Which processor for Socket M mobo

[GrandpaScott]

Hi all,

I'm new to this forum, but googling my dilemma brought me here and it appears that you guys might be able to help me.

I bought a refurbished Vaio laptop in December '08 and it died in July. I figured that I didn't really want to just "pay rent" of $200 a month, so I started looking for a replacement mobo (the consensus was that the mobo was fried, both from Sony support and a local computer shop).

My laptop was a VGN-AR730 E/B, with a 2.1 Ghz processor. I found only one mobo when I searched. This one was on eBay(listed as a VGN-AR, so I took a chance) and when I looked at the picture and looked at my laptop, it looked very similar (all the connectors were there, etc.). Well, when I went ahead and ordered it, it showed up and I found out that it has a Socket M, as opposed to the Socket P in my box.

I am not a computer technician, but consider myself reasonably handy and that is why I ventured into this project. I can run a screwdriver, etc., but I'm having a hard time finding any definitive answers regarding which CPU I can actually put in to the Socket M board. I found a thread here (Laptop CPU upgrade) on OcUK that led me to believe that one of you could help me out.

I went to Wikipedia and they have a picture of the Socket M: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socket_M and a picture of the Socket P: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socket_P . They list some processors that will work with the Socket M, such as a T5x00, T7x00 and T8x00 Intel Core Duo, Intel Celeron M, etc. I figure there must be a compatibility chart in existence that would verify that, or maybe someone here could direct me.

This is now a hobby project, as my wife decided to surprise me with a new laptop, so I can dive in as deep as I need(within reason), as opposed to sending it to a repair shop, to get the old box working again. I figure I can justify spending a few hundred bucks on the repair, rather than chucking it, based on replacement value. I've got $167 in the mobo and have seen CPU's for $25 - $100, so I think I'm in the ballpark.

Any help and suggestions that you all could offer would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Scott

 

[~Divine~Wind~]

7 month and the mobo goes?
Laptop had no warranty?
Even refurbs normally come with warranty
However if the local PC store you went to removed any warranty stickers/seals then it's void.

 

[capcom1]

according to here http://www.cpu-world.com/Sockets/Socket%20M%20%28mPGA478MT%29.html The fastest socket M processors are Core 2 Duo Mobile T7600 and core 2 Duo Mobile T7600G.

google you'r exact motherboard model number and see if it what processors it supports ...

 

[GrandpaScott]

I thought the same thing, regarding warranty, but Sony only gives 90 days on refurbs. I should have read the fine print and got the extended warranty, but you know what they say about hindsight.

I will try to find the mobo model and google it up. I tried to find the # when this first happened, but wasn't sure if I found the right info. There is a barcoded strip, that I'm assuming is the model, so I'll try to enter that and see what comes up.

Thanks for your quick answer. My time zone in Mid US is why the delay in responding. I'll update when I find something.

Scott

 

[Moeks]

Well firstly you're right with most of what you found, you do indeed need a 'Merom' core cpu for that, but that cpu was on both socket M and socket P, you obviously need the socket M variety. The T5x00 and T7x00 in socket M format are indeed the ideal choice. The T8x00 series you mentioned will not work, those are all Penryn chips and are socket P, or FCBGA6 ...which is soldered onto the mainboard.

There were also the older 'Yonah' Intel Core cpu's that used socket M, but I'd avoid those, same with the older Yonah core Celeron M 400-series ...although they will work in socket M, so if you can find one for a really low price, I suppose it's worth a shot to get the machine operational.

There are also the Merom core Celeron M 523, M 520 and M 530 cpu's that are socket M. I bet you could find a duel core one cheap, that might be worth a shot too.

 

[GrandpaScott]

Okay, I googled up "Sony MS20 MBX-156" and came up with a Core 2 Duo T5600 that looks like it would work. There are several on eBay that also say Socket M on them. Will any CPU that is Socket M work? Is there any more specific parameter that I can search for that will help me dial in my choice?
Thanks, Scott