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#1
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Upgrade CPU ?
I am running a desktop machine with the following:
CPU: AMD Athlon XP2000+ at 1.6GHz RAM: 1 GB DDR Motherboard: ASRock K7VT2 It is used for little more than Office applications, surfing, e-mail etc. I have just bought a new HP laptop installed with Vista and I’ve notice how (relatively) slow my desktop is running WinXP with SP3, even after a re-format and reinstall of the OS. I’m interested in knowing whether an upgrade of the CPU on my desktop is a practical and sensible option. I’m not looking to buy a new machine, which in every other respect serves my purposes. Is the CPU integrated with the motherboard, or can the processor itself be upgraded ? If the latter, are there limitations of compatibility (with the motherboard, or anything else) ? Would the internal fan(s) have to be upgraded as well ? The HP laptop is fitted with an Intel Core 2 Duo T5800. I don’t know if that is a sensible option. Is this a very difficult job (something I might do myself) ? I have limited knowledge of the internal hardware, being confined so far to fitting extra RAM and replacing a DVD burner. Is there anywhere where I could get some fairly idiot proof instructions ? With thanks for any guidance. Regards. Mike |
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#2
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Upgrade CPU ?
here is a list of CPU supported by that mobo
http://www.asrock.com/mb/cpu.asp?Model=K7VT2&s=462 you will notice the most you can go up to is a 2.1 Ghz......that is not much of an improvement in speed. evenif you double the amount of RAM the speed increase might achieve 10%. Safe your money and buy a newer system. peter -- If you find a posting or message from me offensive,inappropriate or disruptive,please ignore it. If you dont know how to ignore a posting complain to me and I will be only too happy to demonstrate :-) "GoldHawk" wrote in message ... I am running a desktop machine with the following: CPU: AMD Athlon XP2000+ at 1.6GHz RAM: 1 GB DDR Motherboard: ASRock K7VT2 It is used for little more than Office applications, surfing, e-mail etc. I have just bought a new HP laptop installed with Vista and I’ve notice how (relatively) slow my desktop is running WinXP with SP3, even after a re-format and reinstall of the OS. I’m interested in knowing whether an upgrade of the CPU on my desktop is a practical and sensible option. I’m not looking to buy a new machine, which in every other respect serves my purposes. Is the CPU integrated with the motherboard, or can the processor itself be upgraded ? If the latter, are there limitations of compatibility (with the motherboard, or anything else) ? Would the internal fan(s) have to be upgraded as well ? The HP laptop is fitted with an Intel Core 2 Duo T5800. I don’t know if that is a sensible option. Is this a very difficult job (something I might do myself) ? I have limited knowledge of the internal hardware, being confined so far to fitting extra RAM and replacing a DVD burner. Is there anywhere where I could get some fairly idiot proof instructions ? With thanks for any guidance. Regards. Mike |
#3
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Upgrade CPU ?
"GoldHawk" wrote in message
... I am running a desktop machine with the following: CPU: AMD Athlon XP2000+ at 1.6GHz RAM: 1 GB DDR Motherboard: ASRock K7VT2 It is used for little more than Office applications, surfing, e-mail etc. I have just bought a new HP laptop installed with Vista and I’ve notice how (relatively) slow my desktop is running WinXP with SP3, even after a re-format and reinstall of the OS. I’m interested in knowing whether an upgrade of the CPU on my desktop is a practical and sensible option. I’m not looking to buy a new machine, which in every other respect serves my purposes. Is the CPU integrated with the motherboard, or can the processor itself be upgraded ? If the latter, are there limitations of compatibility (with the motherboard, or anything else) ? Would the internal fan(s) have to be upgraded as well ? The HP laptop is fitted with an Intel Core 2 Duo T5800. I don’t know if that is a sensible option. Is this a very difficult job (something I might do myself) ? I have limited knowledge of the internal hardware, being confined so far to fitting extra RAM and replacing a DVD burner. Is there anywhere where I could get some fairly idiot proof instructions ? With thanks for any guidance. Regards. Mike Time to upgrade the mobo, CPU and memory. I doubt that Socket 462 processors are too thick on the ground these days.. -- Mike Hall - MVP Mike's Window - My Blog.. http://msmvps.com/blogs/mikehall/default.aspx |
#4
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Upgrade CPU ?
