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General discussion

Upgrading my P4 1.5 Ghz 400 FSB...

by LastHawk Jan 3, 2005 10:43AM PST

I have been to www.powerleap.com and I am interested in their:

Dell Dimension 8100 2.8GHz Upgrade Kit
400 Front Side Bus for $269.99

Here is my System and Processor Spces:
Model : Dell Dimension 8100
Chassis Type : Mini Tower
Operating System : Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition

Processor
Number Of Processors : 1
Type : Intel Pentium 4 1500 MHz
Processors Bus Speed : 400 MHz
Number Of Processors : 1
Type : Intel Pentium 4 1500 MHz
Package : PGA-423
Manufacturer Codename : Willamette
Clock Speed : 1495 MHz
Clock Multiplier : 15.0
Front Side Bus (FSB) Speed : 400 MHz
L2 Cache Size : 256 KBytes Stepping : B2
Trace Width : 0.18
Microcode : 7h
Instruction Sets : MMX, SSE, SSE2

Motherboard
Manufacturer : Dell Computer Corporation
Model : Dimension 8100 Rev. Not Available
CPU Slot/Socket Type : PGA-423
Chipset Vendor : Intel i850 Rev. A2
Bios Manufacturer : Dell Computer Corporation
Bios Version : A06

Video Card
Model : nVidia AGP NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra
AGP Speed : 4x
Monitor : Dell P1110

Storage
Hard Drive 1 : WDC WD400BB-75AUA1 IDE
Size : 38.17GB, 2048KB Buffer
Hard Drive 2 : WDC WD1200BB-22CAA0 IDE
Size : 114.47GB, 2048KB Buffer
Optical Storage Drive 1:
_NEC DVD Drive DV-5800A
Optical Storage Drive 2:
_NEC CD-ROM Drive NR-7800A (40x/16x)


Heres my question..Can I go to a website such as NewEgg and grab the same upgrade processor that comes in their kit, then buy their custom heatsink/adapter and save myself about 50 bucks??

Do the manufacturer Codenames have to be the same?
I have seen a P4 2.8 Ghz 400 FSB on NewEgg but its name is Northwood. Will this work?

Just trying to save a couple bucks here. Let me know if you need anymore information. Thanks!

Discussion is locked

6 Posts
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Maybe????
by Stan Chambers Jan 3, 2005 1:53PM PST

First, you will need to verify that the board is a socket 478 board. If not, the processor won't fit the socket.

Second,You will need to find if the MB will support the 2.8 ghz processor. I would check with Dell. All MB's have limits as to the speed of the processor that they can support.

If the board will support that speed and it has a 478 socket, it should work just fine.

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CPUs and You
by Ravenn2 Jan 3, 2005 5:31PM PST

The Intel site is a good place to start. See what speeds are available in that same chip. You might be able to get a boost. The MB could be a sticking point. Not only are built for specific sockets, they can be incompatible with some chips. If you can find out what CPUs that board is specified for then you are gold. Get the fastest available and plug it in.

For $250 + you could buy a new MB approx $70 - an AMD CPU $100 - and a cooler $30. Your cards and HD will just plug in, memory would be a question. $80 for 512M if you had to get some.

Good luck

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CPUs and You
by jcrobso Jan 4, 2005 1:14AM PST

Yes P4 processors can be MB specfic. Before you buy a new motherboard you need to be aware of a thing that Dell sometimes does, they use an ATX power connector, BUT the wires are not allwise in the same place as a STANDARD ATX mother board. If this is the case with your PC you will also have to replace the power supply . John

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What you got
by tyler_tyron Jan 4, 2005 9:46AM PST

I looked at dell and they say that you have a socket 423 Intel

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Thanks for Ur Help guys!
by LastHawk Jan 4, 2005 1:14PM PST

Maybe I'm missing something, but this adapter/heatsink that PowerLeap sells converts fron 423 the 478 socket. It makes the processor a direct plug-in. I was just thinking that I could buy a processor cheaper.
Buy their heat sink adapter and be set.
Save the mobo.
Save the memory.

I know I'm limited from my mobo. I bought this set-up about 5 years ago. It has done me well and could still last me a couple years.

I've seen ppl buy this set and it works great for them.

I appreciate all the help. I will definetly upgrade my mobo, memory and processor if this does not work.

Just trying to buy some time b4 I commit to a FULL upgrade so to speak.

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The 2.8 ghz P4 400 FSB at Newegg
by bostarke Jan 26, 2005 9:07AM PST

I was just going through the same upgrade process on my dell 4300 as well, and after a lot of e-mails and searching for the best way to save a dollar. I found that the cpu on newegg was the best deal out there,and should work great. I am about to purchase it now with another companies adapter for $20 less than powerleap. The Northwood is the way to go according to al the techs I talked to. Good luck.
Oh I have also come to the conclusion this is my last dell.

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