[Therage79]

Hi there, I know you must get loads of these requests..but Im looking for some assistance
I'm looking to upgrade my PC, and want to add a dual core processor to replace my P4.
I don't really want to replace my whole MB, so want to know if the one I have is compatible with the new Intel Core2Duo's e.g E6700 or something similar.
I know it is a socket 775 MB which will accept the C2D processors, but I understand there is more to it than that.
According to Everest my MB is as follows:

Motherboard Properties:
Motherboard ID 01/27/2005-Grantsdale-6A79DM4IC-00
Motherboard Name MSI MS-7091 (Medion OEM)

Front Side Bus Properties:
Bus Type Intel NetBurst
Bus Width 64-bit
Real Clock 200 MHz (QDR)
Effective Clock 800 MHz
Bandwidth 6400 MB/s

Memory Bus Properties:
Bus Type Dual DDR SDRAM
Bus Width 128-bit
Real Clock 200 MHz (DDR)
Effective Clock 400 MHz
Bandwidth 6400 MB/s

Chipset Bus Properties:
Bus Type Intel Direct Media Interface

Motherboard Manufacturer:
Company Name Micro-Star International
Product Information MSI -- MICRO-STAR INT'L CO.,LTD.
BIOS Download MSI -- MICRO-STAR INT'L CO.,LTD.


--------[ Chipset ]-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[ North Bridge: Intel Grantsdale i915P ]

North Bridge Properties:
North Bridge Intel Grantsdale i915P
Revision / Stepping 04 / B1
Package Type 1210 Pin FC-BGA
Package Size 3.75 cm x 3.75 cm
Core Voltage 1.5 V
In-Order Queue Depth 12

Memory Controller:
Type Dual Channel (128-bit)
Active Mode Dual Channel (128-bit)

Memory Timings:
CAS Latency (CL) 3T
RAS To CAS Delay (tRCD) 3T
RAS Precharge (tRP) 3T
RAS Active Time (tRAS) 8T

Error Correction:
ECC Not Supported
ChipKill ECC Not Supported
RAID Not Supported
ECC Scrubbing Not Supported

Memory Slots:
DRAM Slot #1 512 MB (PC3200 DDR SDRAM)
DRAM Slot #2 512 MB (PC3200 DDR SDRAM)

PCI Express Controller:
PCI-E x16 port #2 In Use @ x16 (NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GT [NoDB])

Chipset Manufacturer:
Company Name Intel Corporation
Product Information http://www.intel.com/products/browse/chipsets.htm
Driver Download Support for Intel® Chipsets

[ South Bridge: Intel 82801FB ICH6 ]

South Bridge Properties:
South Bridge Intel 82801FB ICH6
Revision / Stepping D3 / B1
Package Type 609 Pin mBGA
Package Size 3.1 cm x 3.1 cm
Core Voltage 1.5 V

High Definition Audio:
Audio Controller Type Intel 82801FB(M) ICH6
Codec Name Unknown
Codec ID FFFFFFFFh
Codec Revision FFFFFFFFh

PCI Express Controller:
PCI-E x1 port #1 Empty

Chipset Manufacturer:
Company Name Intel Corporation
Product Information http://www.intel.com/products/browse/chipsets.htm
Driver Download Support for Intel® Chipsets


I can provide more info if required.
Would anybody be kind enough to tell me if I can just swap the processor or if it will be more difficult.

Many Thanks
Paul

[Therage79]

Does anyone have any thoughts on this? I really want to upgrade but dont want to buy a CPU that isn't compatible.

I know my MB has the correct socket, but I thought there were other variables as well that needed to match. Unfortunately my knowledge is fairly limited (hence the reason for not wanting to change the MB in the first place).

Any thoughts?

[CP-PC]

from what i can find on msi's website none of the i915p chipsets support core 2 duo processors,
according to msi's website none of the i915p chipsets support high end p4's either (intel pentium 4 630 and above depending on motherboard)

so what processor have you got now??

you may be able to get get an old p4 dual core but not an intel core 2 or quad core processor.

yes yours is a socket 775 which is the same as what the new procesors need but you need the motherboard to support the processors aswell its not just a case of same socket so it must fit as you pointed out.

i cant find your exact motherboard but what processor have you got currently?

[Therage79]

Hi thanks for the response, it is disappointing although there is an air of inevitability about it lol!

