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Author Topic: Can i upgrade my processor?  (Read 3211 times)

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Filthyfrank

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    Can i upgrade my processor?
    « on: December 30, 2016, 09:30:28 AM »
    Can i upgrade my Intel Pentium E5200 2.5 GHz to Intel Xeon E3120 3.167 GHz like will it fit when i replace it?

    DaveLembke



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    Re: Can i upgrade my processor?
    « Reply #1 on: December 30, 2016, 10:08:51 AM »
    99.999% Sure the answer is NO

    The Xeon Processor is a Server Class Processor and the socket 775 pinout is different. I have seen some hacks where people buy a pin mask and pin redirect that claim to get Xeon processors to work on standard non server grade motherboards. You will likely max out with a Core 2 Quad type of processor. It all comes down to what computer make/model, and what motherboard and chipset it has. I wouldnt suggest the route of the Xeon pin redirect hack as for its tricky.

    What is make/model of computer of what motehrboard and then look at the CPU list

    BC_Programmer


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    Re: Can i upgrade my processor?
    « Reply #2 on: December 30, 2016, 11:31:33 AM »
    Both are LGA775 so if the motherboard supports the processor, then yes. Most consumer motherboards don't support Xeon chips though.
    I was trying to dereference Null Pointers before it was cool.

    DaveLembke



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    Re: Can i upgrade my processor?
    « Reply #3 on: December 30, 2016, 12:51:21 PM »
    Quote
    The Xeon Processor is a Server Class Processor and the socket 775 pinout is different

    Looking back I believe I am incorrect with pinout difference. I was thinking back to a Xeon hack and thought it was socket 775, but its a socket 771 Xeon that is made to work in a socket 775 board.  :)

    A few years ago I shared info on getting xeons to work in a standard socket 775 motherboard with a chipset that would allow the xeon cpu and a pin redirect and mask kit. I thought it was 775, but looking back now its actually socket 771. Knowing what motherboard you have would help in knowing better as to if it will support the Xeon. The BIOS needs to support the microcode for it + chipset has to support it. If chipset supports it but no bios flash available, its trial and error and it might detect it as a totally different CPU and pop up with a microcode error at post. Microcode errors can be accepted such as pressing F1 and move on and the system might run ok or might be buggy. I ran into microcode errors years ago with a Compaq computer that came with a Celeron 500Mhz and I installed a Pentium III 850Mhz and it was able to run this Pentium III at 700Mhz. It displayed Pentium III 700Mhz but complained with microcode error and pressing F1 the system would boot and run way better than it did on the Celeron 500Mhz. I left the Pentium III 850 in it underclocked to 700Mhz and never had any other issues with it, and it ran games way better. Only annoyance was having to press F1 on every boot to get past the microcode error. These days though with modern motherboards its usually a black screen and no post when a CPU is not supported. I made the mistake with a Dell Inspiron 530S with a Core 2 Quad Q6600 upgrading it from its Core 2 Duo E4300. When it didnt boot I checked CPU support for board and found that the board maxes out on a dual-core CPU and its either a Core 2 Duo 4xxx or 6xxx or Pentium E 2xxx series. So at some point I need to yank the quadcore and stuff the Core 2 Duo back into it.

    Here is the adapter hardware hack I was referring to, but this applies to socket 771 Xeons and that Xeon you mentioned is 775.

    http://www.delidded.com/lga-771-to-775-adapter/

    Here is what i shared 3 years ago on the 771 to 775 hack. I never tested it but another member here Calum got it working  ;D ... http://www.computerhope.com/forum/index.php?topic=141982.0

    Geek-9pm


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    Re: Can i upgrade my processor?
    « Reply #4 on: December 30, 2016, 01:59:33 PM »
    For reference:
    http://www.differencebetween.net/technology/difference-between-pentium-and-xeon/
    The article is not perfect, but gives some help.
    Some more  info:
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xeon
    Note that Intel has used CPU names as 'brands' and not strict identification. This can result is a lot of confusion. If they are different, they should not share names.

    Metaphor: Imagine you went to buy a new pair of tennis shoes and you find a a pair that are branded "Tuxedo". Would you buy a pair?   ::)
     
    EDIT: The op should be clear about what OS he wants to use and what programs he wants to use. In some cases  a number of CPUs will work, a few will not.
    See here:
    https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-10-specifications
    Quote
    To install a 64-bit OS on a 64-bit PC, your processor needs to support CMPXCHG16b, PrefetchW, and LAHF/SAHF.


