On 8/20/2011 4:21 AM, barrowhill wrote:
Bill,

Specification as you have laid out is correct - HP NC6400 model. CPU
chip is socketed as can go up to T7400. However major issue is pr-ce (in
UK). T7200 (and below) are relatively inexpensive at £71 inc VAT. When
you go up one to T7400 price hike to £174 and T7600, £181.

I'll probably settle for T7200 as might as well get newer laptop to
offset price hike on others. Would recommend considering one of the
other chip options?

Well the first thing I would worry about is this. Those Intel Celeron,
Core Duo, and Core2 usually don't fail without a good reason. And the
first thing that I would be interested in would be what the CPU
temperatures usually was. But you don't know this information, do you?

As I have one Gateway MX6124 that the CPU read 10°F lower at idle, and
40°F lower maxing out the CPU than my other two MX6124s. And this one
looked gorgeous. As it looked like it was just taken out of the box. It
had no dust inside or anything and was spotless.

I didn't worry too much about the low CPU temperature readings. But I
should have. As I was using 3D games on it which maxed out the poor
Celeron 1.5 GHz CPU. And after 6 weeks, the CPU failed.

I replaced the CPU and it works well once again. Although the CPU is one
I got from one of my other MX6124. And now this CPU which I know read
temperatures correctly in the other laptop is now reading low. So
something on the motherboard is reading it incorrectly. And I am sure if
I push it hard again, this CPU would die too.

I am convinced that the fan doesn't run on high hardly at all because it
thinks the CPU is running very cool anyway. So that is a problem if you
want to work the CPU very hard for long periods of time.

And I wonder if yours read lower than it should too. As if it is, it
will probably burn out the next CPU you put in there.

So I would buy a used cheap CPU and put it in there and check the temps
and work it to death. If the temps are what they should be, then I think
you should be okay. And then you can spend the money and put what you
would rather have in it.

Speaking of which, this one has a T7200. And my other machines, I have
T5600 and others less. And performance wise, there isn't too much of a
difference between a T5600 and a T7200 with a 32 bit OS anyway. Maybe if
you are running Vista or Windows 7, it might be better with a T7200. But
for XP, I don't know if I would bother with a T7200.

And remember, you don't have to buy these CPUs new. As the vast majority
of used CPUs (the ones we are talking about anyway) should last a
lifetime. And often you can purchase a used laptop like on eBay that has
something wrong, like missing parts, bad screen, or something... but has
a working motherboard with a working CPU that cost less than the CPU is
worth used anyway. So that is another option. ;-)

--
Bill
Gateway M465e ('06 era) - Thunderbird v3.0
Centrino Core2 Duo 2GHz - 1.5GB - Windows 7