Can you upgrade a soldered-in CPU?

Question

I own a Acer Aspire es1-532-c5yw, and it's celeron processor is no where near what I need. I don't have enough money, however, to afford to buy a laptop with at least an i5. I was therefore wondering if you would be able to replace the CPU (that's soldered to the motherboard) with a better one, and if so what would be the upgrade limits?

Thanks, Owen

Solution

I suspect that Hardware Recommendations (Stack Exchange Site) might be a more appropriate place to be asking about upgrading options. Note: It may also be helpful to note what motherboard your laptop is using.

Of course a CPU can be replaced. Removing the solder may be needed.

Note: I'm not saying that you can do it. (That would depend on your skill/resources.) I'm not saying that you have the necessary equipment. And I'm not saying that it can be done easily.

In fact, I wouldn't expect this to be easy. Having worked a bit with solder, I almost certainly would not attempt it myself.

For a desktop, I would explore the feasibility of replacing the entire motherboard over an issue like a CPU that isn't designed to be easily removable.

The unfortunate part about laptops is that they tend to have very customized designs, and (because of these designs which aren't standardized) most laptop cases are not designed to accommodate a large number of motherboard styles. So although I may be able to do so for a desktop, the usual solution (that I know of) for a laptop is to just live with whatever undesirable aspects may exist until you decide to get a new laptop.

With laptops, you get mobility. You don't get as much flexibility. This is simply one of the key differences between the entire "laptop" experience and the entire "tower"/"desktop" experience.

Comments

[Simon Sheehan]

This sums it up fairly well. Can you? Sure. Options will be VERY limited though, especially if right now you are coming off a Celeron. SHOULD you? Probably not. Laptops are not fun for this stuff unless you are very savvy for soldering and electronics.

[ivanivan]

In addition to all of this, not even sure a mobo that supports a celeron could support the i5 or better processors.