    « Last Edit: December 30, 2016, 02:10:40 PM by Geek-9pm »

    camerongray



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    Re: Can i upgrade my processor?
    « Reply #5 on: December 30, 2016, 03:16:03 PM »
    To try and clear up any confusion, your current CPU and the Xeon you mentioned both use the same socket (LGA775) so the Xeon will physically fit your motherboard.  As to whether it will work or not, it's basically a gamble.  Very few consumer desktop motherboards will officially state that they support the Xeon chips although they will often work fine.  It would help if you mentioned what motherboard you have.

    That said, the Xeon is very similar to a Core 2 Duo which would likely have much more definitive support from your motherboard.  Besides, the difference between your Pentium and a Core 2 Duo/Dual Core Xeon isn't going to be massive - I'd suggest seeing what you can find in terms of Core 2 Quads that are compatible with your motherboard - The prices have dropped to virtually nothing nowadays and a Core 2 Quad would give a much more noticeable improvement over your Pentium.

    Filthyfrank

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      Re: Can i upgrade my processor?
      « Reply #6 on: December 31, 2016, 04:57:25 PM »
      Alright so i guess i'll keep it the way it is but while browsing around i found my 2008 PC and i was thinking of using it for gaming because to be honest i'm just sick of my laptop, it's not because it has bad preformance it's the fact that it's unupgradable and games are getting bigger and bigger.

      PC specs:
      Intel pentium 5200 @ 2.50 GHZ (stock 2 cores)
      4gb ddr2 ram (3gb usable)
      an old NVidia GeForce 7100 / NVidia GeForce 630i 250mb vram


      If it's worth it i can get a 1gb gpu if the processor is okay because i saw videos of people overclocking it to 3.50/4.0 ghz and i saw plenty of people playing gta online with it so i'm not sure.

      DaveLembke



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      Re: Can i upgrade my processor?
      « Reply #7 on: January 01, 2017, 07:21:35 AM »
      GTA5 Online is a heavy resource game. You could buy a Core 2 Quad Q6600 for around $15-$20 on ebay. I bought 5 of them at $15 each to upgrade dualcore systems, however... Your motherboard needs to support the Core 2 Quad Q6600 and to make sure it does we would need to know what make/model motherboard your running. I made the mistake with one of my systems thinking it would take a Q6600 with no problems but the chipset on the motherboard maxes out with the Core 2 Duo or Pentium E series processor, so the motherboard will only run a dual-core processor.

      GTA5 System Requirements:

      Minimum = Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4GHz. Phenom 9850 Quad-Core Black Edition. GeForce 9800 GT. Radeon HD 4870. 4 GB. Win 7 64. DX 10. 65 GB.

      Suggested = Core i5-680 3.6GHz. Phenom II X4 810. GeForce GTX 750. Radeon R7 260X v2. 6 GB. Win 7 64. DX 11. Core i5-3470 3.2GHz.

      If your looking to go as cheap as you can you might be able to get by with the system you have with the Q6600 2.4Ghz Quadcore for around $20, and find a GeForce 9800GT 1GB Video card for around $20-30. You will need full use of your 4GB RAM, so if your running the 32-bit version of Windows you would need to upgrade to a 64-bit OS to get full use of the 4GB. And this is to just meet the bare minimum requirements to play GTA 5. The video card being the weakest link in this build. You could get better performance teaming up a Q6600 quadcore with a better GTX card such as you might be able to find a GeForce GTX 260 896MB video card for around $50 or less used. I have a EVGA 216 core superclocked GeForce GTX 260 896MB RAM card and it plays games really well, however some newer games wont play well on this card because there are some heavy hitter games out there that require Core i7 or 8-core AMD CPU and GTX 750 or better video cards to play. My newest system is running a AMD FX-8350 with 16GB RAM and GeForce GTX 750ti 3GB and the game that I have that is the heaviest is Witcher 3. i dont have GTA5 to test it out for you with my GTX 260 to give you any ideas of frame rates etc. But the GTX 260 would be better than the minimum GeForce 9800 GT. The only drawback to going with a GTX video card is that you would need a power supply able to drive that cards power requirements and most people find themselves buying a power supply and video card upgrade as a pair upgrade if they are building new or finally upgrading out of standard video card performance to higher end video card.

      But biggest thing before spending any money and making a upgrade plan is to know what motherboard you have and how much money in budget do you have as well as what kind of performance are you looking for. Such as just being able to play it with occasional lag and longer load times, no occasional lag and around 30 fps, or maximum settings and fastest load times. How much money you have to work with will be a big factor in what kind of a system we can suggest for you or upgrade of this system vs building or buying a new system.


      Filthyfrank

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        Re: Can i upgrade my processor?
        « Reply #8 on: January 02, 2017, 01:14:45 PM »
        Thanks everyone for your kind replies i'll be working overtime to get a used i5 pc and a 1070 you may close this now!