Processor Upgrade (Dell Inspiron 5040)

Question

Hello to all.. I recently purchased a Dell Inspiron N5040 notebook with Intel i3 M380 (2.53 GHz) CPU & 4gb of Ram. The following are my questions to you all: 1> Is it possible to change the i3 to an i5 processor ? If yes, then has anyone on this forum done a swap like this before ? 2> If I can not change the i3 to an i5, is it possible to change the i3 (2.53 GHZ) to an i3 (3.30 GHz). If yes then could you guys give me some information on this ? These might be some stupid questions, but I dont know much about computer hardware. Anyway thanks in advance for your replies. :emotion-1:

ejn63 · Accepted Answer

Correct on both counts.

inspiron 1 · Answer

Thank you for your reply. so if I understand correctly, I currently have a Gen 1 i3 processor right ? and I can replace it only with a 1st gen i5

ejn63 · Answer

It should be possible to use a first-gen i5 CPU (three digit model number) but NOT a four-digit i3 or i5 (both of which require a different chipset than the 5040 has).

inspiron 1 · Answer

Thank you very much

V-9SAVER · Answer

I have Dell Studio 1450 Studio Laptop with Core2Duo 2.10 Ghz and 4 Gigs RAM.

Is it possible to upgrade the board and processor with Intel® Core™ i5-2540M
Processor (3M Cache, 2.60 GHz) and off course board which is compatible with
that....

Please advice...

ejn63 · Answer

No, since there is no mainboard for that system that will take a core i.

Aero2376 · Answer

so then, since i also have an N5040, what is the best processor i can upgrade to? is i5 the best?

also, i have taken mine apart looking for the places of the cpu and gpu. however, i cannot find the gpu. i have found the location of the ram, the wlan, the hard drive, and the cpu. i cannot place the gpu though... am i correct when i state that the cpu is sharing the load of the gpu, and so there is no way to upgrade the graphics card as it is not there?

if there is a graphics processing unit somewhere and i am missing it, can you give me the whereabouts of it in the laptop. and also, what the best possible replacement for it is if it is there.

thanks!

DELL-Chinmay S · Answer

Hi Aero2376,

You may check the list of processors tested by Dell on your computer below:

Intel Celeron P4600 (2.0 Ghz, 2 Threads, 2M cache)
Intel Pentium P6200 (2.13 Ghz, 2 Threads, 3M cache)
Intel Pentium P6300 (2.27 Ghz, 2 Threads, 3M cache)
Intel Core i3-380M (2.53GHz, 2 Threads, 3M cache)
Intel Core i3-390M (2.66 Ghz, 2 Thread, 3M cache)

Your computer is shipped with Intel HM57 Chipset. For more information on this chipset, you may refer to link: http://intel.ly/VxT6lC Click on the compatible products to get the list of processors compatible with your computer.

In reference to upgrading GPU, the video card is integrated on the motherboard of Inspiron N5040. In case you like to upgrade the video card, you may need to replace the motherboard of your computer.

Dell does not recommend or offer processor upgrade but it is as your discretion in case you really wish to go ahead with it. Warranty per say, issues arising due to the upgrade will not be covered under warranty , however we will continue providing support for other issues and parts.

Please reply for further clarifications.

koronet601 · Answer

I also have an Inspiron 15 N5040. Mine has bad graphics. Screen goes all static after some use, possibly due to overheating. It had only done this when playing videos, but now it happens when no video is playing. This started happening soon after purchase (less than 24 months ago), but only infrequently, so I ignored it until it got worse. I'm considering replacing the motherboard, but not sure if it worth the time and money to do so. I've tinkered inside desktops but not laptops. Does Dell sell the motherboard - (model X6P88 I believe)? I've been a loyal Dell user having purchased a total of 3 Dell desktops and 5 laptops over the past 14 years, but I consider this laptop to be a defective lemon. What do you recommend?

Thanks,

Frank

ejn63 · Answer

If you can change the board yourself, it may make sense (assuming you've verified that it's the board and not the display cable or screen that's bad - use an external monitor to check). If you have to pay a shop the labor to replace the board on top of the cost of the board, a new system may make more sense.

www.ascendtech.us/dell-x6p88-inspiron-15n-n5040-main-board_i_mbdelx6p88n5040.aspx

Zedmon0001 · Answer

I own 2 Dell Inspiron N5040', and I can confirm that these models will run an Intel Core i7-640m (2.80Ghz, 4MB L3 Cache, 2 Physical Cores, 4 Logical Cores). I swapped out the original Intel Pentium P6200 2.13Ghz CPU and dropped in the i7-640M' into each and they both worked, but you will have to update the BIOS to the latest version (A05) before doing so, otherwise you will be greeted with a black screen and lots of beeping codes.

I would also strongly advise that should you go the path of an i5 or i7, that you upgrade the thermal compound for the CPU as the Pentium P6200 and the i7-640M both have a 35-watt design but the i7-640M runs up to 105°C where the Pentium P6200 runs up to 90°C. Always check the thermals on a CPU before swapping - I personally used Arctic Silver 5 for the upgrade and I have not had one overheating issue since.

I also noticed a very dramatic performance boost after the upgrade (Windows 7 Index Score for CPU went from 4.9 to 7.5, the desktop Areo score went from 4.5 to 5.6, and the Gaming graphics jumped from 5.1 to 5.9). I only use these laptops for office purposes(both are equipped with 8GB DDR3-1333 and 256GB SSD's), but since the CPU swap they fly like grease lightning and I can also confirm that these models run just fine with Windows 10 Pro 64-Bit (It literally found every single driver including the IMEI and the WIFI!!). Hope this help - Cheers!!

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