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 I am looking to upgrade it because I don't feel it is obsolete as of yet.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]

Yes I did indeed swap my i3-2310m for an i7-2720QM. I only upgraded the CPU a few months ago and still use the laptop almost daily although I rarely use it for CPU heavy tasks. While it worked with my model it may not work with your model. In the last couple of days someone asked the same thing on the LinusTechTips forum for an VAIO SVE series laptop so not sure if you came over from there.

Short answer to temperatures is that it does not run dangerously high although I am yet to use it in the hotter summer weather which could cause issues. At idle the package temperature fluctuates between 45-55 degrees celsius and core temps fluctuate between 25 and 35 degrees celsius depending on the amount of background processes running which is fine. I just ran Cinebench and package temperatures fluctuated between 70 and 80 degrees celsius with core temperatures between 60 and 65 degrees celsius at 100% load. The room I ran this test in is roughly 16 degrees celsius and the laptop was placed on a glass top desk so had as much ventilation space as it can hope for. The conditions are probably a lot cooler than the average internal space. From memory when I ran Cinebench shortly after upgrading the CPU temperatures went up to the mid 80s but temperatures at idle were the same.

I posted about it here as well.

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/answers/id-3197764/upgrade-laptop-2310m-2720qm.html

I decided to upgrade the CPU based on another person who did the same thing with a variant of my model but I can't find the forum post.

[PawelGraj]

Wow, I'm stunned by the fact you were kind enough to respond to my question!  Suprisingly temps you get seem to be on par with results I get with my i3. One last thing, could you make sure you run BIOS Version R0200Z9, please? It is the newest revision of BIOS for both your VPCEH and my VPCEJ, which seem to be the extact same models. You can enter BIOS my mashing either F2 or F3 on startup, but I am sure you will figure it out yourself 

[JLTiller]

Yes, there is the proof.

[SD8888]

Thank you for your pioneering efforts, JLTiller, that gave me the optimism to try an upgrade on a VPCEH3B1E with an i3-2350M processor (4GB RAM, 1333MHz, CL9 x1) which was pretty much unusably slow. I was ready to buy a new laptop but decided to pimp this one out first, as the prices of older parts are very low on eBay. I was also still running Windows 7 so firstly used the upgrade paths to backup and upgrade to Windows 10, activating with the OEM licence code from the sticker on the bottom. For the change from the stock Toshiba HDD to SSD I took another chance on a fresh installation of Windows 10 build 17763, rather than using cloning software.

I bought:

£55 - Intel i7-2760QM (Only 31% upgrade chance from i3-2350M on: http://www.cpu-upgrade.com )

£23 - Crucial 4GB DDR3L RAM, 1600MHz, CL11 x2

£12.50 - Intel Dual Band Wireless AC-7260HMW Wi-Fi Card

£53 - SanDisk Ultra 3D-NAND 500GB SSD

(£7) Noctua NT-H1 Thermal paste (I already had this)

I also upgraded to INSYDE BIOS R0200Z9 before any modification, just to leave myself with the best chance.

The biggest problem was that I couldn't boot from USB after changing the order in the BIOS, so I rearranged it to the Optical Drive first and created Windows Installation Media using the Windows 10 copy I had upgraded to. Thankfully the Win10 ISO that's created is roughly 4GB and can fit on a standard 4.7GB DVD.

And the result is spectacular! The SSD definitely made the biggest improvement, and I tested this by installing the other components first and testing with the HDD - it was very disappointing and I thought there was a chance I had wasted my time with those as it was still very laggy (I perhaps stupidly thought the doubled, faster RAM and i7 would make the difference). However with the clean Win10 build on an SSD this thing feels like a brand new computer! Startup takes around 15 seconds, everything is instantly responsive and there is no more struggle with Firefox tabs.

