Template:Alternative Spec Determination

Alternative methods for Determining Laptop Specifications

If for some reason the CPU Lookup function is unavailable or fails to find a match, there are alternative methods for determining appropriate laptop spec levels.

Identifying the CPU

The first thing we need to know is what kind of processor, or CPU, the laptop has. We may this information in either the BIOS or the Hardware Detection Tool from the Laptop Network Boot menu.

BIOS

• Enter the BIOS. The most common shortcut keys are F2, F10, or Delete.
  • Look for references to the CPU. These will often contain the manufacturer (Intel or AMD), the brand (e.g. Pentium, Core 2 Duo, Turion 64, etc.), the clock speed, and sometimes the actual model number of the CPU (e.g. T5600, i7-640LM, TL-54, etc.).
  • Write down any CPU information you find, and proceed to CPU Charts.
  • If there is no CPU info on the main BIOS screen, look for a page or tab called "Advanced" or "Hardware" or something along those lines. If you are still unable to find information about the CPU, try the Hardware Detection Tool.

Hardware Detection Tool

• Access the Network Boot menu:
  • Make sure you have a working network cable plugged into the laptop.
  • Power on the laptop.
  • Use the Network Boot shortcut key (usually F12) or Boot Device Menu (F9, F10, or F12) if available. If these are unavailable, enter the BIOS and make sure Network/PXE/LAN boot is enabled, then save and exit. After it restarts and POSTs, the system should now boot from the network.
  • Select Laptop Build from the menu.
  • Select Hardware Detection Tool. You can use the up and down arrow keys to scroll through the hardware list; use the right arrow key or Enter to make a selection, use the left arrow key or Escape to back up a level.
  • Select Processor from the hardware list. You should now see rows of information about the CPU, including a line that contains the manufacture, brand, model number, and clock speed. Sometimes information is cut off by the edge of the screen. If so, press the right arrow key and you will be able to scroll through the rows of CPU information, and the full contents of the highlighted line with display at the bottom of the screen. Usually the line also contains characters like (R) or (TM) after the words; these are only meant to denote that a brand name is copyrighted or trademarked, and should be ignored.
  • Write down any CPU information you find, and proceed to CPU Charts.

CPU Charts

The charts on the next two pages organize laptop CPUs by manufacturer, processor micro-architecture, and brand name, with the model number ranges for a given generation of CPU listed under their brand name. There are basically only two manufacturers of laptop processors: Intel and AMD. They each have different micro-architectures and sell CPUs under different brands.

Intel brands include: Pentium, Celeron, Core, Core 2, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7, and many derivatives of these brands.

AMD brands include: Athlon, Sempron, Turion, Phenom, Fusion, and their many derivatives.

Both Intel and AMD reuse the same brand names for several years at a time, often applying them to CPUs that are actually quite different from one another.

There is a chart for laptop CPUs manufactured by Intel and by AMD, so make sure you use the chart that corresponds to the CPU of the laptop in front of you. Once we've gotten the general information about the CPU, we can locate it on the included CPU Charts to find out more about it, including which processor family it belongs to, what year it was released, and its Spec Level.