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BiggDogg80
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December 9th, 2021 09:00
CPU compatibility
Is an Intel I7 6core 3.0 (or higher) GHZ compatible with an Inspiron 3780? Is it possible to replace the CPU myself? What is a fair price to have someone (professional) install it? Will replacement create other issues that must be addressed i.e BIOS, etc. or is it just plug and play?
Gargamel314
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Posted December 9th, 2021 11:00
What's the problem, specifically? Which CPU do you have? I'm asking because there are a number of other things you can do to make your laptop perform better. Laptop CPUs are generally soldered into their socket, so you can't change them out. Also keep in mind, laptop CPUs are low-power by design, and both the i5 8265u and the i7 8565u have a 15W TDP. That basically means that they will both have relatively the same performance, only the i7 will give you higher speeds in short bursts when it turbos up. They are both only 4 cores, 8 threads. You won't notice much more performance from the i7. For heavy processing, you may consider finding a laptop with a H-series intel processor, these are much higher TDP (45-60W).
There are a number of things you can do to boost your laptop performance. You can adjust the power plan, tweak the windows OS, wifi settings. Also, depending on your laptop, upgrade the HDD, upgrade the RAM with additional or faster RAM sticks, or even undervolt the CPU (for better thermals). I would absolutely start with adjusting the power plan, and set it for High Performance.BiggDogg80
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Posted December 10th, 2021 08:00
Thank you for your response. Here are some specs on my Inspiron3780:RAM16.0 GB (15.9 GB usable)Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-8565U CPU @ 1.80GHz 1.99 GHz
Graphics: INTEL (R) UHD Graphics 620
The specific issue is rather involved but I'll give it a try. I am a professional musician with a home studio. I do a lot of recording. The DAW I use is ProTools, produced by AVID and purchased from Sweet Water Sound. I use MIDI recording for several instruments, primarily a Yamaha P90 keyboard which serves as a MIDI "controller". When I decided to upgrade ProTools to the newest edition I also decided to purchase a new primary computer to use specifically for recording (Ispiron 3780). At that time, I consulted with Sweetwater Sound Tech support to ensure that I would have a computer with the correct specs, RAM CPU, etc. When given the specs I used those to order my new Dell computer. The data you see above indicates what I was told by support to be compatible with and adequate for ProTools 2020.
Here is the specific problem. When recording MIDI tracks (which produce data rather than notes but are, nevertheless, sounds) and recording an instrument like a Bass, which is a monophonic instrument (one note at a time), via a third party plugin, all is normal. No latency or other issues. No problems when using the editing tools within ProTools such as, replacing an incorrect note, lengthening or shortening a note, adding a note, etc. Playback goes well also. However, when I record a piano track (polyphonic instrument) where there a many notes being recorded at the same time (chords, for instance) although the track records the "data" into the MIDI track without issue, when I view the MIDI track and need to edit some of the data (notes) there is a major delay before the piece of data I am working on responds and initiates my request. The delay can be anywhere from 5 to 10 seconds to more than a minute and sometimes the system will not respond at all. The little (wheel) just continues to spin. Needless to say that a) it is extremely frustrating and b)the workflow comes to a complete stop.I've had several calls to Sweetwater Sound techs. None of whom could diagnose the issue. Eventually they escalated the issue to an Avid software engineer. He spent 4 hours inside my computer (remotely) and performed some of the things you mentioned. I could sense his frustration approaching my levels of frustration. When he had done all he knew to do, including consulting a senior engineer his advice was: get a more powerful CPU, specifically, an Intel i7, 6 core, 3.2(or more) GHZ. Or.......buy a new computer with those specs. He found nothing else that he felt was causing the issue. Personally, I think he gave up and whitewashed it by "getting a new computer". I asked him if that would be a guaranteed fix and he said he didn't know for sure but it was the only thing he could think of that would be the problem. So, my thought, let's upgrade the CPU and if that doesn't work then I would either have to a get a new computer or stop recording all together, not to mention the cost involved off $2000+ (as a ballpark) and then, what if a new computer doesn't solve the issue. As you know, it's tough to try to return a computer, once purchased.Sorry for such a long, involved answer but it's complicated. I am also on the AVID forum and am getting suggestions (mostly wild guesses) to try, which, as long as they don't screw up my computer, I am trying. To date, nothing has changed the situation. I'm a musician with limited technical skills and knowledge. Some of the things you mentioned in your response has me staring at my screen like a deer in headlights.
In any case, thank you for your response and suggestions. I hope I explained the issue somewhat clearly. I will be interested to read your response and see what thoughts you might have.Many thanksBiggDogg80
ejn63
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Posted December 9th, 2021 09:00
You cannot change the CPU without replacing the entire system board, to which it is soldered. You'd need to look to see what i7 CPUs the system shipped with -- chances are there is either only one - or at most a couple -- of options.
Replacing the board for the sake of a slightly faster CPU is not going to work from an economic standpoint. The boards alone will run $350-400 -- probably a sizable portion of what the system cost new.