"GoldHawk" wrote in message ... I am running a desktop machine with the following: CPU: AMD Athlon XP2000+ at 1.6GHz RAM: 1 GB DDR Motherboard: ASRock K7VT2 It is used for little more than Office applications, surfing, e-mail etc. I have just bought a new HP laptop installed with Vista and I've notice how (relatively) slow my desktop is running WinXP with SP3, even after a re-format and reinstall of the OS. I'm interested in knowing whether an upgrade of the CPU on my desktop is a practical and sensible option. I'm not looking to buy a new machine, which in every other respect serves my purposes. Is the CPU integrated with the motherboard, or can the processor itself be upgraded ? If the latter, are there limitations of compatibility (with the motherboard, or anything else) ? Would the internal fan(s) have to be upgraded as well ? The HP laptop is fitted with an Intel Core 2 Duo T5800. I don't know if that is a sensible option. Is this a very difficult job (something I might do myself) ? I have limited knowledge of the internal hardware, being confined so far to fitting extra RAM and replacing a DVD burner. Is there anywhere where I could get some fairly idiot proof instructions ? With thanks for any guidance. Regards. Mike I am using a fairly similar machine (XP2500) I recently bumped my RAM up from 1 gig to 3 and noticed a moderately good improvement. RAM is cheap and easy to install. BTW: You may want to go into the control panel system advanced then set for best performance |
#5
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Upgrade CPU ?
GoldHawk wrote:
I am running a desktop machine with the following: CPU: AMD Athlon XP2000+ at 1.6GHz RAM: 1 GB DDR Motherboard: ASRock K7VT2 It is used for little more than Office applications, surfing, e-mail etc. I have just bought a new HP laptop installed with Vista and I’ve notice how (relatively) slow my desktop is running WinXP with SP3, even after a re-format and reinstall of the OS. I’m interested in knowing whether an upgrade of the CPU on my desktop is a practical and sensible option. I’m not looking to buy a new machine, which in every other respect serves my purposes. Is the CPU integrated with the motherboard, or can the processor itself be upgraded ? If the latter, are there limitations of compatibility (with the motherboard, or anything else) ? Would the internal fan(s) have to be upgraded as well ? The HP laptop is fitted with an Intel Core 2 Duo T5800. I don’t know if that is a sensible option. Is this a very difficult job (something I might do myself) ? I have limited knowledge of the internal hardware, being confined so far to fitting extra RAM and replacing a DVD burner. Is there anywhere where I could get some fairly idiot proof instructions ? With thanks for any guidance. Regards. Mike I wouldn't try to upgrade your 2000+. I suspect the 2600+ with FSB266, may be hard to find. There may not have been that many of them made when they were in production. And anything slower just wouldn't be worth thinking about. I have an S462 motherboard, which I recently retired and replaced with a Core2. The processor in my board is a 3200+ with FSB400, and I was finding that was getting annoying. One of the issues with the processor, is it is a single core without hyperthreading. I find two cores can on occasion be slightly smoother (my backup machine is a P4 running at 3.1GHz, and I liked that a bit more than the AthlonXP 3200+, even though the respective manufacturers think they're roughly equal). I don't consider assembling computers to be that taxing. The downloadable motherboard manuals will give you some information, and there are some web sites that do "system builds" at various price points, to give you some idea about how to do it. My current build is an attempt at a cheap migration. I get a Core2 Dual processor, I get to keep my old AGP video card. I'm using new RAM, but could just as easily used the RAM from the old S462 board. This is the motherboard I chose. The only thing I don't like about it, is the amount of effort the manufacturer put into the BIOS. The board works fine with stock settings (i.e. don't change anything, just turn it on), but attempts to experiment with other settings haven't given me any reason to praise the board. So right now, it "just works". One limitation, is it takes