Can You Change The CPU On A Laptop?

If you feel your laptop is slowing down, you might consider upgrading its components yourself. A new CPU can breathe new life into a PC, even if you don't swap out anything else, and is a lot cheaper than purchasing a new laptop. It's even better for the environment, as you'll make less e-waste as opposed to tossing the entirety of a decent laptop away.

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After all, building and upgrading your desktop is easier and more common than ever before — even if a laptop is smaller than a desktop, the same idea should apply, right? Unfortunately, this does not apply to most laptops. If you open up a laptop, you may find that you can remove and replace some parts, other components are not removable, and you're stuck with them until you buy a new laptop. This is the case in the vast majority of laptops, although there are a few rare instances where you'd be able to upgrade. 

You can upgrade some components in most laptops, but not CPUs

There are some components you can swap out in most laptops. RAM, storage, and the battery are the most common parts you can swap out, with the vast majority of laptops allowing you to remove and replace them. Many laptops also allow you to swap out the Wi-Fi card, but it's not always a given like the other parts.

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The other components in a laptop are typically soldered onto the motherboard, so you can't upgrade them. Soldered parts are often used because they take up less room and are more durable, but there is also the side effect that if one of these components breaks, you'll need to send it to the manufacturer for repairs or replace the entire laptop. However, while the above is true for the vast majority of laptops on the market, modular laptops look to make everything upgradeable, including CPUs.

Modular laptops let you swap CPUs, for a price

Modular laptops are a relatively new addition to the market. These laptops are meant to be fully upgradeable and repairable, promising to be more consumer-friendly and lower the impact on the environment. This is a promising aspect, as these laptops, in theory, will be as customizable as a desktop PC.

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A notable company with modular laptops is Framework, and the company only has two options currently on the market — the Framework Laptop 13 and the Framework Laptop 16, meant to serve different use cases. Both allow you to upgrade and replace every part of the laptop, including the CPU. However, these laptops aren't cheap, with the 13 starting at $899 and the 16 starting at $1,399. And these are just the starting prices — depending on the modules you'd like to add, the price can easily add up.

For comparison, an M3 MacBook Air starts at just $1,099, and given the MacBook's reputation for reliability and useability, it can be difficult to justify the cost of modular laptops. But companies are starting to think about making their laptops easier to repair, so Framework's offerings might just be the beginning of this new trend.

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