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General discussion

Upgrading my P4 1.5 Ghz 400 FSB to.....

Jan 3, 2005 10:33AM 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

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upgrade
Jan 7, 2005 6:08AM PST

Intel MB tend to be designed for a certin type of processor group, so the extra $50 might be worth it to know that it's gonig to work. John

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Maybe...IMHO
Jan 7, 2005 6:21AM PST

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
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Those are your specs above, check the what upgrade path via Dell you can upgrade the cpu, you don't have to buy from, just the info. More than likely you can buy just the cpu upto 2.0Ghz. That's not what the PowerLeap kit provides, but with its adapter you get more, but most of these kits still have to deal with the limits of the old mtrbd. within reason. If you can live with a possible 2.0ghz limit just with a pure cpu upgrade alone(for PGA-423 socket), you save more money vs. the PowerLeap kit with its cpu+adapter, etc.. Otherwise, go with the PowerLeap solution.

good luck -----Willy

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Inspection
Jan 7, 2005 6:46AM PST

Did you download and run the inspection software on their homepage? It will inspect your system and tell you the maximum upgrade that your board can use.

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Yes
Jan 7, 2005 8:04AM PST

The PL-P4/N is supposed to be compatible with the Northwood core. The only limitation should be FSB. Apparently the Prescott core is not compatible with this adaptor. I would assume this might have something to due with the voltage signaling on the Prescott.