Can I upgrade the CPU on my Acer Aspire V3-531G with an i7-3612QM? (and BIOS update related problem)

Hello Acer Community!

My question is very similar to this thread => https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/538630/what-cpu-can-i-upgrade-my-acer-v3-531g-to
But that person have an Intel Pentium B980. I have B960, and that confused me just a little. The chipset is HM77, and from what I saw, i7-3612QM is compatible with this chipset.
I just need a proper confirmation that it will work. I am a little scared that I'll buy the CPU and it will not be compatible. In general, I want a quad core at least, and from my research, the 3612QM is the single one with the same TDP like B960.

Also, I think I need a BIOS update for this CPU. I am currently running Windows 8.1 Pro x64, and the BIOS version is V2.13. From the support&drivers page, I see that there are 3 versions and 2 that are newer. But I don't understand why it says "for Windows 8 (Not for Upgrades)" https://i.imgur.com/CgstAbY.png
Should I update the BIOS for i7-3612QM? If yes, what's the procedure?

Thank you very much! If more details about the laptop are needed, please ask!

Accepted answers

JackE

First the easy part. The "not for upgrades" 2.x versions are only meant for machines with factory installed Win8x and UEFI BIOS. The 1.x versions are for machines with factory-installed Win7 and Legacy-only BIOS.

I would not update the BIOS to the newer 2.x version because they do NOT address the quadcore question. There apparently were several mainboards for this model (due to the Win7 to Win8x transition) with only those shipping with the i7 QMs designated as quad compatible. I've seen references to the quads and duals working in this model https://www.cpu-upgrade.com/mb-Intel_(chipsets)/HM77_Express.html but can't confirm the mainboads were identical. So you're probably taking a big gamble with the i7 quad especially with a pentium dual in there now. I think you should try a quad anyway if the vendor has a good returns policy.

Jack E/NJ

All comments

JackE

First the easy part. The "not for upgrades" 2.x versions are only meant for machines with factory installed Win8x and UEFI BIOS. The 1.x versions are for machines with factory-installed Win7 and Legacy-only BIOS.

I would not update the BIOS to the newer 2.x version because they do NOT address the quadcore question. There apparently were several mainboards for this model (due to the Win7 to Win8x transition) with only those shipping with the i7 QMs designated as quad compatible. I've seen references to the quads and duals working in this model https://www.cpu-upgrade.com/mb-Intel_(chipsets)/HM77_Express.html but can't confirm the mainboads were identical. So you're probably taking a big gamble with the i7 quad especially with a pentium dual in there now. I think you should try a quad anyway if the vendor has a good returns policy.

Jack E/NJ

Alexandru247

JackE said:

First the easy part. The "not for upgrades" 2.x versions are only meant for machines with factory installed Win8x and UEFI BIOS. The 1.x versions are for machines with factory-installed Win7 and Legacy-only BIOS.

I would not update the BIOS to the newer 2.x version because they do NOT address the quadcore question. There apparently were several mainboards for this model (due to the Win7 to Win8x transition) with only those shipping with the i7 QMs designated as quad compatible. I've seen references to the quads and duals working in this model https://www.cpu-upgrade.com/mb-Intel_(chipsets)/HM77_Express.html but can't confirm the mainboads were identical. So you're probably taking a big gamble with the i7 quad especially with a pentium dual in there now. I think you should try a quad anyway if the vendor has a good returns policy.

Jack E/NJ

You don't know how much you helped me to clarify my decisions, thanks a lot. One more thing: how about i7-2620M? I suppose that is the same gamble. I am asking about it becouse it's the same generation like B960 that I have, and again have the same TDP. The 3612QM is Ivy Bridge.

And I forgot to mention: I wanted from a long time to upgrade this rubbish CPU and have quad core, but now I ran into another problem and need to run a virtual machine (VMware), and B960 doesn't have Virtualization (VT-x).

I think I'll get the CPU only if I can return it in case it's not compatible, like you said. Or I'll just pass it and search for another solution. I will leave an update in this thread with my final decision. And in case I'll buy it, I will say that it did (or not) worked.

Thanks a lot, again. Best of luck!