Step-By-Step Procedure in Replacing Your Laptop’s CPU

Laptop replacement parts sure have come a long way since computer manufacturers started making laptop components more accessible to casual consumers about a decade or so ago. With modern laptop designs not being as rigid anymore, more and more laptops have seen their expected lifespans increased with a few swaps here and there.

Not all laptop parts are easily replaceable, though. While most current laptops come with removable panels that allow access to RAM’s and/or hard drives, manufacturers are still wary of letting users tinker with GPUs. Still, they do indicate whether laptop GPUs are dedicated (individual parts, i.e. replaceable) or integrated with the motherboard, so at least that’s something.

CPUs, though, are a different matter entirely. Most laptop CPUs are even soldered right into their motherboards to really ensure that daring users won’t be able to mess around with them.

Preparations

If you’ve the mind to, though, it is possible to upgrade your laptop’s CPU, provided that it’s detachable and not soldered in. Consult with your laptop’s manual or the internet to find out whether the CPU is removable.

If it is, find out which socket type it has. Needless to say, you’ll want to replace it with a more powerful processor that has the same socket type.

Other things to prepare: A screwdriver, thermal paste, a lint-free rag, and a bottle of 99% isopropyl alcohol. Also, wear an antistatic wrist wrap to prevent unwanted electrostatic discharges to the laptop parts.

Once all these are in order, proceed with the replacement.

Procedure

There’s a good chance that your laptop’s existing BIOS won’t be compatible with newer processors, so make sure to update it. You can go over to the laptop manufacturer’s website to download and install the necessary updates.

2.  Remove the hinges from your laptop by prying them off gently with the screwdriver. Make sure not to apply too much force, as you could irreversibly damage your laptop’s chassis.

3.  Once the hinges are removed, the keyboards screws will be uncovered. Unscrew these to remove the keyboard. Don’t forget to unplug the keyboard from its connector before completely removing it.

4.   Remove the laptop’s upper half (the one with the screen) by removing its screws at the bottom and the back of the laptop case. Unplug its connector and Wi-Fi cables as well.

5.  Remove the laptop’s Blu-ray or DVD drive. Some models allow you to simply unlatch the optical drives. With others, you have to unscrew them.

6. Unscrew the shell covering of the laptop’s bottom half.

7.  If your laptop’s CPU is placed under the GPU, promptly remove the video card first. Some laptop models have their GPUs screwed in place. If yours isn’t, simply pull it out of its socket.

8. Use the screwdriver to unscrew the heat sink off the top of the CPU.

9. Turn the CPU’s locking screw counterclockwise to unlock it, and gently lift the processor up. When putting in its replacement, make sure that it’s aligned well. Finally, turn the locking screw clockwise to lock it back in place.

Some laptops use locking bars akin to desktops instead of locking screws. Aside from the fact that you pull these bars up and push them down instead of turning them around, this step remains largely the same.

10.   Place the heatsink back on top. Before doing so, though, make sure that the thermal compound (the silver-gray gunk) on its bottom is wiped off. Do this using the lint-free rag and the alcohol. After cleaning it off, apply a new coating of thermal paste.  

11.   Put your laptop back together; and voila! Instant souped-up laptop! Enjoy the performance boost!

The Importance of Being Ergonomic

The portability of laptops renders them handy machines. When you need or want to take your video games, social networks, or (*gasp!*) work outside your house, laptops make sure that you can do so.

When all is said and done, though, it would seem that portability is all that laptops have going for them. In most cases, their laptop parts aren’t as powerful as desktop ones, decreasing their functionality comparatively. The diminished power of their laptop components is a necessary loss these computers must live with if they are to retain their main selling point: Portability.

Another important attribute that laptops have to sacrifice is ergonomics. Ergonomics as a scientific concept delves into the interaction between humans and elements of any given system, and how best to streamline the interfacing between the two. For our purposes though, we can simplify it as thus: Ergonomics means how comfortable a user’s condition is when using his computer.

Since desktops are chained to a wall socket anyway, manufacturers have designed them to be as comfortable to use as possible. Keyboards, mouse devices, and monitors are all separate components from the main desktop tower so that users may adjust their placement accordingly: Monitors at the appropriate eye level, and keyboards and mice spaced evenly apart and well away from the monitor so that they can be as close as comfortably possible to the user.

The corresponding laptop components, however, have to be bunched all together just like the other laptop parts: The keyboard’s keys are often spaced too closely together, a touchpad is used in lieu of a mouse which actually limits a pointer’s dynamic movement range, and the monitor is no other than the upper half of the laptop, placed too closely to the keyboard.

Another ergonomic problem of laptops is that on most of them, the screen is too small for comfort, straining users’ eyes after long periods of computer use.

So, what to do when you fancy using your laptop in a stationary location for extended periods? Here are four general guidelines when going about this:

 1.  Make its setup (how you place it on a surface, that is) as close as possible to your preferred desktop ergonomics setting.

2. Make sure your wrists are in as natural a position as possible when using your laptop’s keyboard. 

3. Adjust the screen accordingly to minimize craning your neck to get the best possible visual angle. This entails considerations regarding the screen’s position, its viewing angle, and the level of color contrast that won’t force you to squint. 

4. Be at your most relaxed. This means that ultimately, it’s the laptop that should adjust to your body’s comfort level, and not the other way around.

There are many ways to fine tune laptop ergonomics. If you can afford it, you may want to invest in a laptop docking station. If you don’t have the budget for that, you can just buy a mouse to relieve yourself of the rigors of touchpad usage. You can also add a separate keyboard after your mouse purchase if you still have enough cash, so that you can treat the laptop as a separate monitor altogether, with the keyboard and mouse acting as equally separate components.

And if all else fails, compromise with a bias towards your wrists. That is, your back and neck muscles (the ones you use to swivel your head around) can actually take much more punishment than your wrists.

Mileage may vary between users, but the goal remains the same: Being comfy with laptop usage for as long as possible.