If it ends in '''U''', '''HQ''', or '''H''', those chips are soldered. '''HK (unlocked multiplier, rare due to being an enthusiast mobile CPU)''' is also soldered. The CPU type is a more reliable clue then speculation - '''go off of the EXISTING CPU to know for sure, not speculation.''' '''With this laptop, post-HSW is soldered and HSW will either be modular (Socket G3/37-47W TDP depending on if it is a 2C/4T dual-core OR 4C/8T quad core) or soldered (ULV series - 15W). Example HSW CPUs are: i5-4310M (Socket G3/37-47W Modular) or i7-4600U (ULV/soldered 15W).'''
With Intel, anything mobile post HSW is soldered, including mobile Broadwell as this was predominantly a mobile platform with some enthusiast desktop chips. AMD did it years earlier for some (Ex: C series netbook CPU), now all of their mobile chips have also been soldered since ~2014-15, similar to Intel. I get CPU modularity has advantages; I held onto HSW for the Socket G3 chips until it was so old the issues were hard to ignore, like not being able to use NVMe SSDs* (M.2 AHCI works on HSW but not NVMe - 6th gen or newer is required to use an NVMe SSD) despite the weight and thiccness of the computers.
-
'''*Apparently there's a way it supposedly works, but you need to modify your HSW system BIOS or see if you can install a NVMe Option ROM. ''However it will never be bootable''''' '''''and will never work on prebuilts since they all come with Intel Boot Guard enabled and it's a one time switch with an eFuse.''''' '''''It also risks hard bricking the board if there’s no real BIOS failure recovery mechanism :-(. If you tried and killed the board you'd be better off with a new board and CPU which actually support NVMe properly. To be quite frank it's a stupid modification with no real world value and only works on custom desktops some of the time; yes, even your Clevo/Sager white label laptop has Boot Guard. It's like putting a FWD drivetrain on a V8 engine.'''''
+
'''*Apparently there's a way it supposedly works, but you need to modify your HSW system BIOS or see if you can install a NVMe Option ROM. ''However it will never be bootable''''' '''''and will never work on prebuilts since they all come with Intel Boot Guard enabled and it's a one time switch with an eFuse.''''' '''''It also risks hard bricking the board if there’s no real BIOS failure recovery mechanism :-(. If you tried and killed the board you'd be better off going to a platform with native NVMe support, which means newer CPU as well. To be quite frank it's a stupid modification with no real world value and only works on custom desktops some of the time; yes, even your Clevo/Sager white label laptop has Boot Guard. It's like putting a large displacement V8 with a FWD drivetrain.'''''
-
to recover from a bad modification… At which point get a board and CPU which natively support NVMe.
-
-
After NVMe became much cheaper, the cracks were permanently opened with HSW - can't ignore it anymore. For me and many others, the raw speed of NVMe makes up for the soldered CPUs. '''''NOTE: While NVMe is nice, if you still value modular CPUs you can still get by with a Socket G3 HSW notebook - just keep the issue of NVMe support in mind when buying one, and the fact you will likely need a new battery - the original batteries tend to be fried at this point regardless of the system manufacturer. My 65Wh E6440 Socket G3 battery is done for capacity wise.'''''
+
After NVMe became much cheaper, the cracks were permanently opened with HSW and Broadwell to the point there’s no going back. For me and many others, the raw speed of NVMe makes up for the soldered CPUs. '''''NOTE: While NVMe is nice, if you still value modular CPUs you can still get by with a Socket G3 HSW notebook - just keep the NVMe issue in mind when buying one, and the fact you will likely need a new battery - the original batteries tend to be fried at this point regardless of the system manufacturer. My 65Wh E6440 Socket G3 battery is done for capacity wise, and my E7440’s original pack is on the way out.'''''
'''''At this point, the only people who care about soldered vs. modular CPUs think you gain a lot of performance with a CPU upgrade when you never, ever do. It just preserves your old motherboard in the rare event of a bad CPU.'''''
TECHNICALLY you can replace the soldered CPUs, but you need to get a schematic and make sure the board has the right resistors and VRM coils, have a new CPU (or a used reball) and a reflowing machine for soldered ones... Not practical for a DIYer.
If it ends in '''U''', '''HQ''', or '''H''', those chips are soldered. '''HK (unlocked multiplier)''' is also soldered (rare, only in enthusiast notebooks). The CPU type is a more reliable clue then speculation - '''go off of the EXISTING CPU to know for sure, not speculation.''' '''With this laptop, post-HSW is soldered and HSW will either be modular (Socket G3/37-47W TDP depending on if it is a 2C/4T dual-core OR 4C/8T quad core) or soldered (ULV series - 15W). Example HSW CPUs are: i5-4310M (Socket G3/37-47W Modular) or i7-4600U (ULV/soldered 15W).'''
+
If it ends in '''U''', '''HQ''', or '''H''', those chips are soldered. '''HK (unlocked multiplier, rare due to being an enthusiast mobile CPU)''' is also soldered. The CPU type is a more reliable clue then speculation - '''go off of the EXISTING CPU to know for sure, not speculation.''' '''With this laptop, post-HSW is soldered and HSW will either be modular (Socket G3/37-47W TDP depending on if it is a 2C/4T dual-core OR 4C/8T quad core) or soldered (ULV series - 15W). Example HSW CPUs are: i5-4310M (Socket G3/37-47W Modular) or i7-4600U (ULV/soldered 15W).'''
With Intel, anything mobile post HSW is soldered, including mobile Broadwell as this was predominantly a mobile platform with some enthusiast desktop chips. AMD did it years earlier for some (Ex: C series netbook CPU), now all of their mobile chips have also been soldered since ~2014-15, similar to Intel. I get CPU modularity has advantages; I held onto HSW for the Socket G3 chips until it was so old the issues were hard to ignore, like not being able to use NVMe SSDs* (M.2 AHCI works on HSW but not NVMe - 6th gen or newer is required to use an NVMe SSD) despite the weight and thiccness of the computers.
