Member Avatar for cuivenion

My Sony VAIO VGN-NR21M/S is a laptop with a removable cpu. I'm wondering if it could be upgraded using any of the mobile processors (socket p) compatible with the Intel GM965 chipset. I was thinking along the lines of:

Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor T9500

What do you think?

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Dani AI

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Brief, practical checklist and next steps for (and in reply to ): the NR21M can physically accept many Socket P (mPGA478MN) mobile Core 2 CPUs, but three things usually stop a successful upgrade — chipset/FSB support, the laptop BIOS (microcode/whitelist), and cooling/power. Treat the Sony answer as warning, not proof: it means Sony will not support or document upgrades, so validation falls to you. (en.wikipedia.org)

Quick compatibility checklist to use before buying a CPU:

  • Confirm the socket is Socket P (mPGA478MN). (en.wikipedia.org)
  • Confirm the GM965-era platform supports the CPU family and FSB (965-class northbridges run Merom/Penryn mobile CPUs and can handle up to 1066MT/s in principle). (thinkwiki.org)
  • Match or stay below the original CPU TDP and voltage budget — e.g., many Penryn mobiles like the T9500 are 35W; higher TDP can overheat the stock cooling. (techpowerup.com)
  • Expect BIOS limits: many Sony VAIO firmwares will only initialize a short list of CPUs (community BIOS mods and whitelist removals are discussed online, but they carry risk). (bios-mods.com)

Step-by-step approach:

  1. Identify the current CPU model in BIOS or Windows (System Info / HWiNFO) and note its FSB and TDP.
  2. Compare candidates that use Socket P and have equal/lower TDP and an FSB the GM965 supports.
  3. Search the exact VGN-NR model + CPU model on repair forums and BIOS-mod communities to see which CPUs other owners actually got working. Sony support pages for this model have limited downloads, so community reports are often the only practical evidence. (sony.co.il)

Cautions: flashing unofficial BIOSes, forcing unsupported CPUs, or ignoring thermal limits can brick the machine or shorten life. If uncertain, pick a same-TDP, same-FSB Socket P part that others have confirmed for your NR-series model, reapply thermal paste, and monitor temps closely after first boot. (bios-mods.com)

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Member Avatar for rubberman

There is no way to tell. You could contact Sony and find out if they support that chip. They may or may not tell you, in which case you would have to find out the hard way. Sony Vaio's tend to be pretty proprietary as to what hardware you can use with the system, or at least used to be.

Member Avatar for cuivenion

Thanks for the reply, I'll email Sony and see what they say.

Member Avatar for cuivenion

"We regret to inform you that VAIO notebooks and desktops are not designed for hardware upgrades. Any exceptions are noted in your user manual, e.g. memory modules.

A design which supports hardware upgrades would affect the size, weight, power consumption, operating noise and thermal design of the product. You may still wish to attempt the upgrade on your own, but please bear in mind that even if you succeed with the upgrade attempt it may cause problems.

Opening or dismantling the main unit or any of its accessories, for whatever reason, could lead to damages that are not covered by the guarantee.
Thank you for your understanding in this matter."

Well that sucks.That reads to me as "we're not interested, bye". I may try it anyway. Advice from you guys on what processor to use or the criteria for choosing it would be great though. I take it the power draw needs to be the same as the old chip? what about the FSB?

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