Currenty my CPU is (I think) a P4 540 (with HT) 3.20GHz, so its pretty high end for a P4 already (again I think). Im really looking for a C2D upgrade to support a Blu ray drive etc!

How much more difficult is it changing the MB as well?..Surely there are now many more variables to consider...

Will changing the MB have a knock on effect on all the other components, meaning a entire re-build is likely?

And here was me thinking i'd be able to pull out one CPU and plug in another lol!!

[NightshadowUK]

From the looks of it if you upgraded to a C2D S775 board (on top of the CPU) you'd just have to buy new RAM but DDR2 is dirt cheap these days anyway:

- 2GB Corsair TwinX XMS2 DDR2 PC2-6400 ~ £26.60

[CP-PC]

if you have a look on scan.co.uk you can get an asrock 4coredual
its quite a good board actually. it supports AGP and PCI-E graphics cards
it also supports DDR1 and DDR2 RAM which means you can keep your current ram as its ddr1
it also supports all the core 2 duo's and quad cores up to 1066mhz fsb so you can even have a q6600

the motherboard is only about £42 and it means you can keep EVERYTHING you currently have..... even your current P4
so if you cant afford it you can upgrade the motherboard and use all your current stuff. then save up and get a new processor later.

your current processor should be able to run 720p HD movies but may struggle a bit with 1080p video's a core 2 duo at about 2ghz or faster will easily be able to handle 1080p video decoding as your graphics card does not support accelerated decoding. imo its not dificult to change a motherboard (but then again i am an advanced pc builder) its pretty much a case of plugging things in the right place. and things generaly only fit in one place in one orientation anyway. plus you have the advantage of having your current pc to get a good idea of how its all plugged together already.

if your looking to do this on the "cheap" then that asrock motherboard i showed would be a good choise along with one of the intel pentium e2200 range processors they can be had quite cheaply now.

newer graphics cards support "accelerated" video decoding which takes the strain off the processor. but the graphics cards only support a limited amount of file formats. if your just playing shop brought dvd's then keep your current system and just upgrade your graphics card. if your going to be watching files from your hard drive or downloads then a better processor would be better. hope that helps

[HellRazer]

Unfortunately you can not use a Core2Duo based CPU with that motherboard, however it is possible to use a Pentium D CPU if that helps.

[CP-PC]

Originally Posted by HellRazer

Unfortunately you can not use a Core2Duo based CPU with that motherboard, however it is possible to use a Pentium D CPU if that helps.

this has already been said in a previous post mate but thanks for the input

[Therage79]

Thanks for the input guys (especially CP-PC), very informative.

I kind of thought I would need to upgrade the MB, was just hoping I didnt!

One question on your feedback though CP-PC, you mentioned the likelyhood of my current CPU playing HD either 720p or 1080P. Is this different when comparing a downloaded WMV file, against say a blu ray disk?

The reason I ask is that my machine will currently play (downloaded) files in excess of 720p already with 5.1 audio with no stutter. Is this an accurate reflection of how well an actual blu ray disk would play if I was to just swap the optical drive over initially?

The minimum spec (according to Cyberlink) for blu ray playback is less than I have currently (P4 541 compared to my P4 640), however I asssumed this would result in choppy playback.

As you can see im trying to do this on a budget (new baby etc. and a wife who really doesnt 'see the benefit') and being as I would need the blu ray/HDDVD combo drive anyway, is it worth just getting that first and trying it with my current set up?

Sorry if this is getting long winded, but I have another question too? lol

Regarding 5.1 audio, I have onboard sound with analogue outs, but only 3 jacks (1 for fronts, 1 for rears & 1 for centre/sub), this is different to the usual 5 discrete analogue outs you would see on say a dvd/blu ray player.

It requires a 3.5mm jack to phono (r&l) lead, is this the usual set up for PC analogue sound, or do better 'offboard' sound cards actually come with 5 seperate outs? And is there actually a difference?

I do have an optical/coax digital out, but I struggled to get 5.1 out the other night via this (optical), only stereo, which wasn't even downmixed, it just removed the centre (dialogue), sub and rear channels!

Anyway..sorry for the long post..thanks again!

Paul

[Therage79]

Help me CP-PC, you're my only hope! lol

[bignelson]

£35.00 you can upgrade mobo and add a stick of fast ram