'''*Apparently there's a way it supposedly works, but you need to modify your HSW system BIOS or see if you can install a NVMe Option ROM. ''However it will never be bootable''''' '''''and will never work on prebuilts since they all come with Intel Boot Guard enabled and it's a one time switch with an eFuse.''''' '''''It also risks hard bricking the board if there’s no real BIOS failure recovery mechanism :-(. If you tried and killed the board you'd be better off with a new board and CPU which actually support NVMe properly. To be quite frank it's a stupid modification with no real world value and only works on custom desktops some of the time; yes, even your Clevo/Sager white label laptop has Boot Guard. It's like putting a FWD drivetrain on a V8 engine.'''''
to recover from a bad modification… At which point get a board and CPU which natively support NVMe.
After NVMe became much cheaper, the cracks were permanently opened with HSW - can't ignore it anymore. For me and many others, the raw speed of NVMe makes up for the soldered CPUs. '''''NOTE: While NVMe is nice, if you still value modular CPUs you can still get by with a Socket G3 HSW notebook - just keep the issue of NVMe support in mind when buying one, and the fact you will likely need a new battery - the original batteries tend to be fried at this point regardless of the system manufacturer. My 65Wh E6440 Socket G3 battery is done for capacity wise.'''''
'''''At this point, the only people who care about soldered vs. modular CPUs think you gain a lot of performance with a CPU upgrade when you never, ever do. It just preserves your old motherboard in the rare event of a bad CPU.'''''
TECHNICALLY you can replace the soldered CPUs, but you need to get a schematic and make sure the board has the right resistors and VRM coils, have a new CPU (or a used reball) and a reflowing machine for soldered ones... Not practical for a DIYer.
If it ends in '''U''', '''HQ''', or '''H''', those chips are soldered. '''HK (unlocked multiplier)''' is also soldered (rare, only in enthusiast notebooks). The CPU type is a more reliable clue then speculation - '''go off of the EXISTING CPU to know for sure, not speculation.''' '''With this laptop, post-HSW is soldered and HSW will either be modular (Socket G3/37-47W TDP depending on if it is a 2C/4T dual-core OR 4C/8T quad core) or soldered (ULV series - 15W). Example HSW CPUs are: i5-4310M (Socket G3/37-47W Modular) or i7-4600U (ULV/soldered 15W).'''
With Intel, anything mobile post HSW is soldered, including mobile Broadwell as this was predominantly a mobile platform with some enthusiast desktop chips. AMD did it years earlier for some (Ex: C series netbook CPU), now all of their mobile chips have also been soldered since ~2014-15, similar to Intel. I get CPU modularity has advantages; I held onto HSW for the Socket G3 chips until it was so old the issues were hard to ignore, like not being able to use NVMe SSDs* (M.2 AHCI works on HSW but not NVMe - 6th gen or newer is required to use an NVMe SSD) despite the weight and thiccness of the computers.
-
'''*Apparently there's a way it supposedly works, but you need to modify your HSW system BIOS or see if you can install a NVMe Option ROM. ''However it will never be bootable''''' '''''and will never work on prebuilts since they all come with Intel Boot Guard enabled and it's a one time switch with an eFuse.''''' '''''It also risks hard bricking the board if there’s no real BIOS failure recovery mechanism :-(. If you tried and killed the board you'd be better off with a new board and CPU which actually support NVMe properly. To be quite frank it's a stupid modification with no real world value and only works on custom desktops some of the time; yes, even your Clevo/Sager white label laptop has Boot Guard.'''''
+
'''*Apparently there's a way it supposedly works, but you need to modify your HSW system BIOS or see if you can install a NVMe Option ROM. ''However it will never be bootable''''' '''''and will never work on prebuilts since they all come with Intel Boot Guard enabled and it's a one time switch with an eFuse.''''' '''''It also risks hard bricking the board if there’s no real BIOS failure recovery mechanism :-(. If you tried and killed the board you'd be better off with a new board and CPU which actually support NVMe properly. To be quite frank it's a stupid modification with no real world value and only works on custom desktops some of the time; yes, even your Clevo/Sager white label laptop has Boot Guard. It's like putting a FWD drivetrain on a V8 engine.'''''
to recover from a bad modification… At which point get a board and CPU which natively support NVMe.
After NVMe became much cheaper, the cracks were permanently opened with HSW - can't ignore it anymore. For me and many others, the raw speed of NVMe makes up for the soldered CPUs. '''''NOTE: While NVMe is nice, if you still value modular CPUs you can still get by with a Socket G3 HSW notebook - just keep the issue of NVMe support in mind when buying one, and the fact you will likely need a new battery - the original batteries tend to be fried at this point regardless of the system manufacturer. My 65Wh E6440 Socket G3 battery is done for capacity wise.'''''
'''''At this point, the only people who care about soldered vs. modular CPUs think you gain a lot of performance with a CPU upgrade when you never, ever do. It just preserves your old motherboard in the rare event of a bad CPU.'''''
TECHNICALLY you can replace the soldered CPUs, but you need to get a schematic and make sure the board has the right resistors and VRM coils, have a new CPU (or a used reball) and a reflowing machine for soldered ones... Not practical for a DIYer.
If it ends in '''U''', '''HQ''', or '''H''', those chips are soldered. '''HK (unlocked multiplier)''' is also soldered (rare, only in enthusiast notebooks). The CPU type is a more reliable clue then speculation - '''go off of the EXISTING CPU to know for sure, not speculation.''' '''With this laptop, post-HSW is soldered and HSW will either be modular (Socket G3/37-47W TDP depending on if it is a 2C/4T dual-core OR 4C/8T quad core) or soldered (ULV series - 15W). Example HSW CPUs are: i5-4310M (Socket G3/37-47W Modular) or i7-4600U (ULV/soldered 15W).'''