CPUs up to FSB1066 and no higher. Many desirable modern Core2 processors are FSB1333, so if you wanted a higher end CPU, there are limits. I'd say, if you were skimping, you might install this upgrade for about $250. The thing that attracted me, was getting to reuse my perfectly good and trusty AGP video card. http://www.asrock.com/mb/overview.as...2%20R2.0&s=775 If you're not trying to keep the video card, and you'd not a gamer playing Crysis or Oblivion, then an AMD motherboard with integrated graphics (video is inside the chipset) is another possibility. Something with AM2/AM2+ socket, which takes cheap DDR2 memory. You could probably whip something together for about the same money as the previous suggestion. (You can replace a full sized ATX motherboard 12" x 9.6", with a MicroATX 9.6" x9.6", since the mounting holes are a subset.) M3A78-EM AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G (DVI and VGA video connectors) $79 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131324 Processor with heatsink for $60 Athlon 64 X2 5200 Brisbane 2.7GHz Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103210 2GB low profile RAM for $23 (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) CAS5 Dual Channel Kit http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820134117 You can spend a bit more on the processor if you want. I picked a 65W processor, as with that, it doesn't really matter what kind of power supply is in your computer, it is likely to run the new system. There are even quad core processors in the support list, if you want to use one. But that would be overkill for web surfing. (Processor list) http://support.asus.com.tw/cpusuppor...model=M3A78-EM Have fun, Paul |
#6
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Upgrade CPU ?
"GoldHawk" wrote in message
... I am running a desktop machine with the following: CPU: AMD Athlon XP2000+ at 1.6GHz RAM: 1 GB DDR Motherboard: ASRock K7VT2 It is used for little more than Office applications, surfing, e-mail etc. I have just bought a new HP laptop installed with Vista and I've notice how (relatively) slow my desktop is running WinXP with SP3, even after a re-format and reinstall of the OS. I'm interested in knowing whether an upgrade of the CPU on my desktop is a practical and sensible option. I'm not looking to buy a new machine, which in every other respect serves my purposes. Then it's probably more cost-effective to leave yours as it is now. Is the CPU integrated with the motherboard, No. CPUs and motherboards are completely separate items, often made by different manufacturers. or can the processor itself be upgraded ? Often, but the question is, is it worth the cost? Sometimes, the answer is "no". I will suggest that in your case, that's the answer. If the latter, are there limitations of compatibility (with the motherboard, or anything else) ? Absolutely. Would the internal fan(s) have to be upgraded as well ? The CPU will come with a heatsink and fan. The HP laptop is fitted with an Intel Core 2 Duo T5800. I don't know if that is a sensible option. It isn't a physical possibility. Boards made for AMD processors can't accept Intel processors, and vice versa. The board is also designed for a processor with a specific number of pins and other physical and electrical characteristics. Processors that don't match can't be used. Is this a very difficult job (something I might do myself) ? If the parts *match* swapping a processor is often not difficult, but if you damage the parts, it's a pretty expensive mistake. I have limited knowledge of the internal hardware, being confined so far to fitting extra RAM and replacing a DVD burner. Is there anywhere where I could get some fairly idiot proof instructions ? With thanks for any guidance. Regards. Mike A better - meaning faster - CPU will quite possibly run you a couple of hundred dollars, if one that matches your board is available. Older, obsolete processors and memory that aren't in common use tend to be more expensive because they have lost their economies of scale. In comparison, that much money can more than pay for a used 3Ghz Pentium 4 box with a valid XP Pro license, and it will be *much* faster and more upgradeable than the system you have now. HTH -pk |
#7
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Upgrade CPU ?
