Replacing processor

[AL P]

I've got a computer I picked up that has a motherboard that uses an AMD XP processor. Basically from what I have learned it is some old junk (like all my shit) that is a "socket A" processor. It's a little slow of course (1.2 ghz with 266 FSB) and I want to plug some other shit in there to speed things up a little. I recently tried a diamond XP 1300 512 mb AGP video card and the computer took a shit a lot. A few people told me the processor speed couldn't feed the card fast enough. Not sure if that is true but i switched the card out for a Geforce 6200 256mb card and it works a lot better.

Anyway, what do i need to look for in a new processor? Will any socket A processor fit? Do some motherboards have a limit in what FSB they can support? I am sure they do. Am I going to have to tear this shit apart and figure out what my motherboard is before I can get a new processor? I'm new to a lot of this shit as you can tell.

[cobra93teal]

yup it would depend on the motherboard

[black90gt]

You just need to see what type of moterbaord you have and then look up the specs.

You dont have to tear the computer up. Just boot up the computer and go into bios, or it might display the mobo type on the boot up screen.

[AL P]

And what is the limiting factor between motherboard and processor? Can a board only support so much FSB? I'm trying to quantify the limit for the board once I find out what it is.

If I boot up my machine and go into the BIOS will it show the details of my board?

[Snake007]

Many motherboards allow the user to manually set the clock multiplier and FSB settings by changing jumpers or BIOS settings. Many CPU manufacturers now "lock" a preset multiplier setting into the chip. It is possible to unlock some locked CPUs; for instance, some Athlons can be unlocked by connecting electrical contacts across points on the CPU's surface. For all processors, increasing the FSB speed can be done to boost processing speed

Post up any identifying numbers of the motherboard itself. Depending on the motherboard you should be able to adjust the multiplier and FSB from the BIOS.

[ceyko]

[QUOTE=Snake007]Many motherboards allow the user to manually set the clock multiplier and FSB settings by changing jumpers or BIOS settings. Many CPU manufacturers now "lock" a preset multiplier setting into the chip. It is possible to unlock some locked CPUs; for instance, some Athlons can be unlocked by connecting electrical contacts across points on the CPU's surface. For all processors, increasing the FSB speed can be done to boost processing speed

Post up any identifying numbers of the motherboard itself. Depending on the motherboard you should be able to adjust the multiplier and FSB from the BIOS.[/QUOTE]

For the original poster, yes overclocking the FSB, Proc, Mem and GPU might help a lot. However, this is not something that a novice should undertake lightly.

1. Be prepared to pop something.
2. Be ready for more crashes until you can find a stable speed(s) and get the cooling done right.
3. Until you're real familiar with OC'ing machines I would not OC anything you can't afford to lose. UNLESS you are really desperate for the 5-15% speed increase you might get.

With that said, OC'ing components is the easiest way to prolong a machine's usefulness. Just do your homework prior to doing anything.

[AL P]

I'm not really interested in overclocking. I was just wondering how motherboards are rated in regard to what processors they can handle. I read up a little bit today and kind of came to the conclusion that motherboards with slot A holes for processors are going to be limited to a 333 Mhz FSB. And the fastest processor I could find was an AMD XP 3200+ 333 Mhz FSB processor that operates at about 2 Ghz. I guess you could overclock from there but that's not really what I was looking for. I was just looking for the fastest slot A processor/motherboard combo.

Thanks for all the input guys.

[Ferendon]

Socket A = Socket 462

Not all 462 processors will work. They will fit, but not work. Look on the board for a model # and manufacturer and look it up online. And yes, some boards are FSB limited, especially boards more than a couple years old. Thunderbird and Duron processors are 2 that have to be specifically supported, in most cases, to work. Best bet is to go get a Sempron 2800+ or something. It'll run you $30, it'll work with just about everything, and they're decent procs, slap in a good VPU and you'll be set for a basic gaming machine/internet browser.

[AL P]

I fixed my POS up right. A different board with 3.2 Ghz Intel processor, 800 FSB and 2 GB of DDR 3200. Then a Radeon Pro card with 256 Mb I think it is a 9800? Anyway, the thing fucking hauls ass now.