Temperatures are around 48C at light load, and 70C when stressed with CPU-Z at 18-21C room temperature. So you can hear the fan ramping up and feel the heat being expelled, but this is well below the Throttle temperature for the 2nd gen i7 which is around 98C. I don't game or use this with intensive applications so I can't tell how high this would get in those situations.

Overall though, for roughly £150 I have a laptop which now has 5GHz Wi-Fi (£12.50) and can compete in speed with brand-new laptops in 2019, albeit with lesser graphics and a poor screen. Give it a go!

[JLTiller]

I have done a lot of similar upgrades with older laptops since I did this. I have learnt a lot about the varied figures for maximum memory between the laptop manufacturer and Intel chipset/socket specifications. Anyhow I came across a userbench run where someone had run the same model but different specification (VPCEH1S1E) with 16GB RAM. Naturally I was intrigued and today I have just tested it for myself. It works and if you're needing the extra memory for program usage it is worth it. I must admit I did it more out of interest than out of need but it works and I have the extra memory to use now.

If someone needed an eGPU setup while at home/work then you could always buy a suitable GPU like a GTX1060, a Dell 220W PSU and importantly an EXP GDC Mini PCIE to PCIE adapter. Then you would have the power of a quad core i7, 16GB RAM and a relatively contemporary GPU which is astonishing for a laptop from 2011.

You would be sacrificing BT and wifi while at your desk so you would need a wired or alternative wifi connection. It would also be incredibly inconvenient coming home, taking out your wifi card, plugging in your adapter and hoping it works reliably. In theory it should work reliably and if you did occasionally need a powerful GPU then it could be yet another evolution for the ageing VAIOs. Bare in mind the mini PCIe slot has limitations so there is a chance of bottlenecking. Here is a link to a similar eGPU build with a 2008 15" Sony Vaio VGN-NW270F which utilises the laptops express card slot.

You don't get this amount of upgradeability with new laptops where even the RAM is soldered on in many cases now.

[sparky02020]

2 ram slots or 1 i have the same laptop and want to upgrade 

[The_Kaio_Ken]

Holy cow, thank you so much, @JLTiller! This is exactly what I was looking for! I recently picked up one of these for $20 and a friend found an SSD for me, which I'll be putting Debian on for a home lab server. How did these upgrades hold up over the years? Are there any other recommendations you'd make besides the ones you've mentioned in here? It's looking like it may be possible to get this set up for less than $75 if I play my cards correctly, when I was looking at some mini PCs or a Pi for over $150; Definitely a bargain if I'm reading the posts right!

Again, thank you for the info and all the work you put into this, it's a fantastic help!

-Ken

[JLTiller]

Thanks for the blast from the past @The_Kaio_Ken 

Over the years I have become less reliant on laptops and have had very little time to stay involved with building computers and upgrading laptops. I never replaced my VAIO so technically it is still my current laptop. It is not used often and it is showing its age now due to the hardware requirements specified by Microsoft, Adobe, Autodesk etc.

I recently replaced the battery as I had not realised it was significantly draining power even when switched off. I still need to resolve this as I currently have to physically remove the battery when it is not in use. FYI some battery manufacturers sell batteries with a higher rating than the original Sony battery.

In terms of performance it is still quite useable for everyday tasks like most laptops with a multi-core CPU and an SSD. Never installed Linux on it but I imagine it would be perfectly capable. It is loud compared to modern laptops but as long as the laptop is used on a hard surface that encourages good ventilation it is fine. The fact that it still works now disspells all the myths concerning thermal perfomance and the components not being able to handle the heat generated by a 45w CPU.

As for recommendations I always wanted to explore a modded BIOS to see what settings were hidden away. Other than that I did explore the possibility of upgrading to a 1080p screen as 720p looks really dated now. I do not think it is possible due to the limitations of the screen connector although happy to be proven wrong. External GPU would have been a good option as well.

It is still a very usable laptop and suits home usage. Noise, weight and graphic limitations make it unsuitable for portable use in the current era but as a home server it should do great.