I really appreciate all these replies. As my question may have indicated, I
don't have much knowledge in this area. Some of the advice went a bit beyond my understanding, but it was all very useful and a learning curve. It's interesting and something about which I'd like to learn more. I understand the limitations. The consensus seems to be that I should live with what I've got or go out and buy a new machine. I tried tweaking the System Advanced settings but it reverted everything back to classis view. I have been able to system restore. From a post I made in relation to Vista, I have found out something about virtual memory and made some adjustments. Unless I am imagining it, this does seem to make a minor improvement. Again, thanks to all. Much appreciated. Mike Evesham, UK "Patrick Keenan" wrote in message ... "GoldHawk" wrote in message ... I am running a desktop machine with the following: CPU: AMD Athlon XP2000+ at 1.6GHz RAM: 1 GB DDR Motherboard: ASRock K7VT2 It is used for little more than Office applications, surfing, e-mail etc. I have just bought a new HP laptop installed with Vista and I've notice how (relatively) slow my desktop is running WinXP with SP3, even after a re-format and reinstall of the OS. I'm interested in knowing whether an upgrade of the CPU on my desktop is a practical and sensible option. I'm not looking to buy a new machine, which in every other respect serves my purposes. Then it's probably more cost-effective to leave yours as it is now. Is the CPU integrated with the motherboard, No. CPUs and motherboards are completely separate items, often made by different manufacturers. or can the processor itself be upgraded ? Often, but the question is, is it worth the cost? Sometimes, the answer is "no". I will suggest that in your case, that's the answer. If the latter, are there limitations of compatibility (with the motherboard, or anything else) ? Absolutely. Would the internal fan(s) have to be upgraded as well ? The CPU will come with a heatsink and fan. The HP laptop is fitted with an Intel Core 2 Duo T5800. I don't know if that is a sensible option. It isn't a physical possibility. Boards made for AMD processors can't accept Intel processors, and vice versa. The board is also designed for a processor with a specific number of pins and other physical and electrical characteristics. Processors that don't match can't be used. Is this a very difficult job (something I might do myself) ? If the parts *match* swapping a processor is often not difficult, but if you damage the parts, it's a pretty expensive mistake. I have limited knowledge of the internal hardware, being confined so far to fitting extra RAM and replacing a DVD burner. Is there anywhere where I could get some fairly idiot proof instructions ? With thanks for any guidance. Regards. Mike A better - meaning faster - CPU will quite possibly run you a couple of hundred dollars, if one that matches your board is available. Older, obsolete processors and memory that aren't in common use tend to be more expensive because they have lost their economies of scale. In comparison, that much money can more than pay for a used 3Ghz Pentium 4 box with a valid XP Pro license, and it will be *much* faster and more upgradeable than the system you have now. HTH -pk |
#8
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Upgrade CPU ?
GoldHawk,
One of the most cost-effective ways of upgrading a computer is to upgrade the RAM. Look up what the specifications of your ASRock MB and determine what the maximum memory it can accommodate is. If the 1GB you currently have is the maximum, you're up the proverbial creek. If the maximum is 2GB or thereabouts, you could upgrade the RAM. However, there is another problem limiting the performance of your computer... The cache memory of your processor chip. Processor chips (in your case: AMD Athlon XP 2000+) come with a very high-speed memory built-in. The main memory (RAM) typically runs at a fraction of the internal speed of the processor chip. The cache memory built into the processor chip is typically very small, but usually runs at the same speed as the internal speed of the processor chip. The more cache memory your processor chip has, the faster it will perform. Therefore, two 1.6GHz processors built on similar technology, but one having 1MB of cache and the other having only 128KB of cache will have notably different performance characteristics - specifically, the one with 1MB of cache will outperform