Can I Upgrade my Laptop Processor From i5 to i7?

You can easily upgrade your processor from i5 to i7. However, it is effortless to upgrade the laptop due to the CPU placed on the laptop’s motherboard.

If your laptop has an Intel Core i5 and you want more power in your CPU, upgrading your laptop to the Intel Core i7 is the next logical decision. The overall process for quickly upgrading the CPU on a laptop is not as simple as upgrading the same on a desktop.

Upgrading the laptop processor from i5 to i7 is not accessible if you don’t know about the process, so this isn’t easy. Also, upgrading the CPU on a laptop is quite complex, with the CPU surface mounting on the laptop vs. desktop. On the desktop, the CPUs can be detached from their socket on the motherboard. On the other side of the laptop, the CPUs are almost always soldered to the socket on their motherboards.

In another case where your laptop has removable CPUs, the upgrade is straightforward. Unfortunately, this is not the case with the majority of modern-day laptops.

As mentioned above, CPU laptops are the majority of the time soldered to the motherboard. Therefore, you have a laptop model that supports detachable CPUs, so upgrading is not possible. You may can is it possible to use external for Laptop

Understanding the CPU Surface Mounting Method.

Now defining the types of surface mounting techniques for CPUs.

• Land Grid Array (LGA): this is easily detachable with flat contacts, and a maximum of the Intel desktop CPUs have these types of surface mounting.
• Pin Grid Array (PGA): this is another type of mounting. Also, this is a detachable mounting type that has a visible pin on the CPU. The AMD CPUs for the desktop use Pin Grid array type of surface mounting arrangement.
• Ball Grid Array (BGA): it is another type of mounting, and this type is not detachable that is found on most laptop CPUs. With BGA also the CPU contacts are soldered on the motherboard.

Your CPU has a BGA mounting type, so it cannot replace them. However, the maximum of laptop CPUs is BGA type. In Ball Grid Array, the processor is permanently connected to the motherboard, and there are very small solder balls under the CPU while the motherboard has a small pad on it.

Eliminating a BGA-based Core i5 processor and replacing it with a BGA-based core i7 processor needs a high level of expertise and equipment.

In another case, if your CPU has a PGA or an LGA mounting type, you can easily upgrade it from Core i3 to i5 and Core i5 to i7 if they share the same socket type very quickly.

CPU Sockets and Processor upgrade

You can upgrade the CPUs with LGA and PGA sockets, and this could allow you to easily upgrade from using the sockets from Core i5 to Core i7. Furthermore, you make sure that the older and the fresher processor also have the same socket on the motherboard.

Figuring if your CPU is BGA, LGA, or PGA

The simple way to figure out the surface mounting type of your laptop CPU is to head over to its technical specification. The following CPU has Intel core i5 10310U has the following specification.

You can see here the CPU has the socket of the FCBGA 1528. Also, it indicates the surface mounting type. For example, the ball grid Array hence, this CPU is not upgradeable. Now show the following specification of CPU intel Core i5 10310U

You can see here the CPU has the socket FCBGA 1528. Also, the BGA indicates the surface mounting type, for example, the Ball Grid Array, and this type of CPU surface mounting method is not upgradeable. Now show you a specification of Intel Core i5-3210M.

You can see the specification, and this laptop is CPU-based that uses the PGA Surface mounting method or the pin grid array surface mounting type. And this is easily upgradeable.

The surface mounting type is one part of the equation. And you must make sure that both the older and the newer CPU use the same sockets. For example, the existing core i% CPU is based on the socket FCPGA946. It has 946 pins, and the Core i7 needs to upgrade and have the same socket, and the number of pins is also the same. The Core i7 is based on the FCPGA988 not easily fit into the FCPGA946 socket.

Example of Possible Upgrade

The example of a possible upgrade from core i5 to core i7. Suppose you have a 3rd generation laptop with a dual-core i5-3210M processor. So, you can check the specifications on the Intel website and find that the model utilizes an FCPGA988 socket. Also, search out the website of the laptop manufacturer to see if there are variants of the same laptop with an i7 processor.

Also, in that case, the possible recommendation would be to easily upgrade the 3rd generation Core i5-3210M with 3rd generation Core i7-3630QM processor as they both are the same socket and are easily detachable.

Over the Upgrade of TDP Concerns

Before upgrading, you need to check, and that is why we recommend that it is done only by experienced persons. The TDP stands for Thermal Design Power. Also, it indicates how much power the CPU uses and has heat that would be dissipated.

The TDP of Core i7 is higher than the Core i5. Also, the Intel Core i5-3210M has a TDP of 35W, but the Intel Core i7-36300QM has a TDP of 45W. Furthermore, your laptop does not have the adequate heat dissipation capacity for installing a Core i7 to Core i5 that can cause a heat issue.

Disadvantages of Upgrading from Core i5 to Core i7

 There are some disadvantages of the processor upgrade from Core i5 to i7. In a delicate processor, there is no surety to work up to its full potential stably. Also, it would help if you had a BIOS update as well.

This has a risk that the new i7 CPU cannot match the cooling device as well. Furthermore, it cannot support the heat dissipation of the upgraded CPU that we mentioned above.

Additionally, upgrading the procedure may void the laptop’s warranty, and it has a chance of damage and malfunction.

The laptop battery life may be shortened as the i7’s power consumption is moderately higher than i5.

So, you must pay a large sum of money to get a Core i7 CPU, all without a guarantee that it would work.

Conclusion

You can easily upgrade and possibly do so if you have a CPU with PGA and LGA surface mounting. Also, you can take care of other factors like CPU socket. Furthermore, there is no guarantee that it would work stably and at full in the long run. Also, it is recommended you quickly get a new laptop with a more capable processor that suits all your requirements instead of going through the hassle of upgrading. You can read the whole article carefully and quickly upgrade your laptop processor from Core i5 to Core i7.