what processor can i upgrade to without replacing my motherboard?

Question

i have an amd duron processor (701mhzs) and i want to upgrade but i dont want to drag my whole pc to the shop. so does anyone know what i can get that will fit and work properly. i have 768 ram. i am looking towards the 1 gig and over as i wanna get it ready for windows vista and try and run more powerful games. any help would be appreciated.

Board: Compaq 06E4h
Bus Clock: 100 megahertz
BIOS: Compaq 786K1 10/12/2000
i have 768 mb of dimm ram, its an amd duron 701 hrz. i am looking to upgrade it to something which will perform better with games and the internet. please help so i know whats compatable. i dont wanna buy a whole new pc yet coz im skint so a second hand processer might just work out better. many thanks for taking the time to answer

manufacturer compaq model 06E4h chipset via apollo pro rev 63 southbridge via VT82C686 BIOS brand compaq version 786k1

Answer 1

Without wanting to put a downer on the whole thing mate, it really is an out-dated system by todays gaming standards, many games these days require a hefty ol' graphics card and at least a gig of DDR ram.

Best bet mate, is to build a whole new system, a bit at a time - you mention that cash is a bit tight (a problem we all have from time to time), so it might make things easier for you. It wouldn't need to be the latest and greatest, but you should be able to put something togther for not very much money. You already have a monitor, keyboard and mouse. Very likely to also already have a CD or DVD drive, hard drive and power supply, so well on your way already (there's ALWAYS a positive).

I wouldn't have thought it was strictly necessary to run a 64-bit system just yet, although older systems and components are now pretty hard to find.

If you can put together an AMD Socket-A based system, that should be fine. Try and find an Asus A7N8x-X mobo (or better), with a Athlon XP 3000 or 3200 and some ram. Grab yourself a bargain graphics card (Radeon 9550/9600) and I think that's everything covered, except the soundcard, again, something you might already have.

Answer 2

If you like your system you can upgrade it's all fine. Too many snobs out there. With a druon you have what is called amd socket A. there are some moderatly ok cpu's out there that will fit that socket.
You won't be able to run vista however. Vista is a 64 bit OS, and all socket A chips are only 32 bit.
Because of your bios and how old it is you have the max amount of ram you can support. Also the fastest cpu you can support is a 1.4ghz amd athlon that is a "thunderbird" core. You are limited to cpu's that use 100mhz fsb chips. Be careful if you upgrade the cpu, you could be paying for a cpu that is an athlon and fits into socket A but you motherboard can't support because it's too fast.

I also agree that you should probably just upgrade to a whole new computer. you can even save some money by buying a tower only because you already have a monitor, keyboard and mouse. Besides something this old isn't going to be able to play any new game or games released within the last year. You should be able to find a deal on a computer locally that will wail on what you have now. Just remeber to look for a few key things. 1GB of ram as a minimum, especially for vista, a 64 bit cpu, they are opretty common, amd athlon 64, x2, am2, intel core 2 duo. If you want to game don't get anything that is integrated or at the very least leave your options open and get something with a pci express slot, so you can expand later.
I hope this helps, and don't be afraid to ask more questions and set a budget. Watch the ads in the local paper for deals and see what you can get for your money.

Answer 3

Dimension is quite correct, Motherboards are designed to take a just a certain "speed" and type of processor. The information will be in the Motherboard manual. If you no longer have it you will need to identify your motherboard and then search the manufacturers website for the information. You can download a free programme called Belarc Advisor which interrogates all the hard and software installed in your PC and gives you a report on all the details of components. Then you would know the manufacturer, type, model of your motherboard. It may not even support 1 gig of RAM and Vista is going to be resource heavy. Personally, I think a trip to your local shop ( not PC world) Their advice would cost nothing and may even save you money upgrading a machine that just will not cope with Vista.

Answer 4

well the ram in it has nothing to do with what processor you need to upgrade too. buy what type of mother board you have and what type it is like the old flat kind of intel processor the old flat kind of the kind that stands up that has a fan attached to it. you can replace it your self easy . just take carful you do not use magnetic screw drivers to take out screws. Go to the shop or a PC ware house and tell them the type of mother board and what processor you have already they will be able to give you a good selection to choose from that will work for your PC.

NOTE: compaq is not a great pc to work with on parts seen more of them in my PC repair shop then anyother brand, also e machines are not that dependable.

Answer 5

Just an observation - you could probably get an adequate system from dell or tesco for the amount of cash you would need to spend in order to get your current system up to some where near modern. I don't want to discourage but forget about upgrading because the rate technology is improving it really is cheaper in the long run just to buy a new (not secondhand cos you have no idea where they have been) system. Trust me.

Answer 6

I think you could replace a Duron chip to a 1.2 ghz Duron, the m/b should take it. That's a 33 % more cpu power

Answer 7

This is quite an old board. To be honest upgrading the processor isn't going to do much good youd be better with a new PC

Answer 8

P4's and above use sockets 423 (older versions) and 478. Afraid you are out of luck regarding upgrading your CPU on the mobo.

Answer 9

701mhz amd duron ? wtf! thats like the power of my old commodore 64 lmao just joking.. lmao u cant really upgrade the chip on that old a board, but u can overclock the chip to run upto around 900mhz-1ghz :) itll add around 150-300mhz to your clock speed making it run faster but u need to get some special apps to controll the fan speed otherwise ur chip overheats n fcuks up , google overclocking or overclocking amd duron (chip model no)for info and tutorials on doing this.

Answer 10

You need to get the motherboard info and go to the mfg's website. Find the appropriate docs for that motherboard and read thru to see what max CPU speed can be.
The manual will also tell you what max RAM you can have.