Compaq Presario R4100 upgrade 3

[samurai123]

Hi

I have a Compaq Presario R4100 Laptop with a AMD Athlon 64 3200+ (2.0 GHz)
Socket 939.

I would like to know what kind of CPUs I can replace it to get more processing power.
I know this has to be supported by BIOS, MB etc. But don't know how to verify it.
Referring the maintenance manual, it says it can accommodate 4000. Maybe upgrade to 4000 won't give me much, I thought If I can other options which are known to work on socket 939.

BIOS - F.1C
MB - 42.3B

Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance

 

[wahnula]

samurai123,

It's not just socket 939...it's socket 939 with a specific set of parameters determined by your chipset. Generally, laptops are not as upgradeable as desktops because of their nature. People tend to end up with what they start out with, the hassle and cost is rarely returned in system speed.

Now, if it was a single-core Pentium M on a 965 chipset, that's another story, as you could gain a vast increase in processor power for relatively little cost. But that's not the case here; you maybe stand to gain 15-20% real-world and pay a premium for "classic" parts. Sometimes upgrades just don't add up, and sadly, I would say that this is one of those times.

Tony

Users helping Users...

 

[samurai123]

Hi Wahnula,


I do agree with you. Even with I go with the supported CPU as I said before won't gain much in terms of performance. Waste of money and time...

I would better go with a new one.

Would anyone recommend a better one for professional use?

 

[BadBigBen]

I would better go with a new one.

Yep, and a new motherboard, new RAM, new GFX-card...

Ben

"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."

 

[wahnula]

Would anyone recommend a better one for professional use?

Now, professional use is not the same as gaming, is it? I think Lenovo has some excellent deals on entry-level systems. Make sure the OS is at least Vista Business if not XP.

Maximum PC just did a review on notebooks, best in class for ultra-light is the Lenovo Think Pad X300 at ($3600), mid-class was the Acer Travelmate Pro at $1050 (although I'd think twice about buying Acer ANYTHING) and Best Professional was Mac Book Pro ($2500), with Dell's XPS M1530 ($2000) a close second.

If you're looking for a gaming laptop that won't kill you,

http://www.Hypersonic-pc.com

has some more affordable interesting models that ARE expandable.

Tony

Users helping Users...

 

[samurai123]

Thanks to all for your responses and time.

I ended up buying Thinkpad T400. I think my choice of going with R4100 with has desktop processor which is big on power consumption, noisy was wrong.

 

[paparazi]

I think any laptop with a desktop processor is going to be seriously flawed. Desktop CPU have no 'stepping' as in automatic power saving, so they run at full clock/max power and consumption are so are not ideal for battery life/heat and noise due to bigger more substantial cooling.
Centrino is the way to go (Intel based with an overall power consumption below 35watts) Intel Dual Core2 Duo, 5000 series or higher (2000 is older Core Duo technology) lower wattage means longer battery life, quieter operation because of less heat.

As for this Compaq R4100, I'm betting with a bios flash it could have supported the X2 dual core range which would have made a difference (remember the X2 4200/4400/4800 were released very early after socket 939 was introduced so likely supported by this chipset) it needed a bit of research.
Martin

On wings like angels whispers sweet
my heart it feels a broken beat
Touched soul and hurt lay wounded deep
Brown eyes are lost afar and sleep

 

[samurai123]

Thanks for your informative response. I do agree about desktop processor wish I knew it at the time.

I did come across a reference of using X2 on R4100 but it seems that BIOS is not available from HP to support it even the socket and the chipset supports these processors.