Advice Needed on Motherboard and Processor Upgrade.

[StoneCold]

Hello people, any advice you can give me would really be a help here.

I want to upgrade my processor, but after viewing the details about my motherboard, I am not sure what processor I can go for. The motherboard is Intel, so its going to be a Pentium 4. But as to what I can put on it, I am lost...

The motherboard details are on this site :

http://www.msi.com.tw/program/products/mainboard/mbd/pro_mbd_detail.php?UID=455

That is the exact motherboard I am using. I have a Pentium 4 2.8Ghz HT in there now, but I would like to go to something with L2 cache 2Mb, 3.2 - 3.6 Ghz. Anything in that range would do me fine.

Can you help me ? Thankyou if you can.

 

[Quintox]

Supports Intel® P4 Northwood/Prescott/P4 Extreme Edition processors.(PCB v1.1 only)
• FSB 400(Northwood only)/533/800MHz
• Supports up 3.2GHz and higher speed

Looks to me like you can upgrade, but I don't see anything with the L2 cache....I'm a little rusty on the L2 cache stuff, I don't understand what they do.

DON'T do anything until someone more knowledgable replies.

Hope something helped....lol

 

[StoneCold]

Thanks, thats a help, basically, I have a processor thats 478 Socket, but the newer P4's are 775 Socket, but I assume thats just the pins on the CPU, if I put a whole new unit in, it should work yes ?

I just assume the L2 Cache is a kinda buffer reader for the CPU.

Thanks for your help, the MSI website isnt very explanitory.

 

[bigstanklo]

That board definetly looks like a socket 478 board to me. In that case I'd probably go with this processor

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819116173

 

[Kilew]

Thanks, thats a help, basically, I have a processor thats 478 Socket, but the newer P4's are 775 Socket, but I assume thats just the pins on the CPU, if I put a whole new unit in, it should work yes ?

I just assume the L2 Cache is a kinda buffer reader for the CPU.

Thanks for your help, the MSI website isnt very explanitory.

A socket 775 CPU won't fit into a Socket 478 board.

 

[StoneCold]

Excellent, thats what I needed to know.

So how do I find out if my Motherboard IS 478 or 775 ?

The MSI website is not helping me, either way I have a CPU in mind.

Thanks to whoever told me about NewEgg, are they reliable ?

At 150 squid its a snip. I dont want a new motherboard, just want to max this out and then get a new PC.

 

[Kilew]

That motherboard is socket 478. Take a look here for the processor compatibility list:

http://www.msi.com.tw/program/products/mainboard/mbd/pro_mbd_cpu_support_detail.php?UID=455&kind=1

 

[StoneCold]

Thankyou for that, that was most useful.

I think I will go with an Extreme Edition, as they seem to be the highest I can go without changing my motherboard.

Thankyou all once again.

 

[GuitarFreak1857]

go for a L2 Cache of 1MB...