I have an HP and i would like to upgrade its processor. I would also like to know this so that I can use it when i get to the point of building my own computer. in this case the info for this pc is here http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc [...] 38&lang=en . Its a MS-6577 (Xenon). So is there a website or something where I can look up this info? Thanks a lot guys!

Chris-

forgot to mention.. my pc has a P4 2.4 Ghz cpu, i know its embarrasing..

In the information link you provided, you can see that you have a socket 478, and the 845G chipset on your motherboard. These are the two key elements to determining which processors will work in your board. Another thing to keep in mind, too, is that you need to make sure you have sufficient cooling if you upgrade to a chip that will run hotter.

You can google on socket 478 and 845G for more info. Basically, you are limited to a chip on the socket 478 that has a 400 or 533 FSB. Remember, Intel is quad-pumped, so it's actually 100 or 133 FSB on the motherboard. Check out this link to see which chips fit those two guidelines...

http://images.tomshardware.com/200 [...] el_big.gif

Looks like the fastest processor you could use is the Pentium 4 Northwood, 3.06Ghz on a 533MHz FSB.

Best price I could find using PriceGrabber is $225. http://computers.pricegrabber.com/ [...] /m/676489/
You best bet would probably be eBay, and pray you get a good one.

My advice... that platform is getting very long in the tooth, and your money is better spent on a new rig, rather than upgrading that one.


-TyShoe

Tyrone, you're amazing!! thanks a lot dude! , are all intels quad pumped? how do you figure that out if their not? for example how would you know for an AMD? thanks

I wasn't sure myself, so I looked it up. Looks like quad-pumping started with the Pentium 4...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quad-pumped

-TyShoe

i found some taht are reasonably priced on ebay, but most or all have the HT tech does that change anything. For example.. http://cgi.ebay.com/Intel-Pentium- [...] ZViewItem.

PS. i dont think it is Northwood, does that make a diff?

The hyperthreading is a good thing to have, it increases performance, as the operating system "sees" two processors (although the performance isn't nearly as good as today's true dual cores).

And that is a northwood core. As the auction description says, it is the fastest processor you can run on your 533 FSB motherboard.

-TyShoe

Please don't spend your money on a socket 478 CPU, it is a huge waste of money. You will not see much of an increase in speeds, and you still won't have an upgrade path. Even though it may give you experience, there are better options for the same amount of money. You could probably find a combo consisting of a cheaper P965 mobo, an E2160 and some nice RAM for around $250 USD. I just bought a Biostar Tforce P965, an E2160 and 2 gigs of Corsair XMS2 667Mhz RAM for $275 canadian.

I AGREE, BUY A NEW RIG.

If I really won't see much difference then I wouldn't want to buy that processor. But I have some questions about the mobo. where would you guys say the p965 is compared to the rest of the mobos, average, below average? When choosing a mobo, what does "dual channel supported mean? and what's the south bridge?.. I also had problems with choosing ECC and buffered, etc RAM how would I know which RAM to buy for this mobo? thanks guys

The P965 is a mid-range board, it's not for crazy-rich enthusiasts, but it's not a piece of junk either. It's well-balanced, OC's well and usually comes at a good price. Dual-channel support means the motherboard can support memory in dual-channel mode, which effectively doubles the memory bandwidth by using multiples of 2 sticks of memory. As for ECC and buffered memory, you don't need any of that in a desktop computer for home use, that kind of memory is used in servers where stability and scalability are necessary. The southbridge is the part of the motherboard chipset that's responsible for the expansion slots, such as PCI-E, USB and SATA, as opposed to the northbridge which is responsible for the CPU and RAM. It's good to see you taking considerations into play, and wanting to find things out. Good luck with your computer.

im going thru the the mobos, and i just have a quick question. on FSB or Data bus (are they the same), why are there 3 different speeds, such as 1066Mhz/800Mhz/533Mhz?

Thank you soviet

That just means that the chipset (northbridge) on that mobo will support all those processor FSB speeds, in case you have an older chip that uses that socket. If buying a new processor, in most cases you'll want to get the highest FSB the mobo will handle.

-TyShoe

Here are some useful links in case you don't already have them.

http://www.corsairmemory.com/syste [...] t_id=78237

http://www.extreme.outervision.com/powercalc.jsp

http://www.newegg.com/

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/Home.jsp

ZipZoomFly usually has great deals(better than Newegg) on Cases, PSUs, and especially memory. Service is great as well. I would also avoid the customer reviews at Newegg.

Thanks a lot guys, and I appreciate the list, I didn't know about zipzoom