With Intel, anything mobile post HSW is soldered, including mobile Broadwell as this was predominantly a mobile platform with some enthusiast desktop chips. AMD did it years earlier for some (Ex: C series netbook CPU), now all of their mobile chips have also been soldered since ~2014-15, similar to Intel. I get CPU modularity has advantages; I held onto HSW for the Socket G3 chips until it was so old the issues were hard to ignore, like not being able to use NVMe SSDs* (M.2 AHCI works on HSW but not NVMe - 6th gen or newer is required to use an NVMe SSD) despite the weight and thiccness of the computers.
-
'''*Apparently there's a way it supposedly works, but you need to modify your HSW system BIOS or see if you can install a NVMe Option ROM. ''However it will never be bootable''''' '''''and will never work on prebuilts since they all come with Intel Boot Guard enabled and it's a one time switch with an eFuse.''''' '''''It also risks hard bricking the board if there’s no real BIOS failure recovery mechanism :-(. If you tried and killed the board you'd be better off with a new board and CPU which actually support NVMe properly.'''''
+
'''*Apparently there's a way it supposedly works, but you need to modify your HSW system BIOS or see if you can install a NVMe Option ROM. ''However it will never be bootable''''' '''''and will never work on prebuilts since they all come with Intel Boot Guard enabled and it's a one time switch with an eFuse.''''' '''''It also risks hard bricking the board if there’s no real BIOS failure recovery mechanism :-(. If you tried and killed the board you'd be better off with a new board and CPU which actually support NVMe properly. To be quite frank it's a stupid modification with no real world value and only works on custom desktops some of the time; yes, even your Clevo/Sager white label laptop has Boot Guard.'''''
-
to recover from a bad modification… At which point get a board and CPU which natively support NVMe.
+
to recover from a bad modification… At which point get a board and CPU which natively support NVMe.
After NVMe became much cheaper, the cracks were permanently opened with HSW - can't ignore it anymore. For me and many others, the raw speed of NVMe makes up for the soldered CPUs. '''''NOTE: While NVMe is nice, if you still value modular CPUs you can still get by with a Socket G3 HSW notebook - just keep the issue of NVMe support in mind when buying one, and the fact you will likely need a new battery - the original batteries tend to be fried at this point regardless of the system manufacturer. My 65Wh E6440 Socket G3 battery is done for capacity wise.'''''
'''''At this point, the only people who care about soldered vs. modular CPUs think you gain a lot of performance with a CPU upgrade when you never, ever do. It just preserves your old motherboard in the rare event of a bad CPU.'''''
TECHNICALLY you can replace the soldered CPUs, but you need to get a schematic and make sure the board has the right resistors and VRM coils, have a new CPU (or a used reball) and a reflowing machine for soldered ones... Not practical for a DIYer.
If it ends in '''U''', '''HQ''', or '''H''', those chips are soldered. '''HK (unlocked multiplier)''' is also soldered (rare, only in enthusiast notebooks). The CPU type is a more reliable clue then speculation - '''go off of the EXISTING CPU to know for sure, not speculation.''' '''With this laptop, post-HSW is soldered and HSW will either be modular (Socket G3/37-47W TDP depending on if it is a 2C/4T dual-core OR 4C/8T quad core) or soldered (ULV series - 15W). Example HSW CPUs are: i5-4310M (Socket G3/37-47W Modular) or i7-4600U (ULV/soldered 15W).'''
With Intel, anything mobile post HSW is soldered, including mobile Broadwell as this was predominantly a mobile platform with some enthusiast desktop chips. AMD did it years earlier for some (Ex: C series netbook CPU), now all of their mobile chips have also been soldered since ~2014-15, similar to Intel. I get CPU modularity has advantages; I held onto HSW for the Socket G3 chips until it was so old the issues were hard to ignore, like not being able to use NVMe SSDs* (M.2 AHCI works on HSW but not NVMe - 6th gen or newer is required to use an NVMe SSD) despite the weight and thiccness of the computers.
-
*Apparently there's a way it supposedly works, but you need to modify your HSW system BIOS or see if you can install a NVMe Option ROM. However it will never be bootable and this will never work on prebuilts since they all come with Intel Boot Guard enabled and it's a one time switch with an eFuse. It also risks hard bricking the board if there’s no real BIOS failure detection to recover from a bad modification… At which point get a board and CPU which natively support NVMe.
+
'''*Apparently there's a way it supposedly works, but you need to modify your HSW system BIOS or see if you can install a NVMe Option ROM. ''However it will never be bootable''''' '''''and will never work on prebuilts since they all come with Intel Boot Guard enabled and it's a one time switch with an eFuse.''''' '''''It also risks hard bricking the board if there’s no real BIOS failure recovery mechanism :-(. If you tried and killed the board you'd be better off with a new board and CPU which actually support NVMe properly.'''''
+
+
to recover from a bad modification… At which point get a board and CPU which natively support NVMe.
After NVMe became much cheaper, the cracks were permanently opened with HSW - can't ignore it anymore. For me and many others, the raw speed of NVMe makes up for the soldered CPUs. '''''NOTE: While NVMe is nice, if you still value modular CPUs you can still get by with a Socket G3 HSW notebook - just keep the issue of NVMe support in mind when buying one, and the fact you will likely need a new battery - the original batteries tend to be fried at this point regardless of the system manufacturer. My 65Wh E6440 Socket G3 battery is done for capacity wise.'''''
'''''At this point, the only people who care about soldered vs. modular CPUs think you gain a lot of performance with a CPU upgrade when you never, ever do. It just preserves your old motherboard in the rare event of a bad CPU.'''''
