Bottleneck-fried rice

[Krome]

I have been informed recently, that I cannot "OC" my PentiumII-400Mhz, due to my "mobo". I have a slot1 type CPU, I now want to upgrade to a PentiumIII-800Mhz, (or better) will my system be "bottlenecked"? My Compaq "mobo" was replaced 2 months ago(under warranty), so it should be fairly new.

[Placid]

The 800 should be alot faster than a p2 400.
Will the rest of your componets slow you down well to answer that would require knowing what they were.

[Krome]

ATI Rage Pro-AGP2X
Compaq Presario 56K
ESS 1869F
DVD Rom
256MB Kingston ValueRAM (pc133)
Compaq-mobo 686

[Placid]

Your video card will most likley be your weakest link.

[Krome]

I don't think its even a video card, its like a big chip that's on the mobo. I want to purchase a CPU first, after that I will get a video card, are video cards "plug and play"? Do I have to remove the "Rage Pro" chip from the mobo, or just disable it in hardware configuration? What is a good video card, I saw the Radeon @ Best Buy, and it says that its a TV tuner, is "internet TV" free, or do I have to subscribe to some kind of service? Thanks

[Placid]

Oem boards are sometimes very hard to work with for upgrading.
I do not know the answer about the onboard video so I will not try.
Maybe someone else will read this who can.
I think a video card with a tv tuner means you can hook your cable tv to the card and watch tv on your pc.

[funnyperson1]

i believe that if you want to upgrade your compaq motherboard you might have to get a special compaq upgrade processor, really the mobo will be holding you back, and the radeon is a really nice video card, the tv tuner i believe picks up normal tv, and sends it to your computer...

[funnyperson1]

note: the compaq upgrade cpu will be a lot more expensive...i really suggest getting a new mobo

[outhouse]

Heres the thing, if you upgrade to a different CPU with your current MB there is a good chance you will fry your CPU, your CV [core voltage to youy CPU] is going to be different and if its for a P2 and the the P2's is high when you plop in a P3 there's a good chance that the high CV may fry your new CPU also you will need to be looking at a new HSF [heatsinkfan] since we know a P2's wont work.

I think your best bet at this time is to keep what you have and then save up for good PC you can build yourself with good parts. but thats just my 2 cents.

[Zuck Gou :)]

Yea I'd buy a mobo first. Maybe a used Slot 1(i.e P3B-F) if your strapped for cash and use that P2 till you can get the cash for a new processor.

[dugans]

Don't bother trying to upgrade an OEM mobo! OEM pc's don't like hardware changes much less cpus.

Onboard video is definitely a weak link: basically they are a cheap way to get video, but sometimes you can't get it to disable correctly and are stuck with it. They also use system memory instead of dedicated video memory so you lose some system memory.

In essence, build yourself a PC!

Get a mobo and cpu, and go from there my friend; you'll be glad you did!

[Krome]

If I do get a mobo/CPU, will it fit in my compaq tower?

If I upgrade, my bud wants to buy my mobo/cpu, will it fit in his Hewlett Packard Tower?

I guess the question is... are these mobo's universal?

Oh my gosh...I'm craving spam-fried rice!

[TUK101]

Get a new mobo, there is probably no adjustment in the bios, nor even a jumper to set the fsb with. Even if there was, that video card wouldnt let you OC much anyways. I had an Emachines that was the same way, no adjustments could be made to OC with. So if you are lucky you might be able to just buy a new board, if not yu will be shopping for a new case, mobo, and power supply. Good luck and i have fealt your pain up till only about 6 months ago when i went through the same problems as you are now.

[TUK101]

Originally posted by TUK101
Get a new mobo, there is probably no adjustment in the bios, nor even a jumper to set the fsb with. Even if there was, that video card wouldnt let you OC much anyways. I had an Emachines that was the same way, no adjustments could be made to OC with. So if you are lucky you might be able to just buy a new board, if not yu will be shopping for a new case, mobo, and power supply. Good luck and i have fealt your pain up till only about 6 months ago when i went through the same problems as you are now. By the way, the power supply in that case probably isnt large enough to do much more upgrading or OC'ing anyhow, so I would sell that comp and start from scratch if at all possible.

[cyberey66]

you could try a celeron and a slocket. They're cheap, multipliered and a 600 can be OC'ed to 900 with jumpers on the slocket. No settings on the board should need to be changed.