Re:
Hello,
What motherboard does he currently have, and what specific processor? If your thinking of jumping from a 400Mhz CPU to 450Mhz CPU, why not got higher?
Slotket / slocket adapters can provide an effectively cheap upgrade providing you've ensured that there is complete compatibility. I've upgraded my brother's Intel AL440LX 66Mhz FSB Motherboard from a Pentium II 233Mhz to an Intel Celeron 466Mhz CPU using a Slot 1 to Socket 370 Slotket Adaptor, and it works perfectly. But unfortunately, due to the restriction of 66Mhz FSB, and BIOS compatiblity, theoretically the only highest speed CPU compatible would have been an Intel Celeron 533Mhz 66 FSB for his system.
Really, the FSB and BIOS will determine the highest speed CPU which will be compatible. What FSB is the motherboard running at? I think Nitestick is correct in saying that you can only go so high. This is likely because, most old motherboard around the Pentium II era can only operate at 66Mhz. So theoretically you can only go as high as the Intel Celeron 533Mhz 66 FSB CPU. Late Celeron 2 Processors and early Pentium III processors operate at 100Mhz FSB. So if you want to convert to a PIII processor, it's vital that you ensure that your motherboard can run at speeds of 100Mhz FSB, and not just support underclocked 100Mhz FSB processors.
If your motherboard does only support 66Mhz FSB processors and you use a slotket adaptor to jump to a Pentium III 800Mhz 100 FSB processor for example, then your motherboard would underclock the PIII processor to 66Mhz FSB, and when multiplied by the multiplier to get the overall speed (8 X 66Mhz), the PIII 800Mhz CPU would only effectively operate at 528Mhz. It is critical that you ensure that your motherboard can operate at speeds of 100Mhz before jumping to an Intel Celeron 2 or Pentium III CPU.
Your BIOS is another factor. Unless you can bring up ye olde technical specificatons or do some thorough research, then trial and error will probably be the only way of discovering success, or failure.
With the correct slotket adaptors, you should be able to achieve the following speeds, depending on your motherboard's highest operating FSB and BIOS support:
If your motherboard runs at 66Mhz FSB, then theoretically you can convert to the following Intel Celeron Socket 370 / PPGA processors using a Slot 1 to Socket 370 / PPGA converter:
- Intel Celeron 533 Mhz
- Intel Celeron 566 Mhz
- Intel Celeron 600 Mhz
- Intel Celeron 633 Mhz
- Intel Celeron 667 Mhz
- Intel Celeron 700 Mhz
- Intel Celeron 733 Mhz
- Intel Celeron 766 Mhz
The Intel Celeron 766Mhz is as high as you can go on a 66Mhz FSB motherboard. The Intel Celeron 800Mhz is the first to use a 100Mhz FSB, so there would be no point of going any higher as your system would be underclocked- which wouldn't be cost effective.
If your motherboard runs at 100Mhz FSB, then theoretically you can convert to the following Intel Celeron or Pentium III FC-PGA processors using a Slot 1 to FC-PGA converter:
- Any Intel Celeron FC-PGA Processor at 100Mhz FSB.
- Any Intel Pentium II FC-PGA Processor at 100Mhz FSB.