TECHNICALLY you can replace the soldered CPUs, but you need to get a schematic and make sure the board has the right resistors and VRM coils, have a new CPU (or a used reball) and a reflowing machine for soldered ones... Not practical for a DIYer.
If it ends in '''U''', '''HQ''', or '''H''', those chips are soldered. '''HK (unlocked multiplier)''' is also soldered (rare, only in enthusiast notebooks). The CPU type is a more reliable clue then speculation - '''go off of the EXISTING CPU to know for sure, not speculation.''' '''With this laptop, post-HSW is soldered and HSW will either be modular (Socket G3/37-47W TDP depending on if it is a 2C/4T dual-core OR 4C/8T quad core) or soldered (ULV series - 15W). Example HSW CPUs are: i5-4310M (Socket G3/37-47W Modular) or i7-4600U (ULV/soldered 15W).'''
-
With Intel, anything mobile post HSW is soldered, including mobile Broadwell as this was predominantly a mobile platform with some enthusiast desktop chips. AMD did it years earlier for some (Ex: C series netbook CPU), now all of their mobile chips have also been soldered since ~2014-15, similar to Intel. I get CPU modularity has advantages; I held onto HSW for the Socket G3 chips until it was so old the issues were hard to ignore, like not being able to use NVMe SSDs (M.2 AHCI works on HSW but not NVMe - 6th gen or newer is required to use an NVMe SSD) despite the weight and thiccness of the computers. After NVMe became much cheaper, the cracks were permanently opened with HSW - can't ignore it anymore. For me and many others, the speed of NVMe makes up for the soldered CPUs. '''''NOTE: While NVMe is nice, if you still value modular CPUs you can still get by with a Socket G3 HSW notebook - just keep the issue of NVMe support in mind when buying one, and the original batteries tend to be fried at this point - my E6440 (Socket G3) battery failed ePSA at one point so it’s shot and is bipolar about if it’s EOL (per ePSA) or tired.'''''
+
With Intel, anything mobile post HSW is soldered, including mobile Broadwell as this was predominantly a mobile platform with some enthusiast desktop chips. AMD did it years earlier for some (Ex: C series netbook CPU), now all of their mobile chips have also been soldered since ~2014-15, similar to Intel. I get CPU modularity has advantages; I held onto HSW for the Socket G3 chips until it was so old the issues were hard to ignore, like not being able to use NVMe SSDs* (M.2 AHCI works on HSW but not NVMe - 6th gen or newer is required to use an NVMe SSD) despite the weight and thiccness of the computers.
-
'''''At this point, the only people who honestly care about the issue of soldered vs. modular think you gain a lot of performance with a CPU upgrade when you never, ever do. It just preserves your old motherboard in the rare event of a bad CPU.'''''
+
*Apparently there's a way it supposedly works, but you need to modify your HSW system BIOS or see if you can install a NVMe Option ROM. However it will never be bootable and this will never work on prebuilts since they all come with Intel Boot Guard enabled and it's a one time switch with an eFuse. It also risks hard bricking the board if there’s no real BIOS failure detection to recover from a bad modification… At which point get a board and CPU which natively support NVMe.
+
+
After NVMe became much cheaper, the cracks were permanently opened with HSW - can't ignore it anymore. For me and many others, the raw speed of NVMe makes up for the soldered CPUs. '''''NOTE: While NVMe is nice, if you still value modular CPUs you can still get by with a Socket G3 HSW notebook - just keep the issue of NVMe support in mind when buying one, and the fact you will likely need a new battery - the original batteries tend to be fried at this point regardless of the system manufacturer. My 65Wh E6440 Socket G3 battery is done for capacity wise.'''''
+
+
'''''At this point, the only people who care about soldered vs. modular CPUs think you gain a lot of performance with a CPU upgrade when you never, ever do. It just preserves your old motherboard in the rare event of a bad CPU.'''''
TECHNICALLY you can replace the soldered CPUs, but you need to get a schematic and make sure the board has the right resistors and VRM coils, have a new CPU (or a used reball) and a reflowing machine for soldered ones... Not practical for a DIYer.
If it ends in '''U''', '''HQ''', or '''H''', those chips are soldered. '''HK (unlocked multiplier)''' is also soldered (rare, only in enthusiast notebooks). The CPU type is a more reliable clue then speculation - '''go off of the EXISTING CPU to know for sure, not speculation.''' '''With this laptop, post-HSW is soldered and HSW will either be modular (Socket G3/37-47W TDP depending on if it is a 2C/4T dual-core OR 4C/8T quad core) or soldered (ULV series - 15W). Example HSW CPUs are: i5-4310M (Socket G3/37-47W Modular) or i7-4600U (ULV/soldered 15W).'''
-
With Intel, anything mobile post HSW is soldered, including mobile Broadwell as this was predominantly a mobile platform with some enthusiast desktop chips. AMD did it years earlier for some (Ex: C series netbook CPU), now all of their mobile chips have also been soldered since ~2014-15, similar to Intel. I get CPU modularity has advantages; I held onto HSW for the Socket G3 chips until it was so old the issues were hard to ignore, like not being able to use NVMe SSDs (M.2 AHCI works on HSW but not NVMe - 6th gen or newer is required to use an NVMe SSD) despite the weight and thiccness of the computers. After NVMe got cheap, the cracks were permanently opened for me beyond repair.The speed of NVMe makes up for the soldered CPUs for me (and many others). '''''NOTE: While NVMe is nice, if you still value modular CPUs you can still get by with a Socket G3 HSW notebook - just keep the issue of NVMe support in mind when buying one, and the original batteries tend to be fried at this point - my E6440 (Socket G3) battery failed ePSA at one point so it’s shot and is bipolar about if it’s EOL (per ePSA) or tired.'''''
