As you lift the shell off of the chassis, make certain that no part of it is still attached to the bottom of the case or to the motherboard. If it feels like you have to force it, that probably means either a screw is still in place or a clip remains to be unsnapped. Before continuing, back off and double-check your service manual to discover any well-hidden screws that may have eluded you.
On our laptop, the preceding steps gave us access to the graphics card assembly, which we removed by loosening two screws. The CPU sits beneath that card.
With the graphics card out of the way, we removed four more screws to get the heat sink off and to expose the CPU itself, held in its socket by a single locking screw. Turn the screw clockwise to lock it. Note: Some systems use a locking bar in place of a screw. Next you need to prepare the heat sink anew: Remove all of the old thermal compound silver-gray gunk by wiping the heat sink with 99 percent isopropyl alcohol and a lint-free rag.
If you bought a used CPU, it may be covered with this goop, too, so clean it off as well. Unlike desktop towers, almost all of which are user-serviceable, many laptops are sealed boxes that are difficult or impossible to tinker with.
In some cases, even if you can get at the guts, you'll find the key components drive-soldered to the motherboard. Fortunately, you don't need to crack open the chassis just to find out if you can replace the RAM or hard drive. Here's how to tell if you can upgrade your laptop and what components it needs. In the best-case scenario, you can replace both your RAM and storage drive.
Upgrading from a mechanical hard drive to an SSD solid state drive will have an enormous impact on your performance, allowing you to boot, open applications and files, or switch tasks three to four times faster. Adding more memory, particularly going from 2GB or 4GB to 8GB, can make multitasking or working on large media files easier.
Forget about swapping out the CPU, the graphics chip or display. And while it may be possible to replace the Wi-Fi card on some systems, doing so is difficult and probably not worth the effort. The best way to find out whether your laptop is upgradeable and what parts you need to upgrade it is with a configurator tool such as Crucial Memory's Advisor Tool. Download Article Explore this Article parts. Tips and Warnings. Related Articles. Article Summary.
Part 1. Understand how processors and motherboards work. Your computer's motherboard is essentially one large circuit board which provides the base into which you'll plug your computer's other components, including the processor. Since processors' sizes and connectors vary depending on the model, you will need to ensure that your selected processor works with your current motherboard. Know your computer's limitations. While you can upgrade virtually all Windows desktop processors and motherboards, upgrading a laptop's processor is often impossible; even if your laptop model supports changing the processor, doing so is a tricky process that is more likely to harm your computer than help it.
Find your computer's motherboard model. While you can use Command Prompt to find your motherboard's basic information, using a free service called Speccy will allow you to see vital information about your motherboard e. Determine the type of processor socket used by your motherboard. If you're using Speccy to find your motherboard's information, you'll click the CPU tab and look at the "Package" heading to determine the socket.
You can click the Motherboard tab and then review the "Chipset" heading to see your processor's chipset, though the service you'll use to check processor compatibility usually determines this for you. If you decided not to use Speccy, you can enter your motherboard's name and model number, followed by "socket" and "chipset", into a search engine and search through the results.
Alternately, you can almost always find the socket type listed on the motherboard around the cpu socket. Find processors which match your motherboard. Click the Choose Socket drop-down box, then select your motherboard's socket number. Click the Choose Chipset drop-down box, then click chipset number usually, there is only one number here.
Find a new motherboard to match your processor if necessary. Click the Choose Processor Series drop-down box, then select your processor's name. Click the Choose Model drop-down box, then click your processor's model.
Buy your processor. Now that you know which processors will work with your computer's motherboard, you can select the one best-suited to your price range, computational needs, and region. Always shop around to find the best deal. You may be able to find the same processor for significantly less online than in a store.
If you're buying a new motherboard as well, make sure you compare different website and store prices before ordering it. Part 2. Turn off and unplug your computer. Before you move or open up your computer, make sure that it is both turned off and unplugged from any power sources.
Place your computer on its side. Doing so will give you access to the PC's side panel. Remove the side panel. Some cases will require you to unscrew the side panel, while other cases only need you to unclamp or slide off the side panel. Ground yourself. This will prevent accidental static electricity discharge. Since static can completely ruin sensitive computer components such as the motherboard, you'll want to make sure you remain grounded throughout the entire installation process.
Locate the motherboard. The motherboard resembles a circuit board with various wires attached to it. In most cases, you'll find the motherboard resting on the bottom of the tower. You may find the motherboard perched against the side of the case instead.
Remove the current heat sink. The heat sink is mounted on top of the motherboard, and usually has a large fan on top of it. To remove the heat sink, you may have to unclip it from the motherboard, unscrew it, or slide it out. Since each heat sink has a different design—and, thus, a different installation process—you'll need to consult your heat sink's instruction manual for model-specific removal steps. Check your current processor's fit.
You'll have to install your new processor using the same fit as the current one, so knowing which direction the processor is facing will help you install it correctly the first time. Skip this step and the next one if you're removing your motherboard.
Remove the current processor. Carefully lift the processor, which resembles a square chip, out of its space on the motherboard. Install your new motherboard if necessary. If you're installing a new motherboard, remove the current one from the housing, then install the new one according to its installation instructions if necessary. You'll then need to hook up your computer's various components to the motherboard. Plug in your new processor. Your processor should only fit into the slot one way, so don't force it; just gently place the processor in its slot and check to make sure that it's level.
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