What are my CPU Upgrade options?

[tommer]

Hi there and thanks for helping. I'm really sorry that this ended up being such a long text but I'm such a noob with this stuff

I'm interested in upgrading the CPU of my PC and I've researched around but I'm still a little foggy and I'm hoping somebody can help.

My computer is a Fujitsu Siemens Celsius M450

Right click My PC > Properties dictates that my CPU is an Intel(R) Core(TM)2 CPU 6600 @2.40Ghz 2.40Ghz

I googled around and couldn't find a CPU like this however I found a CPU on the Intel site called a Core 2 Duo E6600 and it also has a 2.4 Ghz Processor.. Is this the same CPU just named slightly differently? Sorry if I'm being stupid here

I read somewhere a while ago that there were two important things for choosing a CPU and that was the socket type and the maximum FSB (I've no idea what that is..) ..

The E6600 I mentioned that I found earlier said it had support for a "PLGA775" Socket. If this CPU is the same as my 6600 does that mean that my pc is a PLGA775 Socket?

The same E6600 also says that it has a maximum FSB Speed of 1066 MHz. Does this mean this is the FSB Speed of my PC? Or is it possible my PC has a higher maximum FSB that it supports?

I know it is very hard to find the page that has my computer documents so here is how you find these documents - I wanted to give you the direct link but it would lead you to a different page unless you had my PC's cookies

1 go to Technical Support pages from Fujitsu
2 Drivers/Downloads for computing
3 Search product model Celsius M450

I'm sorry if those instructions aren't 100% accurate was a long time since I searched.

I had a look in my BIOS - It's a Phoenix BIOS and I pressed F1 for Info and I read this and it looked important so I am putting it here incase it helps you to help me

"
CPU Type : Intel(R) Core(TM)2 CPU 6600 @ *
CPU/FSB Freq : 2400/1067MHz
CPU Tech Info: 2 x EM64T Core
Cache L1/L2/L3: 32k/4096k/- per CPU Core
Stepping/Patch ID: 6.F.6/00C6
"

*((this part got cut off from my camera but i think it just said 2.4Ghz))

I don't know if this means my maximum FSB is 2400 or something but maybe somebody else knows what all these things mean.

I have some software called HWiNFO64 which says my Motherboard Chipset is a Intel 975X (Glenwood-DG) + ICH7R
And my Socket is a LGA775 (FC-LGA6) and TDP 65 W

I don't know if any of this helps. Please tell me if there is any other info's I can give you that will help you with my question


========

Anyway, what I really want to know is, what are my upgrade options for this PC if you know enough about it's spec now to tell me? I am really interested to know.

I was thinking about getting a Core 2 Quad machine because it said a 775 Socket and says the same FSB speed but I don't know if this means anything really.

I will check back on this thread during the week to reply to comments and questions thanks so much for helping again!!

 

[Fat.Clown]

you can download a program called CPU-Z which will give you more information on the CPU and motherboard.

if your CPU is indeed a Core 2 Duo E6600 CPU, you can probably upgrade to a Core 2 Quad Q6600 or Q6700. Which will give you 2 extra cores.

Try to find out if your motherboard supports the newer Core 2 Quads Q9xxx series made with the 45nm process though. They are overall 10% faster than the Q6xxx series.

On a side note, for what reason are you looking to upgrade your CPU? depending on the task, a CPU upgrade may not even be what you are looking for.

 

[PP Mguire]

975 chipset should support Yorkfield and Wolfdale CPUs. The problem is finding and buying.

As was asked, what are your tasks?

 

[Fat.Clown]

975 chipset should support Yorkfield and Wolfdale CPUs. The problem is finding and buying.

As was asked, what are your tasks?

I don't know about that. My old P5WDH didn't support 45nm CPUs without a BIOS update.

 

[PP Mguire]

I don't know about that. My old P5WDH didn't support 45nm CPUs without a BIOS update.

Still supported them
Just required a bios update. Depending on when this workstation was released will depict whether or not he will need a bios update. Considering the rarity of these CPUs and the cost associated I don't think it's a very wise move to even use a C2Q personally.

 

[Fat.Clown]

Still supported them
Just required a bios update. Depending on when this workstation was released will depict whether or not he will need a bios update. Considering the rarity of these CPUs and the cost associated I don't think it's a very wise move to even use a C2Q personally.

yeah, but not every manufacture is keen on releasing BIOs updates. especially these OEM boards made for big brand pre-builts. I thought about the costs too, but I didn't bring it up. Ultimately because I wanted to see if CPU is the area that's lacking first. and then there is the costs of upgrading to DDR3 memory, new OS license, new CPU, and motherboard. it really starts to add up.

 

[PP Mguire]

The bios update problem is kind of on par why I said probably not wise anyways. The rig is pretty old. According to some Google the rig came with 2GB of DDR2 and a Quadro.

 

[tommer]

Hi there and Thankyou for responding

I can confirm that my PC is indeed an E6600 Intel Core 2 Duo.

I'm not too sure where I can find out information about this 45nm process majiggy. Honestly I've been searching all day and can't find anything about it so I'm going to take a guess and say my PC does not support it.

Judging by records I could find on the Internet WayBack machine (Yes I had to use an internet archive to find my PC!) It dates back to around 2006 when Fujitsu Siemens still existed hehehe.

The reason I wanted an upgrade is because some applications I run, are what the developer described as "Core heavy" and others also have recommended requirements of a dual core with 2.8ghz whilst i've a 2.4.. Really sometimes alot of my games are fluctuating between 95% cpu usage and 100% and I think a small boost in cpu frequency would be enough to keep them stable and the extra cores would also help on the certain applications i'm using that benefit from them.

Alot of the stuff I do is CPU heavy and often i'm hitting 99% on both cores. I have 4GB's of RAM and have yet to run out when running applications. My PC is equipped with an Nvidea GeForce 8800GT and so far this graphics card doesn't seem to give me any problems.

I know to you guys my build is old and I might aswell buy a new PC but this I cannot afford at the moment and not for a long while in the future, also I've only just a few months escaped from a Dell equipped with Pentium 4 *shudder* Yeah it's abit of a tight budget atm hehe, full time college student in a family where money is sparse

 

[PP Mguire]

For gaming you will only get a slight increase performance even if you went quad. The GPU is really holding back there. Depending on what actual apps you run could grand you a 10-50% increase in performance by going with a Q6600.

The 45nm chips are the E8*** Core 2 Duo CPUs and Q9*** Core 2 Quad. They are the tick Intel cycle so basically a smaller quicker refresh of the original Core 2 lineup. We were discussing board support and since your board probably came out in 2006 I doubt you will be able to support these chips.

You will need to find this CPU somewhere online that will ship to your location.
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Slacr 2 4GHz 8M 1066 LGA775 Desktop CPU 0675900857117 | eBay

It is the best possible upgrade option for you right now.

 

[tommer]

Thankyou

With the GPU, I understand this is getting quite old itself. Could you recommend for me something that would 'compliment' the core 2 duo setup I have now? IE Something that has enough power to work it's best with the CPU, not something that is overpowered and designed for faster CPU's as I'm on a bit of a budget and just want to optimize things