+
With Intel, anything mobile post HSW is soldered, including mobile Broadwell as this was predominantly a mobile platform with some enthusiast desktop chips. AMD did it years earlier for some (Ex: C series netbook CPU), now all of their mobile chips have also been soldered since ~2014-15, similar to Intel. I get CPU modularity has advantages; I held onto HSW for the Socket G3 chips until it was so old the issues were hard to ignore, like not being able to use NVMe SSDs (M.2 AHCI works on HSW but not NVMe - 6th gen or newer is required to use an NVMe SSD) despite the weight and thiccness of the computers. After NVMe became much cheaper, the cracks were permanently opened with HSW - can't ignore it anymore. For me and many others, the speed of NVMe makes up for the soldered CPUs. '''''NOTE: While NVMe is nice, if you still value modular CPUs you can still get by with a Socket G3 HSW notebook - just keep the issue of NVMe support in mind when buying one, and the original batteries tend to be fried at this point - my E6440 (Socket G3) battery failed ePSA at one point so it’s shot and is bipolar about if it’s EOL (per ePSA) or tired.'''''
'''''At this point, the only people who honestly care about the issue of soldered vs. modular think you gain a lot of performance with a CPU upgrade when you never, ever do. It just preserves your old motherboard in the rare event of a bad CPU.'''''
TECHNICALLY you can replace the soldered CPUs, but you need to get a schematic and make sure the board has the right resistors and VRM coils, have a new CPU (or a used reball) and a reflowing machine for soldered ones... Not practical for a DIYer.
If it ends in '''U''', '''HQ''', or '''H''', those chips are soldered. '''HK (unlocked multiplier)''' is also soldered (rare, only in enthusiast notebooks). The CPU type is a more reliable clue then speculation - '''go off of the EXISTING CPU to know for sure, not speculation.''' '''With this laptop, post-HSW is soldered and HSW will either be modular (Socket G3/37-47W TDP depending on if it is a 2C/4T dual-core OR 4C/8T quad core) or soldered (ULV series - 15W). Example HSW CPUs are: i5-4310M (Socket G3/37-47W Modular) or i7-4600U (ULV/soldered 15W).'''
-
With Intel, anything mobile post HSW is soldered, including mobile Broadwell as this was predominantly a mobile platform with some enthusiast desktop chips. AMD did it years earlier for some (Ex: C series netbook CPU), now all of their mobile chips have also been soldered since ~2014-15, similar to Intel. I get CPU modularity has advantages; I held onto HSW for the Socket G3 chips until it was so old the issues were hard to ignore, like not being able to use NVMe SSDs (M.2 AHCI works on HSW but not NVMe - 6th gen or newer is required to use an NVMe SSD) despite the weight and thiccness of the computers. After NVMe got cheap, the cracks were permanently opened for me beyond repair. The speed of NVMe makes up for the soldered CPUs for me (and many others). '''''NOTE: While NVMe is nice, if you still value modular CPUs you can still get by with a Socket G3 HSW notebook - just keep the issue of NVMe support in mind when buying one, and the original batteries tend to be fried at this point - my E6440 (Socket G3) battery failed ePSA at one point so it’s shot.'''''
+
With Intel, anything mobile post HSW is soldered, including mobile Broadwell as this was predominantly a mobile platform with some enthusiast desktop chips. AMD did it years earlier for some (Ex: C series netbook CPU), now all of their mobile chips have also been soldered since ~2014-15, similar to Intel. I get CPU modularity has advantages; I held onto HSW for the Socket G3 chips until it was so old the issues were hard to ignore, like not being able to use NVMe SSDs (M.2 AHCI works on HSW but not NVMe - 6th gen or newer is required to use an NVMe SSD) despite the weight and thiccness of the computers. After NVMe got cheap, the cracks were permanently opened for me beyond repair. The speed of NVMe makes up for the soldered CPUs for me (and many others). '''''NOTE: While NVMe is nice, if you still value modular CPUs you can still get by with a Socket G3 HSW notebook - just keep the issue of NVMe support in mind when buying one, and the original batteries tend to be fried at this point - my E6440 (Socket G3) battery failed ePSA at one point so it’s shot and is bipolar about if it’s EOL (per ePSA) or tired.'''''
'''''At this point, the only people who honestly care about the issue of soldered vs. modular think you gain a lot of performance with a CPU upgrade when you never, ever do. It just preserves your old motherboard in the rare event of a bad CPU.'''''
TECHNICALLY you can replace the soldered CPUs, but you need to get a schematic and make sure the board has the right resistors and VRM coils, have a new CPU (or a used reball) and a reflowing machine for soldered ones... Not practical for a DIYer.
If it ends in '''U''', '''HQ''', or '''H''', those chips are soldered. '''HK (unlocked multiplier)''' is also soldered (rare, only in enthusiast notebooks). The CPU type is a more reliable clue then speculation - '''go off of that, not speculation.''' '''With this laptop, the post-HSW chips are soldered, and HSW is modular unless it’s using a U Series chip. For this model, here is your answer (of course, open the laptop and check!): 37/47W TDP HSW M CPU=Socket G3 (modular)/U=BGA (soldered).'''
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If it ends in '''U''', '''HQ''', or '''H''', those chips are soldered. '''HK (unlocked multiplier)''' is also soldered (rare, only in enthusiast notebooks). The CPU type is a more reliable clue then speculation - '''go off of the EXISTING CPU to know for sure, not speculation.''' '''With this laptop, post-HSW is soldered and HSW will either be modular (Socket G3/37-47W TDP depending on if it is a 2C/4T dual-core OR 4C/8T quad core) or soldered (ULV series - 15W). Example HSW CPUs are: i5-4310M (Socket G3/37-47W Modular) or i7-4600U (ULV/soldered 15W).'''
