CPU-Z

how do I know which chipset I have? CPU Z says P35/G33/G31....
So how do I nail it down?

On the "Mainboard" tab, there should be all of your motherboard info. You could look in the model number for 31/33/35, companies sometimes use the chipset in the model number.

You could google or search the manufacturer's website for the model number. Then, look through the specs.

Which board do you have? Google it. Or look at the box if you still have it, or look at the product page on the manufacturer's website.
It may also be silk screened on to the mobo somewhere.

Am I understanding your question right? You want to know which chipset your board uses?

EDIT: looks like Matt beat me to it while I was posting.

If you look at the system info...In WP, Start>all programs>Accessories> system tools> system information, you should get an idea as to what chipset you have..usualy the mobo's name or ID says the chipset...Take mine for example..I have the GA-P35C-DS3R...this one is easy..GA stands for Gigibyte, P35C is the chipset and the DS3R is the model. Not all naming schemes are equal though, and yours might be more cryptic than mine.
If you are really brave, you can power down your system and remove the chipset h.s. and have a looksee what it says....just remember to put the h.s. back b4 powering up the system.
Doc

Edit: OOPS! that should read XP not WP

Intel Chipset Identification Utility
http://www.intel.com/support/chipsets/inf/sb/CS-009266.htm

Duh! I completely forgot about that one Redduc.
Remember the old Intel cpu id utility that would give you a warning that your cpu was overclocked?
: Intel Pentium III...Expected frequency 700 mhz: Actual frequency 1129mhz
"Your cpu appears to be overclocked!"
I still get a chuckle over that one.

Thanks for the great info. The system info app has a lot of info. CPU ID also is a great resource. But the best is Redduc900 Intel application.

As best system info and CPUz can do, they tell me that I have a G33/G31/P35/P31 Express chipset but the Intel app narrowed it down to G33/G31.

Now I know what to look for.

Again, thanks to all who helped

What is your motherboard's exact model? It usually says on the motherboard face.

mayagrafix said:

Thanks for the great info. The system info app has a lot of info. CPU ID also is a great resource. But the best is Redduc900 Intel application.

As best system info and CPUz can do, they tell me that I have a G33/G31/P35/P31 Express chipset but the Intel app narrowed it down to G33/G31.

Now I know what to look for.

Again, thanks to all who helped

Click to expand...

So what is it? A G31 or a G33? lol.
Please tell us what board you have.

what ICH(I/O controller hub) do you have? if it says ICH7,ICH7R,ICH7DH or any other ICH7 its a G31. if it says ICH9, ICH9R,ICH9DH or any other ICH9 its a G33. thats how i narrowed mine down. i have a G33. later i noticed right on my mobo it said FOXCONN G33MO2 all caps.

Good point. Its a ICH9, so that makes it a G33. I'm asking cause I want to upgrade the CPU and the chipset seems to be the deciding factor. Thanks for the info amigos

I have the same mobo as 2xNehalemx2 although in its Dell incarnation: ORY007 equals G33MO2. What a coincidence!

the g33mo2 cant support quads....it sux for me because i was JUST about to get a q9550 but then i saw that. uf your mobo says g33mo3 or g33mo4 it does support quads because it has 9 voltage regulators instead of the g33mo2 which mas 6. i HATE dell for doing that. at the same time i bought this computer they were seling the SAME one with the g33mo3 IF YOU BOUGHT IT WITH A QUAD. GRRRRRRR.

EDIT: i have the dell inspiron 530s just to let ya know. does your mobo say ICH9R? i used the chipset identification utilitly and mine did( the R at the end stands for RAID)

Great info. I too wanted to upgrade to a Q6600 as an upgrade path and found a dead end street. The Dell mobo part # 0FM586 which also comes in Inspiron 530 model does support a Duo Quad chip (Q9900).

The good news is that the G33 chipset has support for 45nm chips (the E2160 on mine is 65nm) so there's a bit of more options available.

Mine is the midtower Inspiron 530 with ORY007. I got it after my old rig went kaput and I needed a new PC with almost zero budget. So spending 50 dlls or less on a faster chip with more L2 cache seemed like a good way to upgrade, because Dells are notorious for locked overclocking.

The Q6600 seemed like a good fit because it was almost identical to the E2160 except for the number of cores and the FSB. And they are a couple of years old now, so pretty cheap too!

Too bad the mobo wont handle it cause it lacks a couple of voltage regulators....

Thanks for your input and let me know if you upgrade successfully