Will this processor fit in my laptop?

I have the following 10 year old laptop:
DELL Latitude E6520, intel i3-2310M (dual core without Turbo Boost, goes up to 2.1 GHz)

4 GB DDR3 RAM SO DIMM 1333 Mhz

This laptop was also available with an i5 of the second generation (standard, so mine is apparently a stripped-down version) and an intel i7-2620M (dual core, up to 3.5 Ghz)

I once researched which is the "best" processor that would also fit my socket (PPGA988) and my TDP (intel i3-2310 has TDP = 35 W) and came across the intel i7-2640M, the has exactly the same TDP and fits on the same socket. With Turbo Boost, it reaches a maximum clock frequency of 3.5 Ghz, which could speed up work a lot.

Afterwards I will install an SSD and 8 GB of RAM, I think an SSD is very important to make work smoother. I know that I won't be able to put together a new high-end laptop with these improvements, but it will probably improve the performance a lot. Now to my real question:

I'm concerned that this processor might not fit because my BIOS version might be too old or something similar. With the i7-2620M, I shouldn't have to worry too much because that processor was also available for the device, so there shouldn't be any problems from that side. As I said, I'm afraid that the processor will not fit now (due to the software). By the way, I've already ordered the processor, so there's no point in advising me to play it safe and choose the i7-2620M. (I know I acted rashly)

You can and should do the BIOS update again. Better safe than sorry. But you have to know one thing. Although the new processor also has a tdp of 35 watts, it will probably get even hotter in turbo mode. It could be that your cooling does not work and that the processor throttles. Are you sure you wanna go through all of this? I don't know how much you paid for the processor, but the notebook is a bit out of date. A newer one would probably give you more pleasure.

So first of all, are you sure that you have installed the pga version of the CPU? There's also a soldered-on BGA version, then you're out of luck.

It is relatively safe if you take a CPU with which this laptop is also sold, that is actually always possible. If you take another one then maybe it will work. If the CPU has a higher tdp it will of course be warmer.

BIOS update is always good.

Have the same laptop myself. I bought it with an i5 processor and at some point swapped it for the i7 2620m. The installation is problem-free and very easy to carry out. The CPU is not soldered, but plugged in.

BIOS update was not necessary, but keeping it up to date doesn't hurt and that is also quite easy to do with the device.

As for temperatures, the CPU gets a bit warmer than an i5 or i3 under load, but I've never had any major problems with it. Since the laptop is hardly designed for gaming anyway, it is actually difficult to push the CPU to its limits. And the i7 has not yet reached more than 75 ° C for me.

Whether the laptop is still worth it, since it is a bit older, is another question, but it is definitely possible without any problems 😉. And with an i7 and an SSD it is actually a fast laptop and more than sufficient for office tasks.

I would have got the i5-2520m / 2540m. Has the same performance and is considerably cheaper. Or do you think 100MHz are noticeable?

An SSD also brings you a lot further than a CPU that hardly has any more power.

Thank you for your answer, it's always nice to meet like-minded people.

I knew it was plugged in, that's why I ordered it. Unfortunately, the i5-5300U of my ThinkPad T450 is firmly soldered. : /

LG, will be installed between February 5th and 10th, will then report.

TDP is the same, and it's the PGA, have already exchanged the WLP a few times and cleaned the fan, also removed the processor, it's just a simple slotted screw. Will then report. Where are BIOS updates available, does DELL still care about 10-year-old laptops?

Well, the CPU performance of the i7-2640M is SIGNIFICANTLY better than that of the i3-2310M (2.1 Ghz and 3.5 Ghz make a 1.4 Ghz difference)

SSSD I'll buy one soon, but then I'll have to reinstall Windows…: /

Or I'll switch to Linux right away.

Then I definitely wish you every success with the installation. As a thermal compound, I would recommend the MX-4 from Arctic. Has proven itself with mine, because the fan only starts, I think at 55 ° C or somewhere in the range. Had a less good one before, you also noticed higher temperatures and high fan speeds.

And as I said, together with its SSD and sufficient RAM (16 GB were built into mine) it is still not bad today. But 8GB (ideally 2x 4GB) should also be sufficient for Office 👍

A little feedback would be interesting 😉.

The performance of the i7-2640M is SIGNIFICANTLY better than that of the i3-2310M…

Also thought, a 2540m is considerably cheaper and the difference to the i7-2640m is only measurable but not noticeable.

https://technical.city/en/cpu/Core-i7-2640M-vs-Core-i5-2540M

Otherwise… 3.5GHz are turbo for 1 core that is almost NEVER achieved.

Otherwise…

i7-2640m

3.5 GHz are turbo for 1 core that is almost NEVER achieved.

3.3 GHz are turbo for 2 cores, and this is almost never achieved.

The i5-2540m is therefore a very good alternative.

i5-2540m

3.3 GHz are turbo for 1 cores

3.1 GHz are turbo for 2 cores

Actually you're right, I looked for a del i5 on Ebay, and it's available for as little as 20 euro! I think I'll take the i5 after all.

I really think it's the better option. The i7 is only an i7 because it sold better at the time (you have an i7 in your notebook 😉 (which actually was an i5 (which in the desktop was an i3 with turbo)), INTEL paid for it all very well to let.