the one with only 128KB of cache. Assuming similar motherboards, RAM, hard disk drives, & operating systems. I haven't looked up the specifications of your processor chip, but I am making an educated guess that your processor chip has only 128KB or so of cache. You can download a processor (CPU) identification utility from AMD (www.amd.com) or from Intel (www.intel.com) to check the specifications of the processor you have installed. Please use the utility from the company which made your processor. You might have to "bite the bullet" and buy another computer. You can get a good, used computer, with a processor twice the speed of your current processor for a fairly inexpensive price. As long as it is a brand-name system, it should come with a Windows COA sticker on it for the version of Windows already installed. I recommend Windows XP Professional (or Home, if Pro is not available). Newer programs (including Operating Systems) tend to be more power-hungry than older ones. If the program demands more power, but your computer has a fixed processor speed, a fixed quantity of RAM, etc., what happens? Fred GoldHawk wrote: I really appreciate all these replies. As my question may have indicated, I don't have much knowledge in this area. Some of the advice went a bit beyond my understanding, but it was all very useful and a learning curve. It's interesting and something about which I'd like to learn more. I understand the limitations. The consensus seems to be that I should live with what I've got or go out and buy a new machine. I tried tweaking the System Advanced settings but it reverted everything back to classis view. I have been able to system restore. From a post I made in relation to Vista, I have found out something about virtual memory and made some adjustments. Unless I am imagining it, this does seem to make a minor improvement. Again, thanks to all. Much appreciated. Mike Evesham, UK "Patrick Keenan" wrote in message ... "GoldHawk" wrote in message ... I am running a desktop machine with the following: CPU: AMD Athlon XP2000+ at 1.6GHz RAM: 1 GB DDR Motherboard: ASRock K7VT2 It is used for little more than Office applications, surfing, e-mail etc. I have just bought a new HP laptop installed with Vista and I've notice how (relatively) slow my desktop is running WinXP with SP3, even after a re-format and reinstall of the OS. I'm interested in knowing whether an upgrade of the CPU on my desktop is a practical and sensible option. I'm not looking to buy a new machine, which in every other respect serves my purposes. Then it's probably more cost-effective to leave yours as it is now. Is the CPU integrated with the motherboard, No. CPUs and motherboards are completely separate items, often made by different manufacturers. or can the processor itself be upgraded ? Often, but the question is, is it worth the cost? Sometimes, the answer is "no". I will suggest that in your case, that's the answer. If the latter, are there limitations of compatibility (with the motherboard, or anything else) ? Absolutely. Would the internal fan(s) have to be upgraded as well ? The CPU will come with a heatsink and fan. The HP laptop is fitted with an Intel Core 2 Duo T5800. I don't know if that is a sensible option. It isn't a physical possibility. Boards made for AMD processors can't accept Intel processors, and vice versa. The board is also designed for a processor with a specific number of pins and other physical and electrical characteristics. Processors that don't match can't be used. Is this a very difficult job (something I might do myself) ? If the parts *match* swapping a processor is often not difficult, but if you damage the parts, it's a pretty expensive mistake. I have limited knowledge of the internal hardware, being confined so far to fitting extra RAM and replacing a DVD burner. Is there anywhere where I could get some fairly idiot proof instructions ? With thanks for any guidance. Regards. Mike A better - meaning faster - CPU will quite possibly run you a couple of hundred dollars, if one that matches your board is available. Older, obsolete processors and memory that aren't in common use tend to be more expensive because they have lost their economies of scale. In comparison, that much money can more than pay for a used 3Ghz Pentium 4 box with a valid XP Pro license, and it will be *much* faster and more upgradeable than the system you have now. HTH -pk |
#9
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Upgrade CPU ?
