors T8100, T8300, T9300, and T9500.  Fixes issue where the 1394 port may not work after resuming from Standby mode.

Yes, you will definitely brick your notebook if you update the BIOS when running Windows 7.  You must flash the BIOS in Vista.

Memory...yes, your PC will happily run 2 x 4 GB of PC2-5300 or 6400 memory. However, unlike the desktop version of the 965 chipset which runs memory at 800 MHz, the mobile version only runs the memory at 667 MHz.

You can read this related thread regarding memory in the Intel dv6500+ models with the 965 chipset.

http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebook-Hardware-e-g-Windows-8/The-dv6700z-And-dv9700z-WILL-Support-Ov...

The bad news is that if you do not already own this memory (or can get it used at a steep discount), you will pay over $200 for 2 x 4 GB for the memory you need.

I would be thinking more than twice before shelling out that kind of $$$ for memory for a dated PC.

[veefer800canuck]

Thanks Paul, I already ordered the T7800, it was only $40 off Fleabay
The T9500s have bigger cache, but the ones I saw were considerably more expensive.

And yeah the memory would probably be prohibitavely expensive. The 4gb I have now is likely fine.

Will post up when I get the processor installed and operating.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome.

Looking forward to reading about your processor upgrade.

Should be a significant improvement over the one you have in there now.

[veefer800canuck]

WOW, what a pain to disassemble. With the HP service manual, some ice cube trays, a few paper labels, and some photographs taken along the way, I managed to get the laptop dismantled and reassembled. Don't want to do that again.

It booted right up with no errors or hangs, Win7 installed a driver for the processor, and asked for a reboot.

After the reboot, I ran the Windows Experience Index, and was dismayed that the processor and memory scores actually dropped by .1 each

The graphics scores went up, and of course, the hard disc rating stayed the same.

I pondered for a moment, then went to the Intel site and ran their automated driver update utility. After installing their recommended chipset driver, I re-ran the WEI and the scores were what I had hoped for.

Before and after upgrade:

[veefer800canuck]

For anyone going down a similar path, the chipset driver i got from Intel was 9.4.0.1026

[Paul_Tikkanen]

That is good news.

Glad you got everything working.

Did the processor upgrade make a subjective difference in performance?

In other words, do you notice a difference in the notebook's responsiveness with the T7800?

[veefer800canuck]

Oh yes. It's really snappy now. I already had a fresh install of Win7 before swapping the processor. Working much better after the hardware upgrade though. Opening programs, switching between programs, everything is faster.

Too bad there's nothing that can be done about the graphics.