How do I change the FSB settings on a HP Pavilion 462? And what should the settings be for PC3200 memory?

Question

I am upgrading from 256Mb of PC2100 to 2x512Mb of PC3200 memory. Happy to do into the BIOS and adjust settings, if I knew the correct ones to adjust. HP do not have a BIOS update for this machine.

If i plug PC3200 in the motherboard should react accordingly? I.E. either "downclock" or change settings accordingly? What does it mean if the PC just doesn't boot?

Answer 1

Most OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) don't use motherboards with overclocking/underclocking features to lower warranty claims. You only get these features from specialist (usually gaming centered) retail boxed motherboards.

As for the RAM issue. If you are getting no POST when you turn on the computer (with the new RAM installed), your motherboard might not be able to underclock the RAM to the supported speeds. Best bets are to buy the same speed of RAM the manufacturer recommend. In your case PC2100 or PC1600. You can also try RAM that is backwards compatible with lower speeds. Some PNY DIMMs at PC3200 are able to run at PC2100 and PC2700 too.

Answer 2

I doubt whether the CPU will run at the higher FSB, PC2100 runs at 133MHz, 2700 runs at 166MHz, 3200 runs at 200MHz, it sounds like you have a socket 462 motherboard, which will probably have an AMD socket 462 Athlon (133MHz CPU) so in effect, adjusting the FSB in the bios to run the memory at the right speed, will overclock the CPU, if the motherboard automatically adjusts the FSB for the new memory, then it will probably lock up and not boot up, there again the motherboard may be jumper-ed to run at 133 MHz so you will not be able to adjust the FSB in the bios, these settings will be greyed out in the bios, so you really need to know what the CPU runs at, I am sure HP will have used 2100 for a reason, and that would be to be compatible with the CPU speed.

Answer 3

Upper posts are right. Proprietary motherboards usually do not provide for manual adjustments of most settings in BIOS. PC3200, if not supported in BIOS will just be downclocked to PC2100 level.

Answer 4

FSB settings are not configurable on this PC (nor most main manufacturer PCs)

Your memory should be auto detected by the PC without the need to adjust anything in the BIOS

Answer 5

You can't use that memory with that system you have to take your existing memory to a pc shop so they can give you a 512 pc2100. soon as you put that memory in it will blow that board was made for that speed of memory.

Answer 6

If that's the way that HP configured the machine at first, then it probably doesn't need anything reconfigured once you install the new memory. The new RAM will run at the speed that your CPU's FSB runs at, and that should be it!