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For Intel at least, anything mobile post HSW/Broadwell is soldered - AMD did it years earlier for some (Ex: C series netbook CPU), now all of their mobile chips have also been soldered in the last 5-7 years, like Intel. I get this modularity has advantages; I held onto HSW until it was as old as it is now for the 37W '''M (Socket G3)''' computers, even if they were all thicc and heavy. They’re beginning to show their age to the point I can no longer pretend the age gap isn’t there. The main issue is the performance gap has gotten too big to ignore, primarily with storage options (6th-present gen natively support NVMe). While Socket G3 modularity is nice, I wouldn't trade that for gigabits of raw disk speed. However, if you want to put up with SATA knock yourself out while Haswell is still fresh enough you can run it as a daily. '''For me (and many others), the night and day difference with NVMe vs. SATA makes up for the soldered CPUs. The only people who honestly care want it for the option to upgrade CPUs,as if it helps that much.'''
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With Intel, anything mobile post HSW is soldered, including mobile Broadwell as this was predominantly a mobile platform with some enthusiast desktop chips. AMD did it years earlier for some (Ex: C series netbook CPU), now all of their mobile chips have also been soldered since ~2014-15, similar to Intel. I get CPU modularity has advantages; I held onto HSW for the Socket G3 chips until it was so old the issues were hard to ignore, like not being able to use NVMe SSDs (M.2 AHCI works on HSW but not NVMe - 6th gen or newer is required to use an NVMe SSD) despite the weight and thiccness of the computers. After NVMe got cheap, the cracks were permanently opened for me beyond repair. The speed of NVMe makes up for the soldered CPUs for me (and many others). '''''NOTE: While NVMe is nice, if you still value modular CPUs you can still get by with a Socket G3 HSW notebook - just keep the issue of NVMe support in mind when buying one, and the original batteries tend to be fried at this point - my E6440 (Socket G3) battery failed ePSA at one point so it’s shot.'''''
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TECHNICALLY you can replace the CPU, but you need to get a schematic and make sure the board has the right resistors and VRM coils, have a new CPU (or a used reball) and a reflowing machine for soldered ones... Not practical for a DIYer.
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'''''At this point, the only people who honestly care about the issue of soldered vs. modular think you gain a lot of performance with a CPU upgrade when you never, ever do. It just preserves your old motherboard in the rare event of a bad CPU.'''''
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TECHNICALLY you can replace the soldered CPUs, but you need to get a schematic and make sure the board has the right resistors and VRM coils, have a new CPU (or a used reball) and a reflowing machine for soldered ones... Not practical for a DIYer.
If it ends in '''U''', '''HQ''', or '''H''', those chips are soldered. '''HK (unlocked multiplier)''' is also soldered (rare, only in enthusiast notebooks). The CPU type is a more reliable clue then speculation - '''go off of that, not speculation.''' '''With this laptop, the post-HSW chips are soldered, and HSW is modular unless it’s using a U Series chip. For this model, here is your answer (of course, open the laptop and check!): 37/47W TDP HSW M CPU=Socket G3 (modular)/U=BGA (soldered).'''
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For Intel at least, anything mobile post HSW is soldered - AMD did it years earlier for some, now all of their mobile chips have also been soldered in the last 5-7 years, like Intel. I get it; I held onto HSW until it was aging for the 37W '''M (Socket G3)''' computers. They’re beginning to show their age to the point I can no longer pretend it’s there sadly. The main issue is the performance gap has gotten too big to ignore, primarily with storage options (6th-present gen natively support NVMe). While Socket G3 modularity is nice, I wouldn't trade that for gigabits of raw disk speed. However, if you want to put up with SATA knock yourself out while Haswell is still fresh enough you can run it as a daily. '''For me (and many others), the night and day difference with NVMe vs. SATA makes up for the soldered CPUs. The only people who honestly care want it for the option to upgrade CPUs, as if it helps that much.'''
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For Intel at least, anything mobile post HSW/Broadwell is soldered - AMD did it years earlier for some (Ex: C series netbook CPU), now all of their mobile chips have also been soldered in the last 5-7 years, like Intel. I get this modularity has advantages; I held onto HSW until it was as old as it is now for the 37W '''M (Socket G3)''' computers, even if they were all thicc and heavy. They’re beginning to show their age to the point I can no longer pretend the age gap isn’t there. The main issue is the performance gap has gotten too big to ignore, primarily with storage options (6th-present gen natively support NVMe). While Socket G3 modularity is nice, I wouldn't trade that for gigabits of raw disk speed. However, if you want to put up with SATA knock yourself out while Haswell is still fresh enough you can run it as a daily. '''For me (and many others), the night and day difference with NVMe vs. SATA makes up for the soldered CPUs. The only people who honestly care want it for the option to upgrade CPUs, as if it helps that much.'''
TECHNICALLY you can replace the CPU, but you need to get a schematic and make sure the board has the right resistors and VRM coils, have a new CPU (or a used reball) and a reflowing machine for soldered ones... Not practical for a DIYer.
If it ends in '''U''', '''HQ''', or '''H''', those chips are soldered. '''HK (unlocked multiplier)''' is also soldered (rare, only in enthusiast notebooks). The CPU type is a more reliable clue then speculation - '''go off of that, not speculation.''' '''With this laptop, the post-HSW chips are soldered, and HSW is modular unless it’s using a U Series chip - 37/47W M CPU=Socket G3 and U=BGA (soldered).'''
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If it ends in '''U''', '''HQ''', or '''H''', those chips are soldered. '''HK (unlocked multiplier)''' is also soldered (rare, only in enthusiast notebooks). The CPU type is a more reliable clue then speculation - '''go off of that, not speculation.''' '''With this laptop, the post-HSW chips are soldered, and HSW is modular unless it’s using a U Series chip. For this model, here is your answer (of course, open the laptop and check!): 37/47W TDP HSW M CPU=Socket G3 (modular)/U=BGA (soldered).'''