GoldHawk,
One of the most cost-effective ways of upgrading a computer is to upgrade the RAM. Look up what the specifications of your ASRock MB and determine what the maximum memory it can accommodate is. If the 1GB you currently have is the maximum, you're up the proverbial creek. If the maximum is 2GB or thereabouts, you could upgrade the RAM. However, there is another problem limiting the performance of your computer... The cache memory of your processor chip. Processor chips (in your case: AMD Athlon XP 2000+) come with a very high-speed memory built-in. The main memory (RAM) typically runs at a fraction of the internal speed of the processor chip. The cache memory built into the processor chip is typically very small, but usually runs at the same speed as the internal speed of the processor chip. The more cache memory your processor chip has, the faster it will perform. Therefore, two 1.6GHz processors built on similar technology, but one having 1MB of cache and the other having only 128KB of cache will have notably different performance characteristics - specifically, the one with 1MB of cache will outperform the one with only 128KB of cache. Assuming similar motherboards, RAM, hard disk drives, & operating systems. I haven't looked up the specifications of your processor chip, but I am making an educated guess that your processor chip has only 128KB or so of cache. You can download a processor (CPU) identification utility from AMD (www.amd.com) or from Intel (www.intel.com) to check the specifications of the processor you have installed. Please use the utility from the company which made your processor. You might have to "bite the bullet" and buy another computer. You can get a good, used computer, with a processor twice the speed of your current processor for a fairly inexpensive price. As long as it is a brand-name system, it should come with a Windows COA sticker on it for the version of Windows already installed. I recommend Windows XP Professional (or Home, if Pro is not available). Newer programs (including Operating Systems) tend to be more power-hungry than older ones. If the program demands more power, but your computer has a fixed processor speed, a fixed quantity of RAM, etc., what happens? Fred GoldHawk wrote: I really appreciate all these replies. As my question may have indicated, I don't have much knowledge in this area. Some of the advice went a bit beyond my understanding, but it was all very useful and a learning curve. It's interesting and something about which I'd like to learn more. I understand the limitations. The consensus seems to be that I should live with what I've got or go out and buy a new machine. I tried tweaking the System Advanced settings but it reverted everything back to classis view. I have been able to system restore. From a post I made in relation to Vista, I have found out something about virtual memory and made some adjustments. Unless I am imagining it, this does seem to make a minor improvement. Again, thanks to all. Much appreciated. Mike Evesham, UK "Patrick Keenan" wrote in message ... "GoldHawk" wrote in message ... I am running a desktop machine with the following: CPU: AMD Athlon XP2000+ at 1.6GHz RAM: 1 GB DDR Motherboard: ASRock K7VT2 It is used for little more than Office applications, surfing, e-mail etc. I have just bought a new HP laptop installed with Vista and I've notice how (relatively) slow my desktop is running WinXP with SP3, even after a re-format and reinstall of the OS. I'm interested in knowing whether an upgrade of the CPU on my desktop is a practical and sensible option. I'm not looking to buy a new machine, which in every other respect serves my purposes. Then it's probably more cost-effective to leave yours as it is now. Is the CPU integrated with the motherboard, No. CPUs and motherboards are completely separate items, often made by different manufacturers. or can the processor itself be upgraded ? Often, but the question is, is it worth the cost? Sometimes, the answer is "no". I will suggest that in your case, that's the answer. If the latter, are there limitations of compatibility (with the motherboard, or anything else) ? Absolutely. Would the internal fan(s) have to be upgraded as well ? The CPU will come with a heatsink and fan. The HP laptop is fitted with an Intel Core 2 Duo T5800. I don't know if that is a sensible option. It isn't a physical possibility. Boards made for AMD processors can't accept Intel processors, and vice versa. The board is also designed for a processor with a specific number of pins and other physical and electrical characteristics. Processors that don't match can't be used. Is this a very difficult job (something I might do myself) ? If the parts *match* swapping a processor is often not difficult, but if you damage the parts, it's a pretty expensive mistake. I have limited knowledge of the internal hardware, being confined so far to fitting extra RAM and replacing a DVD burner. Is there anywhere where I could get some fairly idiot proof instructions ? With thanks for any guidance. Regards. Mike A better - meaning faster - CPU will quite possibly run you a couple of hundred dollars, if one that matches your board is available. Older, obsolete processors and memory that aren't in common use tend to be more expensive because they have lost their economies of scale. In comparison, that much money can more than pay for a used 3Ghz Pentium 4 box with a valid XP Pro license, and it will be *much* faster and more upgradeable than the system you have now. HTH -pk |
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