For many PC owners, the issue of changing processor to make more efficient inevitably arises one day or another, this operation is called “CPU Upgrade”
But unfortunately, in the case of socket 775 motherboards, the processor/motherboard compatibility is not guaranteed by the mere observance of the socket!
Some make an effort and compare the system bus, the FSB: it is identical, it must be good …
Well no again, the compatibility is not assured.
There are indeed many other factors to take into account, obviously the socket is necessary but not sufficient.
The FSB is the same case, necessary but not sufficient.
So what does it take to be sure it will work?
It is quite complicated because other factors intervene to compatibility, primarily the chipset, but also the story of CPU power, mainly VRM: Voltage Regulator Module.
These compatibility conditions are numerous:
1) software: it is necessary that the instructions are given to understand chipset for the new processor, the solution is relatively simple, it incorporates it into a new BIOS;
2) Material: mainly the VRM of the CPU, if the card is not designed to power a new type of CPU, there is nothing to do, and no solution by updating the BIOS, since it is material.
As it is difficult to know all these factors, we must first before purchase, check the processor/motherboard compatibility on the manufacturer’s website for the motherboard: It will provide a complete list of compatible processors, and with what version of BIOS.
To give a concrete example, suppose we have a AsRock 4CoreDual-SATA2 motherboard,
This motherboard is already a bit old, although we find it always on sale, it has the distinction of having an AGP and a PCI-Express x16 (wired in x4 unfortunately).
Suppose we have bought it in 2006 with a Pentium 4: this processor is really slow today, it is suitable for the office or surfing the Web, but that’s about all …
It is therefore natural to want to change it after 3 years of loyal service.
To know which processors can be mounted on the AsRock, we first read the explanatory leaflet:
LGA 775 for Intel® Core™ 2 Quad* / Core™ 2 Extreme* / Core™ 2 Duo / Pentium® XE / Pentium® D / Pentium® Dual Core / Pentium® 4 / Celeron® / Celeron® D, supporting Quad Core Kentsfield processors
If you do not look further, and you buy an Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 for example, Quad Core recent and cheap, there is a disaster: the screen stays black …
Why? It’s very simple, Asrock 4CoreDual-SATA2 accepts many Core 2 Duo/Quad, but not all Core 2 Duo/Quad, and that’s the problem.
Asrock has a technical support very well done (this is normal, it’s Asus).
Typing the name 4CoreDual-SATA2 on the homepage of the online support, we obtain the specifications of this motherboard:
Specifications of the 4CoreDual-SATA2
By clicking “CPU Support List” in the choices at the top left, it gives a list of compatible CPUs, and with what version of BIOS:
Compatible CPUs with 4CoreDual-SATA2
We see that the old series of E4X00 and E6X00 and the Q6600 are accepted regardless of the BIOS (logic, these processors were released at about the time of the motherboard).
It is already difficult for E7X00, which are accepted with the latest BIOS, the P2.00 for E7200/7300 and P2.10 for E7400/7500.
But no possibilities for Core 2 Duo E8X00 and Core 2 Quad Q8X00 and Q9X00, not in the list:
It is certainly a material cause, as storeys power CPU not compatible, because if it was software that could be integrated into a new BIOS …
It is therefore imperative before any purchase of a processor, go check the list of compatible processors with your motherboard on the online technical support of the manufacturer of the motherboard.
It should be understood that this leaves little chance for owners of PC, the brands do not give such information, even if the motherboard is manufactured by a big name like Asus or Gigabyte or MSI, it is not referenced on the site of the manufacturer of the motherboard, because it is a manufacturing to a specific brand of PC …
It is noteworthy in the case of Asus, this manufacturer also provides a list of graphics cards compatible in the “VGA Support List” section or the RAM compatible with the “Memory QVL” section: although the causes of hardware incompatibilities are rare, it’s nice to have this information.
Tags: Buying Guides, How to, Peripherals, Processors, Tips and Tricks