For Intel at least, anything mobile post HSW is soldered - AMD did it years earlier for some, now all of their mobile chips have also been soldered in the last 5-7 years, like Intel. I get it; I held onto HSW until it was aging for the 37W '''M (Socket G3)''' computers. They’re beginning to show their age to the point I can no longer pretend it’s there sadly. The main issue is the performance gap has gotten too big to ignore, primarily with storage options (6th-present gen natively support NVMe). While Socket G3 modularity is nice, I wouldn't trade that for gigabits of raw disk speed. However, if you want to put up with SATA knock yourself out while Haswell is still fresh enough you can run it as a daily. '''For me (and many others), the night and day difference with NVMe vs. SATA makes up for the soldered CPUs. The only people who honestly care want it for the option to upgrade CPUs, as if it helps that much.'''
TECHNICALLY you can replace the CPU, but you need to get a schematic and make sure the board has the right resistors and VRM coils, have a new CPU (or a used reball) and a reflowing machine for soldered ones... Not practical for a DIYer.
If it ends in '''U''', '''HQ''', or '''H''', those chips are soldered. '''HK (unlocked multiplier)''' is also soldered (rare, only in enthusiast notebooks). The CPU type is a more reliable clue then speculation - '''go off of that, not speculation.''' '''With this laptop, the post-HSW chips are soldered, and HSW is modular unless it’s using a U Series chip - 37/47W CPU=Socket G3 and U=BGA (soldered).'''
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If it ends in '''U''', '''HQ''', or '''H''', those chips are soldered. '''HK (unlocked multiplier)''' is also soldered (rare, only in enthusiast notebooks). The CPU type is a more reliable clue then speculation - '''go off of that, not speculation.''' '''With this laptop, the post-HSW chips are soldered, and HSW is modular unless it’s using a U Series chip - 37/47W M CPU=Socket G3 and U=BGA (soldered).'''
For Intel at least, anything mobile post HSW is soldered - AMD did it years earlier for some, now all of their mobile chips have also been soldered in the last 5-7 years, like Intel. I get it; I held onto HSW until it was aging for the 37W '''M (Socket G3)''' computers. They’re beginning to show their age to the point I can no longer pretend it’s there sadly. The main issue is the performance gap has gotten too big to ignore, primarily with storage options (6th-present gen natively support NVMe). While Socket G3 modularity is nice, I wouldn't trade that for gigabits of raw disk speed. However, if you want to put up with SATA knock yourself out while Haswell is still fresh enough you can run it as a daily. '''For me (and many others), the night and day difference with NVMe vs. SATA makes up for the soldered CPUs. The only people who honestly care want it for the option to upgrade CPUs, as if it helps that much.'''
TECHNICALLY you can replace the CPU, but you need to get a schematic and make sure the board has the right resistors and VRM coils, have a new CPU (or a used reball) and a reflowing machine for soldered ones... Not practical for a DIYer.
If it ends in '''U''', '''HQ''', or '''H''', those chips are soldered. '''HK (unlocked multiplier)''' is also soldered (rare, only in enthusiast notebooks). The CPU type is a more reliable clue then speculation - '''go off of that, not speculation.''' With this laptop, the post-HSW chips are soldered, and HSW is modular unless it’s using a U Series chip.
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If it ends in '''U''', '''HQ''', or '''H''', those chips are soldered. '''HK (unlocked multiplier)''' is also soldered (rare, only in enthusiast notebooks). The CPU type is a more reliable clue then speculation - '''go off of that, not speculation.''' '''With this laptop, the post-HSW chips are soldered, and HSW is modular unless it’s using a U Series chip - 37/47W CPU=Socket G3 and U=BGA (soldered).'''
For Intel at least, anything mobile post HSW is soldered - AMD did it years earlier for some, now all of their mobile chips have also been soldered in the last 5-7 years, like Intel. I get it; I held onto HSW until it was aging for the 37W '''M (Socket G3)''' computers. They’re beginning to show their age to the point I can no longer pretend it’s there sadly. The main issue is the performance gap has gotten too big to ignore, primarily with storage options (6th-present gen natively support NVMe). While Socket G3 modularity is nice, I wouldn't trade that for gigabits of raw disk speed. However, if you want to put up with SATA knock yourself out while Haswell is still fresh enough you can run it as a daily. '''For me (and many others), the night and day difference with NVMe vs. SATA makes up for the soldered CPUs. The only people who honestly care want it for the option to upgrade CPUs, as if it helps that much.'''
TECHNICALLY you can replace the CPU, but you need to get a schematic and make sure the board has the right resistors and VRM coils, have a new CPU (or a used reball) and a reflowing machine for soldered ones... Not practical for a DIYer.
If it ends in '''U''', '''HQ''', or '''H''', those chips are soldered. '''HK (unlocked multiplier)''' is also soldered (rare, only in enthusiast notebooks). The CPU type is a more reliable clue then speculation - '''go off of that, not speculation.''' With this laptop, the post-HSW chips are soldered, and HSW is modular unless it’s using a U Series chip.
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For Intel at least, anything mobile post HSW is soldered - AMD did it years earlier for some, now all of their mobile chips have also been soldered in the last 5-7 years, like Intel. I get it; I held onto HSW until it was aging for the 37W '''M (Socket G3)''' computers. They’re beginning to show their age to the point I can no longer pretend it’s there sadly. The main issue is the performance gap has gotten too big to ignore, primarily with storage options (6th-present gen natively support NVMe). While Socket G3 modularity is nice, I wouldn't trade that for gigabits of raw disk speed. However, if you want to put up with SATA knock yourself out while Haswell is still fresh enough you can run it as a daily. '''For me (and many others), the night and day difference with NVMe vs. SATA makes up for the soldered CPU.'''
