Can I Upgrade My Laptop Processor From i5 TO i7?

September 21, 2023

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Are you wandering “Can I upgrade my laptop processor from i5 to i7?” YES, technically, it is possible to easily upgrade your laptop processor from i5 to i7. On account of how the CPUs are arranged on a laptop’s motherboard, it is often believed that upgrades cannot be made to laptops.

The next obvious step is to upgrade to an Intel Core i7 if your laptop has an Intel Core i5 and you desire additional CPU power. However, replacing the CPU on a laptop is not at all as straightforward as doing so on a desktop. So Again, The answer to the question “Can I upgrade my laptop processor from i5 to i7?” is yes, however, the required technical expertise makes it too challenging for the average person to complete this task.

Due to the surface-mounting of the CPU on laptops as opposed to desktops, updating the CPU on a laptop is more difficult. The CPUs on desktop computers can be taken out of their motherboard socket. However, the CPUs are typically soldered to the socket on the motherboard of laptops.

If your laptop has a replaceable CPU, which happens infrequently, upgrading it should be easy. Unfortunately, the majority of current computers don’t have such a feature. Unfortunately, the BGA connector is present on the majority of laptops. Because the CPUs are soldered to the socket, updating them is, to put it mildly, difficult.

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So Can I Upgrade My Laptop Processor From i5 TO i7?

In most cases, you can’t. CPU laptops are often soldered to the motherboard, as was already mentioned. Therefore, upgrading is NOT feasible unless your laptop model supports detachable CPUs.

Getting To Know CPU Surface Mounting Techniques

Now identifying the various CPU surface mounting techniques.

Left: Pin Grid Array Processors(with needles sticking out) Right: Land Grid Array (with flat contacts)

Land Grid Array (LGA). Most Intel desktop CPUs include this kind of surface attachment, which is easily detachable with flat connections.
Pin Grid Array (PGA). It is another mounting type. Additionally, the CPU has a visible pin on this detachable mounting style. The AMD desktop CPUs are surface mounted in a Pin Grid array configuration.
Ball Grid Array (BGA). It is another mounting type that is typically used on laptop CPUs and is not removable. In a BGA system, the motherboard’s CPU connections are also soldered.

In Conclusion:

The popular assumption is that you cannot change your CPU if it is mounted using a BGA (ball grid array). Sadly, the majority of laptop CPUs are of the BGA variety. The CPU and motherboard are permanently joined in the BGA installation type. Under the CPU, there are tiny solder balls for this purpose, and the motherboard has tiny solder pads.

Therefore, a high level of skill and equipment is required to remove a BGA-based Core i5 processor and replace it with a BGA-based Core i7 processor. In rare situations, if your CPU is PGA or LGA mounted, you should be able to upgrade it from Core i3 to Core i5 or Core i5 to Core i7 as long as they share the same socket type.

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Upgrading The CPU Sockets And Processor

You can easily upgrade from using the sockets from Core i5 to Core i7 because the CPUs with LGA and PGA sockets are upgradeable. Additionally, check that the motherboard’s sockets for the newer and older processors are the same.

How To Check Whether Your CPU Is BGA, LGA, or PGA?

Your laptop’s technical specifications are the best place to start to determine the surface mounting type of your CPU.

Intel Core i5-3210M — Intel Core i5 10310U

For example, the left image shows the specifications of the Intel Core i5-10310U. Here, you can see that this CPU uses the FCBGA1528 socket. The BGA stands for Ball Grid Array, a sort of surface mounting. As a result, this CPU cannot be upgraded. As well as the right image shows the specifications of the Intel Core i5-3210M. According to the specifications, this laptop-based CPU is pin grid array surface mounted. As a result, this is upgradeable.

Checking To See If Both The Socket Is Same

The surface mounting type is only one aspect of the issue. Additionally, make sure that the older and newer CPUs share the same socket. The Core i7 CPU you need to upgrade, for instance, should have the same socket and pin count as your existing Core i5 CPU, which is based on FCPGA946 (which has 946 pins). Since it has 988 pins, a Core i7 based on FCPGA988 won’t fit in the FCPGA946 socket.

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An Example Of A Probable Upgrade From i5 To i7

Here, we provide an illustration of a probable Core i5 to i7 upgrade. Let’s say you have a laptop with a Core i5-3210M processor from the third generation. You discover that the model uses an FCPGA988 socket when you look up its details on the Intel website.

A third-generation i7 processor that uses the same socket is available online by searching. To find out if there are i7-powered versions of the same laptop, you may also conduct a search on the laptop manufacturer’s website.

Given that both of these processors use the same socket and are detachable, it could be a good idea to replace the third-generation Core i5-3210M with the third-generation quad-core Core i7-3630QM in this situation.

TDP Issues Regarding The Upgrade

Before upgrading, you must also consider other issues (like TDP), hence we advise that only skilled individuals perform it. The term “TDP” (thermal design power) refers to the amount of electricity and heat the CPU would consume.

A Core i7 has a higher TDP than a Core i5. For example, the TDP of the Intel Core i5-3210M is 35W, whereas the TDP of the Intel Core i7-3630QM is 45W. Therefore, installing a Core i7 on a laptop that had a Core i5 processor originally can result in heat difficulties if your laptop does not have the necessary heat dissipation capability.

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Drawbacks Of Laptop Processor Upgradation From i5 TO i7

Here, we listed some of the drawbacks of upgrading from Intel core i5 to i7.

This process can be delicate, and there is no assurance that the new CPU will function consistently and to the best of its ability. You could also require a BIOS upgrade.
The possibility exists that the new i7 CPU won’t work with the cooling system. Additionally, it might not support the already mentioned improved CPU’s heat dissipation.
There is a potential for damage and malfunction during the upgrading process, which could cancel the warranty on the laptop.
The i7’s power consumption is noticeably more than the i5’s, which could reduce the battery life of your laptop.
A Core i7 CPU may also be very expensive, and you can’t be sure it will even operate.

Bottom Line

Here, we discussed a frequently asked question: Can I upgrade my laptop processor from i5 to i7? when the battery life of their laptop is simply insufficient for their work.

If you have a CPU with PGA or LGA surface mounting and you take care of other criteria like CPU socket, the upgrading may be possible. However, there is no assurance that it would continue to operate effectively and steadily over time.

Therefore, rather than going through the effort of upgrading, it is frequently advised that you get a new laptop with a processor that would better fit your needs.

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