Question CPU Upgrade Comptability

[DeathOfChaos]

I have a Compaq d2300 that I want to breathe some new life into, and upgrading it from its hot-running 3GHz P4 to a Core 2 Duo seems like a nice addition to the graphics card I've ordered for it, but I've hit somewhat of a problem concerning compatibility. The official spec manual page specifies that it supports up to Core 2 Duo E6700 with 1066-MHz FSB, but the chipset elsewhere says it only supports up to 800-MHz FSB, so my question is this:

Should I go by the manual for my computer in question
http://h18000.www1.hp.com/products/quickspecs/12668_div/12668_div.HTML

Or should I heed the warning of a lower FSB by the official Intel specs?
ARK | Intel® 946GZ Express Chipset (Intel® 82946GZ Graphics and Memory Controller)

Here are the specs for my computer at the moment:
Pentium 4 631 Processor
1GB System RAM (256MB shared for Graphics)
I'm currently waiting for MSI Radeon HD5450 w/ 1GB DDR3 RAM and thinking about getting 4GB of memory as an upgrade.

So what I need to know is if my computer is eligible for the 1066MHz FSB Core 2 Duo and if so, should I be aware of any faster options for RAM if I do upgrade to the faster CPU if I'm able? Right now I'm not taking price into consideration, just getting all my options lined up and then eliminating to my budget later. Thanks in advance!

 

[PP Mguire]

Sorry I missed your thread yesterday.

The 1066FSB is just the FSB capability of the processor in question. In other words in better boards you can run 1066 DDR2, but you can still put that CPU in your board and run DDR2 800.

What exactly are you doing with this computer? If it is for gaming purposes the 5450 wont be much of an upgrade. In general computing terms an upgrade to the C2D will be a nice upgrade. With the upgrade to 4GB of RAM you will also need a 64bit OS.
Needed to be said as well, these parts you are looking at getting are pretty pricey if purchased new.

Depending on your budget we can probably make recommendations to a newer better setup.

 

[DeathOfChaos]

Sorry I missed your thread yesterday.

The 1066FSB is just the FSB capability of the processor in question. In other words in better boards you can run 1066 DDR2, but you can still put that CPU in your board and run DDR2 800.

What exactly are you doing with this computer? If it is for gaming purposes the 5450 wont be much of an upgrade. In general computing terms an upgrade to the C2D will be a nice upgrade. With the upgrade to 4GB of RAM you will also need a 64bit OS.
Needed to be said as well, these parts you are looking at getting are pretty pricey if purchased new.

Depending on your budget we can probably make recommendations to a newer better setup.

Thanks for the info about the FSB, though it still kind of leaves me in the dark as to whether it will actually do anything special. The point was trying to figure out if since the Chipset supports only 800 if the processor will even work... Like I said in the post, I'm just trying to breathe fresh air into it so that my father can get a few years left in it. I mainly got the 5450 so that they can hook it up to their HDTV that doesn't have a VGA port, just 2 HDMI, plus the added benefit of audio towards the TV. As for the 64bit OS, I thought that was common knowledge, lol. Though I have upgraded a 32bit system and it read all 4GBs of RAM, which I felt was odd, lol. For the most part, I'm not getting any of it 'brand new', so yeah, lol.

 

[PP Mguire]

A 32bit system can only read a max of like 3.25GB and the rest is allocated.

I already answered your board question with my second sentence. 1066FSB just means that the chip itself can natively handle DDR2 1066, but put in a board that only supports 800 means the max RAM speed you can use is 800mhz DDR2. So yes, you can put that in the board as it's also on their compatibility list.
If the board wasn't prebuilt I bet it could support other Core 2 chips such as a Q6600.

 

[DeathOfChaos]

A 32bit system can only read a max of like 3.25GB and the rest is allocated.

I already answered your board question with my second sentence. 1066FSB just means that the chip itself can natively handle DDR2 1066, but put in a board that only supports 800 means the max RAM speed you can use is 800mhz DDR2. So yes, you can put that in the board as it's also on their compatibility list.
If the board wasn't prebuilt I bet it could support other Core 2 chips such as a Q6600.

I know how much a 32bit system reads, doesn't change the fact that this one machine didn't, lol.

It was a pre-build bought through our internet provider after they upgraded to DSL back when it was a new, just wanting to make this old machine feel newer. I think I may stick with adding new RAM and leave it with the video card. If I do play games on it, it wont be state-of-the-art gaming, it'll be stuff like Sims, Spore, Terraria ect. It already plays those well enough to play, lol.

 

[PP Mguire]

By new, I meant if you are buying these parts new, you will probably be paying more than what they are currently worth. Computer parts depreciate pretty fast, and the C2D e6700 chip is circa 2006. I know for the price of new DDR2 you can get an 8GB kit of DDR3. That's kind of what I'm talking about.

 

[DeathOfChaos]

By new, I meant if you are buying these parts new, you will probably be paying more than what they are currently worth. Computer parts depreciate pretty fast, and the C2D e6700 chip is circa 2006. I know for the price of new DDR2 you can get an 8GB kit of DDR3. That's kind of what I'm talking about.

Alright. I knew that brand new the parts are pretty expensive brand new. I have PC2-6400 2x2GB modules bid up to $25 and the current id atm is $17.50 with a little over 2 days left. I'm quite sure the bids will most likley skyrocket near the last few hours, though, lol. Oh, and almost one a E6700 for $30, lost by 5 cents! Dx

 

[PP Mguire]

Ah I see, you're doin some Ebay. Yea I wouldn't pay over 50 bucks for the CPU or 40 for the RAM honestly.