Sony VAIO VPCEH1L8E Upgrade

[JLTiller]

I have been the happy owner of a Sony VAIO VPCEH1L8E for many years now however while the laptop is fine for microsoft office tasks and browsing most websites it is struggling with Adobe CC and Autodesk programs. I am looking to upgrade it because I don't feel it is obsolete as of yet. I use a desktop for my important work which I built last year but I still use this while out and about so I can't justify buying a new laptop just of yet.

System Properties

Operating System: Windows 10 Education

Chipset: Intel HM65 Express

Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i3-2310M CPU @ 2.10GHz  2.10GHz

Installed memory (RAM): 4.00GB

Storage: 452GB HDD

It has been a very loyal servant to me and I hope to keep it relevant for a couple more years by utilising all possible performance upgrades. I will replace the HDD with a 2.5" SSD aswell as adding another 4GB RAM module to hit the maximum memory allowed for this model which I believe is 8GB.

I do not know much about laptop upgrades but reading around I believe you can upgrade the CPU on most laptops. What would be the most powerful CPU I could replace the i3 with if it is possible with this laptop? Would this effect the maximum amount of ram that can be installed? (I understood the motherboard limited the amount of ram that can be installed not the CPU but reading around I've seen mixed views).

Any other upgrade suggestions are welcome. Looking around the web I have seen screens upgraded to full hd and keyboards switched out from other models of the same brand which seems mad. To me upgrading the RAM and switching out the HDD for an SSD seems the safe option but I want to get the maximum performance out of this machine because it has been so reliable for me. I use Adobe CC and Autodesk programs a lot so the CPU upgrade could make a big difference if possible.

[JLTiller]

Is anyone able to help with a suitable CPU upgrade?

[cass_n]

Hi @JLTiller and welcome to the community

Replacing the HDD and upgrading the RAM will be a true performance boost indeed.  Hopefully there are some members on here that have some other suggestions for you.

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I do not know much about laptop upgrades but reading around I believe you can upgrade the CPU on most laptops.

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Replacing the CPU is usually not possible for two reasons:

1. CPU in notebooks is often soldered
2. BIOS is designed for this CPU and does not allow another CPU model

Cheers,

Cass

[JLTiller]

I can confirm the CPU is not soldered. I imagine the i7 2620M would work with my model. I imagine that would have been an option on the higher spec VPC series laptops when they were new.

[JLTiller]

Other manufacturers often released a service manual with each model which contained a list of compatible parts including CPUs. Does anyone know if Sony released similar documents?

[cass_n]

The biggest issue on upgrading the CPU is the BIOS, since it's usually made for one dedicated processor.  If the CPU you'd like to install uses the same frequency and multiplier it might work, but there’s no guarantee.

I've checked and a list of compatible CPUs doesn’t exist I'm afraid, since the VAIO laptops were sold as they are.

[Blencogo]

Any PGA Socket G Sandy Bridge processor should work OK.

Have a look at the likelihood that an upgrade will be succesful in the table here:-

http://www.cpu-upgrade.com/CPUs/Intel/Core_i3_Mobile/i3-2310M_(PGA).html

The only 100% probability of it working OK is listed as the i5 2529M with the i7 2620M close behind at 91%.

Remember your current processor also provides your Intel HD 3000 graphics, so any upgrade needs to provide this facility. The two mentioned above are OK.

It is your decision if such an upgrade is value for money - personally I am not that sure as other limiting factors like the limited graphics capability come into play!!!

[JLTiller]

Thank you for the info Blencogo that was just what I was looking for.

I agree the Intel HD Graphics 3000 will be the main limiting factor for this laptop. That will not be a problem as I use my desktop with an i7-6700k and Nvidia 1070 for the bulk of my work on Adobe CC and Autodesk programs. It just needs to be capable of running the programs well enough for me to open files, show said files to people without being embarrasingly slow and quick enough to do some light work on when I need to.

For the amount of use my laptop will get there is little point buying a new one just yet. I imagine my next laptop will be one of the new models from the new independent VAIO, a Dell or maybe an ASUS. All will be a lot more expensive than the £250 I could end up spending on my current laptop. I am also not convinced how hardy these new laptops are compared to my current VAIO which spends a lot of its time travelling around in a backpack relatively unscathed.

So far I have upgraded my VAIO to 8GB of Corsair DDR3L RAM, swapped out the 500GB Seagate HDD for a WD Blue 500GB SSD and completed a fresh install of Windows 10. Performance is much improved and it has been noticeably quieter and cooler.

I will postpone the CPU upgrade for the moment. I feel the i7 2620M is the way to go but the i7 2720QM provides both larger cache memory and supports 1600MHz memory speed but would no doubt cause cooling and power issues.

The only other component I could upgrade is the single channel Qualcomm/Atheros AR5V195 wireless and bluetooth card to a dual channel card like the Intel AC-7260.HMWWB.R.

I will try and keep this thread updated if the upgrade goes any further for anyone else who finds themselves in the same situtation with the VPC series. I haven't seen much evidence of anyone trying to upgrade a VAIO compared to the number of people who have upgraded ASUS, HP and Lenovo ThinkPad laptops.

[JLTiller]

UPDATE

Stock Components:

Intel i3 2310M

Seagate 5400.6 500GB HDD

Atheros AR5B195

Hynix PC3-10600S DDR3 (1333) 4GB x1

Upgraded Components:

Intel i7 2720QM

WD Blue SSD 500GB

Intel 7260.HMWWB.R (Dual Band Wireless Card + Bluetooth 4.0)

Corsair Vengeance PC3-17066 DDR3L (2133) 4GB x2

I can confirm these parts are compatible with the Sony VPCEH1L8E and most probably any other model in the VPCEH series. The processor does run slightly hotter under full load as expected but it does not cause problems to the extent that it struggles to cool itself. Idle temperatures are lower and the cooling fan is not noticeably spinning anymore than it used to. Thus far it seems to be working problem free and performance is much improved. The SSD has been the most obvious performance boost while the CPU has increased the laptop's cinebench score considerably making it a viable option for rapid low-medium quality renders when out and about. The most surprising performance boost was the addition of the dual band wireless card. On one wireless network where I was getting an average of 30 Mbps download and 13 Mbps upload I now get an average of 300 Mbps download and 130 Mbps upload. Performance on lower speed networks has been a lot more reliable where I was previously getting disconnected over the 2.4GHz frequency.

[PawelGraj]

Hi. I really hope you will receive this.

I have a few questions regarding your post. Is it really true that you switched from dual-core CPU with TDP of 35W all the way to quad-core best with TDP of 45W. Do you recall how much toastier did it get? I'm planning to upgrade my CPU soon and I would kill for trusted information about whether or not I can put 4 cores into my Vaio. So far you are the only chance I get the confirmation. Thank you for any information