Changing the Processor..

King of Groove

King of Groove

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My HP desktop has a Pentium 4 processor with 2.5gb ram installed.

Is it possible to upgrade the processor to one of the new Intel processors namely i3,i5 or i7?

Are there any drawbacks to doing this?
 
Well actually you can get LGA775 P4's but you'd still need to change the motherboard because, especially in pre-builts in wont have a mordern enough 'chipset' to support the newer processors. But neil is correct about the i series requiring LGA1156/1366.

Also, if you change to i series you will most likely need to get new ram as well since they require DDR3 and you will only have DDR2
 
Blue Eagle said:
Well actually you can get LGA775 P4's
Click to expand...

sorry yes you are right, i think it was the last revision?

i think youd also need a new PSU, off the top of my head i cant remember if P4 and i7 both use 4pin ATX12v? but them chances are youll need more juice to run an i7 anyway.

so basically you need - processor, memory, motherboard and possibly a PSU. thats without taking in to account if your GFX slot has changed or your hard drive interfaces depending on how old your P4 board is :)

anyway long storey short no lol
 
As Neil said its not possible, different CPU's use different sockets on the motherboard.

You don't say what your current CPU is? you might be able to upgrade your CPU but it has to be compatible with your motherboard, to be honest it's just not worth it, for the performance you might see, you really need to upgrade your motherboard, CPU & Ram, not to mention graphics, to get the best upgrade.

A better option, that would bring you up to date for less that what you could spend upgrading yours, would be to buy something like this and just add your monitor: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/193211
 
neil_g said:
no. different socket types on the motherboard.

P4s are socket 478
core2 dual/quads are LGA775
i7 series are LGA1156/1366
Click to expand...

Cheers Neil. Thanks for info. Much appreciated.
 
Blue Eagle said:
Well actually you can get LGA775 P4's but you'd still need to change the motherboard because, especially in pre-builts in wont have a mordern enough 'chipset' to support the newer processors. But neil is correct about the i series requiring LGA1156/1366.

Also, if you change to i series you will most likely need to get new ram as well since they require DDR3 and you will only have DDR2
Click to expand...

Cheers. Thanks for info.
 
CruisingComet said:
As Neil said its not possible, different CPU's use different sockets on the motherboard.

You don't say what your current CPU is? you might be able to upgrade your CPU but it has to be compatible with your motherboard, to be honest it's just not worth it, for the performance you might see, you really need to upgrade your motherboard, CPU & Ram, not to mention graphics, to get the best upgrade.

A better option, that would bring you up to date for less that what you could spend upgrading yours, would be to buy something like this and just add your monitor: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/193211
Click to expand...

Cheers Ed. I had been thinking of a new pc but just wondered if this was an option.
 
The whole new PC would be a better option if you want to hang onto your current one and have it for another room or to use as a home theatre pc etc.
Otherwise you could salvage things like the hard drives and case but it is possibly not worth it if you can find a 2nd use for the older computer.
 
If you need help to spec a machine to attempt to build yourself I'm sure there are a few of us who could help.
I wouldn't buy an AMD processor though, they seem to change their slot with every new processor so upgrading becomes difficult, whereas the LGA775 slot will take a lot of different processors.
 
chris_f said:
If you need help to spec a machine to attempt to build yourself I'm sure there are a few of us who could help.
Click to expand...

I always build my own systems, simply because I can choose exactly what goes into it, but TBH it's usually a lot cheaper to buy a system like the one in the link, ( A decent mainboard & CPU alone would cost you as much, or more) It's a reasonable spec, comes with Windows 7 pre installed, keyboard & mouse, simply add a monitor and away you go!
 
I think it's going to be a new pc for me altough a good friend is trying her hardest to convince me to buy a mac!
 
:exit:
 
Not to worry - we're not on page 12 yet :)
 
These discussions always remind me of this:

gay-test.jpg
 
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