Core 2 quad Q6600 for an older board

[alohascott]

Aloha
I asked the question here about ruining a board by installing a new cpu.

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/313808-28-ruin-mobo-chip-upgrade-pentium4-e5800

the reply i got back said the most powerfull cpu i can get is core 2 quad for an older 965 based board, and if my understanding is correct that exact model chip would be my only quad core option.

if anybody can take a look at the questions on that thread i had about that answer please I would appreciate any help i can get on that.

I am also a bit confused because there seems to be two or more variations of the q6600 cpu and also a q6700 that is 65nm
Just wondering which cpu model exactly I should be looking for in addition to the other questions i had asked but not received answers for.

 

[FALC0N]

Aloha
I asked the question here about ruining a board by installing a new cpu.

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/313808-28-ruin-mobo-chip-upgrade-pentium4-e5800

the reply i got back said the most powerfull cpu i can get is core 2 quad for an older 965 based board, and if my understanding is correct that exact model chip would be my only quad core option.

if anybody can take a look at the questions on that thread i had about that answer please I would appreciate any help i can get on that.

I am also a bit confused because there seems to be two or more variations of the q6600 cpu and also a q6700 that is 65nm
Just wondering which cpu model exactly I should be looking for in addition to the other questions i had asked but not received answers for.

Your likely better off replacing the board and the chip, unless you can get the q6600 at a bargin price. The q6700 chould also work. I think they are the same chip but clocked differently.

 

[alohascott]

Yes well I think it can be had for a very good price if you look around enough.
i have seen one for $80 and another with multiple units for sale for $100

 

[alohascott]

Also you can't overestimate the value of keeping current computer with current software and licensed copy of windows not needing to buy new memory and stuff like that.

and of course some people just like to keep things the same.

the q6600 is a very decent performing chip, and would be a huge upgrade over pentium D or pentium 4

 

[FALC0N]

Yes well I think it can be had for a very good price if you look around enough.
i have seen one for $80 and another with multiple units for sale for $100

Thats actually kind of pricey. Given that you can get new board and processor combos that are just as fast or faster for a hair over a $100. If your willing to throw a little more money at it, you can get up to a lot faster.

 

[alohascott]

aloha
please can we consider my request.
i would like to talk about upgrading please

I need these exact machine
not some upgrade with no license that is not compatable with esxi

 

[festerovic]

Hey brah

I kinda skimmed the other thread. You want to upgrade these machines right?

Dell optiplex gx620 - 945 chipset
dell dimension 9000 - maybe 965 chipset or 945
hp pavilion a1620n - 945 chipset

You'd only be able to upgrade the chip to a quad core on the Dell. If you want to go with a q6600, the earliest chipset you can use is the 965, and the latest you can use is p45. So that means you've got these options g31, g33, p41, p43, p45, and 965. But - you may need to update the BIOS to the latest revision before trying this.

"Also you can't overestimate the value of keeping current computer with current software and licensed copy of windows not needing to buy new memory and stuff like that. "
--- I totally agree with this, and I try to do it as much as possible. However, if you upgrade motherboards and chips, and you have an OEM version of windows, it does not transfer to the new machine (its considered new when you put *enough new parts in. The chip and mobo count alot towards that) Also, with a new motherboard, you typically have to reinstall windows, wiping out the current software and setup. To top it off, you will get subpar memory performance with 533 or 667 DIMMS that you currently have in these machines, so you would definitely consider new RAM.

 

[alohascott]

about the windows license
that was my point exactly
i know this

i have one of the boards up for sale because it is the only one that does not match the things I need.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003A91LTM

If i sell it i would buy this one.
http://www.amazon.com/Dell-Optiplex-745-motherboard-Intel/dp/B0030MWE90/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1316406790&sr=1-2

which would give me an exact match for the boards we run at school for esxi.

it looks like that board i want to buy has the 965 chipset. do you think it can upgrade to the quad core?

how can i tell what chipset these boards have and even if they have the correct chipset that does not mean for sure i can do a quad core q6600 does it?

also about the ram
i am not sure what is the top ram speed these boards support
can i buy the fastest ddr2 ram and the boards will use it at the correct top speed for the boards not the speed of the ram?

it seems to work that way for ddr3 for me so far

 

[festerovic]

re: quad core on q6600 - I have a q6600 on a 965 board right now, so yes it is possible, I did have to flash the BIOS to make it work.

When you are researching boards, you can look at the specs for the board. The north bridge is typically the item you are looking for to determine the chipset.

Re: RAM- in most cases ddr2 800 is all you want for these boards, as it can run slower down to 533mhz safer (less weirdness) than 1066mhz ddr2. When I looked at the models you have, they only spec with 533mhz or 667mhz, not 800mhz, doesnt mean you dont have it but it means way less likely unless you put it in yourself. DDR3 is not just faster, it is actually a new part. They are not interchangable between ddr2, sorry. I know they are cheaper.

I will admit, i don't have any idea what you are talking about with esxi, but I found this page that has some boards that run it. Apparently you dont need a server board necessarily, hope it helps.

http://www.vm-help.com/esx/esx3.5/Whiteboxes_SATA_Controllers_for_ESX_3.5_3i.htm

 

[alohascott]

thanks for that link
i had another similar page i was looking at regarding compatibility.

so i guess I still have two questions

#1 the board that i listed that i want for 37 dollars
what is the top chip that one will support

#2 if i am looking at upgrading other systems what chip should i look for to indicate that an upgrade to a quad core is possible?
965 seems to be the low limit and anything below that will not work for sure
what about which chips will always allow an upgrade to one of the quad cores

I mean a board that has a very low powered cpu but can upgrade to a quad core q6600 or better.

 

[festerovic]

the board for $37 is the same as the other ones - its a 965 chipset, which will let you run q6600,q6700,q6800 with a bios update. Thats the top chip for that board.

#2 - like I said, you are looking for the northbridge to be a chip thats a G31 G33 p43 or p45. They all support quad cores either q6xxx or q9xxx chips.

Amazon is horrible to get specs on, its much easier to find the boards you want elsewhaere, then shop on Amazon once you know.