Processor upgrade

Den1se

How can I tell what the fastest processor my motherboard can take. My PC is quite old & I would like to upgrade the processor & RAM.

ormus

what make and model is the mobo?

rygon

It may be worth changing the motherboard as well seeing that they are pretty cheap nowadays

wakandem

If the pc is over 3 yrs old then get a new one. If you change the mobo you may need another copy of xp to stay legal

BillScarab

If it's over 3 years old if you replace the motherboard you'll probably need new RAM and a new Graphics card so you may as well get a new PC.

To see what processor you cn fit you need the model number of the motherboard. If you don't have manual have a manual you could download Belarc Advisor which may tell you what it is. Other than that you could look at the motherboard itself. Once you know what it is go tot he manufacturers website and you should be able to find out what processors will fit it.

The only possible issue is that in order to fit a more modern processor you may need to update the BIOS which is usually easy to do but can trash your motherboard if it goes wrong.

ormus

forgote to mention that you will have to buy a used S/H cpu, cause you cant buy new ones for any older mobos, from a few yrs ago, now.

banger9365

you can get a new intel cpu and motherboard for about £70 off the net if you have a agp graphics card and ddr ram, to find out what you have download and run cpu-z

superscaper

I'm considering getting an Asrock 4coredual motherboard, that way I can still use my current DDR Ram and my AGP graphics card while only upgrading the motherboard, cpu+heatsink and possibly the power supply. I can then in the future upgrade each component separately for the time being (up to intel quad core, DDR2 Memory, PCI Express Graphics card) without changing the motherboard. I think it's the most economical move for me without changing too many components or the entire system.

Zagu

wakandem wrote:

If the pc is over 3 yrs old then get a new one. If you change the mobo you may need another copy of xp to stay legal

Sorry, but thats not true. You can install XP 5 times I believe, and after that you have to phone up to get a new authorisation code, but thats fully automated now and only takes a short time.


superscaper, its a good idea. A friend has one and is very pleased with it. I think the whole upgrade cost £80, including a 2.8 P4.

superscaper

Zagu wrote:

superscaper, its a good idea. A friend has one and is very pleased with it. I think the whole upgrade cost £80, including a 2.8 P4.

Glad to hear it, the only thing I've been missing is actual recommendations for it. The only thing I'm stuck with is deciding on the power supply (currently have a QuietPC 300W).

ormus

ive recently done my own puter.
mobo, 3 gig intel cpu, and ram.
about 100 quid.
(Agp slot so i can keep my 4200ti card)