CPU upgrade question

[elreece]

hi
I currently have a HP pavilion m8085a that i use for gaming/work and want to upgrade the cpu.
current specs are:
intel core 2 duo E6400 @ 2.14Ghz
2x1Gb OCZ ddr2 ram
8800 gt 512mb
Windows vista
psu corsair 450w

So my question is: i want to upgrade my cpu to something that can run newer games coming out e.g. crisis, Becasue my computer is a HP can the CPU be upgraded? or will the mobo (model LEONITE, if that helps) need to be replaced as well?

 

[veg1992]

Ya you can still upgrade the BIOS; for starters, flash it to the latest version available (which could add support for Quad's and maybe the Wolfdale's and other 45nm's). Secondly, e6400 is a Socket 775 CPU, so you need one of those to upgrade.. but first flash the BIOS and read the instructions because you may or may not get extra support for some CPU's

 

[Trotter]

The 945G chipset can't handle a quad. You would have to upgrade your mobo to move to one.

 

[veg1992]

How did you get it was a 945g?

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EDIT: Oh Leonite...
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But ya, you can only run the older 65nm Quad's and maybe the updated Conroes (e6750 or e6850), if you can't run those updated Conroes, the best CPU you could possibly get is an x6800 (which is overpriced to an extreme)

 

[elreece]

ok so i should update my BIOS for a start, (not overly sure how that is achieved lol), an then i can determian what cpu my mobo can handle?

 

[Shumway]

You're board can't handle a bigger cpu than what you already have.

HP and Compaq Desktop PCs*-* Motherboard Specifications, P5LP-LE (Leonite)*

 

[elreece]

Great link thanks alot for that, but from that i can still upgrade to E6600 which will make my computer meet recommended specs for the majority of games currently out.
Thanks alot for your help.

 

[veg1992]

What? You should be able to run every game out, ignore all the Clock speed stuff, because your Core 2 Duo can handle it

 

[elreece]

i can run them in lower settings, as i dont generally meet the recommended specs due to my cpu but i always meet the minium. I wanted to upgrade so i can run them on full quality without being hindered by my cpu

 

[Hefemeister]

In my opinion the jump from a e6400@2.13 to a e6600@2.4 will not make any significant improvement in your gaming. You do get an extra 2mb of l2 cache but,
It would probably be better to save your cash for a new build that can play the games you want at higher setting then spending money on your current machine for a very small performance increase.