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For Intel at least, anything mobile post HSW is soldered - AMD did it years earlier for some, now all of their mobile chips have also been soldered in the last 5-7 years, like Intel. I get it; I held onto HSW until it was aging for the 37W '''M (Socket G3)''' computers. They’re beginning to show their age to the point I can no longer pretend it’s there sadly. The main issue is the performance gap has gotten too big to ignore, primarily with storage options (6th-present gen natively support NVMe). While Socket G3 modularity is nice, I wouldn't trade that for gigabits of raw disk speed. However, if you want to put up with SATA knock yourself out while Haswell is still fresh enough you can run it as a daily. '''For me (and many others), the night and day difference with NVMe vs. SATA makes up for the soldered CPUs. The only people who honestly care want it for the option to upgrade CPUs, as if it helps that much.'''
TECHNICALLY you can replace the CPU, but you need to get a schematic and make sure the board has the right resistors and VRM coils, have a new CPU (or a used reball) and a reflowing machine for soldered ones... Not practical for a DIYer.
If it ends in '''U''', '''HQ''', or '''H''', those chips are soldered. '''HK (unlocked multiplier)''' is also soldered (rare, only in enthusiast notebooks). The CPU type is a more reliable clue then speculation - '''ASK for that letter identifier.''' With this, the post-HSW chips are soldered, and HSW is modular.
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If it ends in '''U''', '''HQ''', or '''H''', those chips are soldered. '''HK (unlocked multiplier)''' is also soldered (rare, only in enthusiast notebooks). The CPU type is a more reliable clue then speculation - '''go off of that, not speculation.''' With this laptop, the post-HSW chips are soldered, and HSW is modular unless it’s using a U Series chip.
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@ml48 Anything mobile post HSW is soldered on the mobile chips for Intel. I held onto HSW until it was aging for the 37W '''M (Socket G3)''' computers shown their age a little too much - the gaps have gotten too big to ignore, primarily with storage (6th-present gen natively support NVMe. I wouldn't trade CPU modularity for gigabits of raw disk speed now, but YOU can if you like being stuck with HSW at the absolute newest). The night and day difference with NVMe can only be put off for so long.'''If they exist with Skylake chips (with a standard socket like G3, which was used with HSW), prove me wrong. I'd LOVE to have a modular Skylake-present system like Socket G3 with NVMe, even if it's a chonker and is only available on 17" systems.'''
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For Intel at least, anything mobile post HSW is soldered - AMD did it years earlier for some, now all of their mobile chips have also been soldered in the last 5-7 years, like Intel. I get it; I held onto HSW until it was aging for the 37W '''M (Socket G3)''' computers. They’re beginning to show their age to the point I can no longer pretend it’s there sadly. The main issue is the performance gap has gotten too big to ignore, primarily with storage options (6th-present gen natively support NVMe). While Socket G3 modularity is nice, I wouldn't trade that for gigabits of raw disk speed. However, if you want to put up with SATA knock yourself out while Haswell is still fresh enough you can run it as a daily. '''For me (and many others), the night and day difference with NVMe vs. SATA makes up for the soldered CPU.'''
TECHNICALLY you can replace the CPU, but you need to get a schematic and make sure the board has the right resistors and VRM coils, have a new CPU (or a used reball) and a reflowing machine for soldered ones... Not practical for a DIYer.
@danj If it ends in '''U''', '''HQ''', or '''H''', those chips are soldered. '''HK (unlocked multiplier)''' is also soldered (rare, only in enthusiast notebooks). The CPU type is a more reliable clue then speculation - '''ASK for that letter identifier.''' With this, the post-HSW chips are soldered, and HSW is modular.
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If it ends in '''U''', '''HQ''', or '''H''', those chips are soldered. '''HK (unlocked multiplier)''' is also soldered (rare, only in enthusiast notebooks). The CPU type is a more reliable clue then speculation - '''ASK for that letter identifier.''' With this, the post-HSW chips are soldered, and HSW is modular.
@ml48 Anything mobile post HSW is soldered on the mobile chips for Intel. I held onto HSW until it was aging for the 37W '''M (Socket G3)''' computers shown their age a little too much - the gaps have gotten too big to ignore, primarily with storage (6th-present gen natively support NVMe. I wouldn't trade CPU modularity for gigabits of raw disk speed now, but YOU can if you like being stuck with HSW at the absolute newest). The night and day difference with NVMe can only be put off for so long. '''If they exist with Skylake chips (with a standard socket like G3, which was used with HSW), prove me wrong. I'd LOVE to have a modular Skylake-present system like Socket G3 with NVMe, even if it's a chonker and is only available on 17" systems.'''
TECHNICALLY you can replace the CPU, but you need to get a schematic and make sure the board has the right resistors and VRM coils, have a new CPU (or a used reball) and a reflowing machine for soldered ones... Not practical for a DIYer.
@danj If it ends in '''U''', '''HQ''', or '''H''', those chips are soldered. '''HK (unlocked multiplier)''' is also soldered (rare, only in enthusiast notebooks). The CPU type is a more reliable clue then speculation - '''ASK for that letter identifier.''' With this, the post-HSW chips are soldered, and HSW is modular.
@ml48 Anything mobile post HSW is soldered on the mobile chips for Intel. I held onto HSW until it was aging for the 37W '''M (Socket G3)''' computers shown their age a little too much - the gaps have gotten too big to ignore, primarily with storage (6th-present gen natively support NVMe. I wouldn't trade CPU modularity for gigabits of raw disk speed now, but YOU can if you like being stuck with HSW at the absolute newest). The night and day difference with NVMe can only be put off for so long. '''If they exist with Skylake chips (with a standard socket like G3, which was used with HSW), prove me wrong. I'd LOVE to have a modular Skylake-present system like Socket G3 with NVMe, even if it's a chonker and is only available on 17" systems.'''
TECHNICALLY you can replace the CPU, but you need to get a schematic and make sure the board has the right resistors and VRM coils, have a new CPU (or a used reball) and a reflowing machine for soldered ones... Not practical for a DIYer.