Upgrade CPU in Acer M3910

aceofmaids
aceofmaids Member Posts: 4 New User
edited March 1 in 2020 Archives
Hi, I have an old Acer M3910.

It has an i5 650 CPU, I looked the CPU up here https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/43546/intel-core-i5-650-processor-4m-cache-3-20-ghz.html and lists that is has a FCLGA1156 socket.

So I was wondering can I just get myself another CPU with the same socket type and swap it over?



Answers

  • billsey
    billsey ACE Posts: 31,454 Trailblazer
    The M3910 came with either a Intel Lynnfield or Clarkdale processor, they both use the LGA1156 socket. Your i5-650 is dual core and has a 73W TDP but specs on the machine say it will handle 95W TDP. The fastest processor you can drop in is therefor the quad core i5-760. What you'll find though is that it won't be a big performance upgrade. I'd typically do the processor third; first move to an SSD from the original HDD, next make sure memory is maxed out at 16GB then the processor...
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  • aceofmaids
    aceofmaids Member Posts: 4 New User
    Hi, thanks very much for the detailed information :)

    I upgraded the PSU to 500W and currently have an AMD HD 7770 graphics card, 11GB RAM (yes 11) and an SSD.

    I'm upgrading the graphics card in another computer and I'm planning to move the existing card, an Nvidia GTX 970, into the Acer M3910.

    I found a list of CPUs that should work with the same socket here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGA_1156#Supported_processors I'm hoping any one of these should work?

  • billsey
    billsey ACE Posts: 31,454 Trailblazer
    I've got to ask ... how the heck did you get 11GB of ram? Two 4GB, a 2GB and a 1GB? :)
    Check to be sure the GTX 970 doesn't require a UEFI BIOS, a lot of the newer cards do.
    Nope, you can't really use that list. It shows which chips will physically fit, but not which chips match which chipset. Your chipset is an H57 and you need to choose processors that match both the chipset and the power load. Putting a higher powered processor in can cause cooling issues.
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  • aceofmaids
    aceofmaids Member Posts: 4 New User
    Exactly ;) It shipped with a 2GB and 1GB and I bought an 8GB pack of x2 4GB :3
    HWInfo seems to think it's working in Dual Channel mode and it seems fine :)

    Apparently the GTX970 should work with or without UEFI so that's a good start, thanks for the heads-up.

    I've seen a reasonable Xeon X3470, do you know if I could just upgrade the CPU Cooler to compensate?
    I also have an additional fan in the rear of the case.


  • billsey
    billsey ACE Posts: 31,454 Trailblazer
    Yeah, that would be a big bump in power... If I were going to try a Xeon I'd be more comfortable with an L3426. That's about half the power load of any of the X models.
    I'd also either pick up a 2GB stick or a pair of 4GB and round that memory up to 12 or 16GB, just to make sure it's all in dual channel mode...
    Click on "Like" if you find my answer useful or click on "Yes" if it answers your question.
  • aceofmaids
    aceofmaids Member Posts: 4 New User
    Thanks for the advice, I think I will get another 2GB stick to balance the RAM :)

    In the end I decided to get another cheap'ish desktop for the GTX 970   ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 
    I still haven't had the time to install it :3