Need installation advice

[dfgp]

I have an Intel D845WN motherboard with a 1,7 Ghz P4 attached to it (All original/certified parts). I probably change it for a 2,0 Ghz or faster processor and I like to know what is the correct procedure and all the precautions i need to observe. Yes, i know this is a basic question.
Ps. Note that i can't make profit of your advise, save the intelectual one. Plus, i really don't want to burn a chip that cost a loot of money in my country.

 

[Mulga]

Your board will support Pentium 1V up to 2.6GHz so no problem there except that you may need to flash your BIOS depending on the version you now have. There is a list of BIOS versions for various processors on your board at

http://www.intel.com/design/motherbd/wn/wn_proc.htm

Main thing when you are changing the CPU is to be careful, dont rush and take it one step at a time.

First ensure the power is completely off to the motherboard by unplugging the power cord to the system.

Ensure you have a heatsink/fan unit that is suitable for the CPU. Enquire from wherever you obtain the CPU

You will need thermal paste between the heatsink and the CPU. An extremely thin smear is sufficient, too much is as bad as none. Help us to help you, please post back and tell us if this helped.

All things are possible except skiing through a revolving door.

 

[dfgp]

Thanks, you are very kind wasting some or your time. As you can see, my major concern is the handling of the chip (I already have two bad experiences in the past). How thin must be the paste layer? What do you use to aply it? I'm going to use a original part, so the heatsink/fan should be Intel's so anything to care about? What do you do about static electricity? And the plugging, how i make sure of don't broke the pins?

 

[Mulga]

The paste layer should be as thin as you can make it, just a smear. I do it with my finger but you could use a plastic implement. Do not use metal.

Yes, if you get a heatsink fan with the processor it will be ok

For ESD (static) protection you can use a special wrist strap which can be obtained at most computer outlets, however it is quite adequate to just ground yourself by momentarily grasping an unpainted metal part of the chassis or power supply before you touch any sensitive components.

The CPU will drop easily into the socket when the locking lever is in the raised position, you need apply no force so there is no danger of breaking any pins. Not sure about the P4 but some CPUs will go in the wrong way around. You must ensure that the cut off corner in the pin pattern is matched up on the CPU and the socket.

You should have no major dramas with this upgrade but I hope you are not going to be disappointed. The performaance increase you will get by going from 1.7 GHz to 2GHz will be so small as to be hardly noticeable. You may do better by increasing the amount of RAM you have, particularly if you currently have less than about 256MB. This is particularly true if you are running Win XP which really benefits from more RAM, 512MB is about the optimum.

Help us to help you, please post back and tell us if this helped.

All things are possible except skiing through a revolving door.

 

[dfgp]

I'll print this right away. I have to gather the money so i don't ask you to stay tuned. Thanks again.