One of the most important thing to me for a CPU is a good mix between speed and heat. For example five years ago I bought a Core 2 Duo 6300 (max TDP 65W): I put a big heatsink on the CPU, no fans (I do hate moving parts and noise) and it worked like a charm and very silently for five years (and it still work but five years later I wouldn't mind a faster CPU and a faster memory controller and more memory).
I consider a max TDP of 130W unacceptable (like some high-end Core i7 have), for several reasons.
So I was wondering: can I build a desktop and put a Core i7 CPU meant to be used in laptop in it? For example I was thinking about the Core i7 740QM (max TDP 45W [!]).
Are these compatible with desktop Core i7 motherboards? (for example on NewEgg it says that the "CPU socket type" for the Core i7 740QM is PGA988, I've not too sure about what this is)
Best Answer
You cannot put a notebook CPU in a desktop motherboard. If you want a notebook CPU in your desktop, you basically need to put notebook components in a desk case. There are some companies that do that, but it costs a lot.
What you can probably do is buy a low-end desktop CPU that will have a low TDP. These, however, are likely to have relatively poor performance.