Will this work?

[Goatz]

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I have this old machine lying around I want to upgrade for a friend's kid:

HP Proliant ML115 G1 -

I was going to get these:


http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3322895&sku=C19-6032CPU

MEMORY

Will this work??

Is socket am2 compatible with am2+ ?
Bios update maybe?

Not really a "tech guy" so I'd appreciate letting me know if I'm
going in the wrong direction here.

Thanks a lot!

 

[stool]

First thing you'll have to do is go to HP Support and see what the upgrade path is for your Proliant. If you have a support number on the rig, that'll make things a lot easier.

 

[trents]

Theoretically, a socket AM2+ CPU is downwardly compatible with a socket AM2 but the motherboard would have to have bios or a bios update that would support the desired CPU upgrade. As stool said, check with HP. Those box store computers are real upgrade friendly, however, generally speaking.

 

[Goatz]

Thanks for the fast reply.
By "upgrade path" can i get that info here?

http://forums13.itrc.hp.com/service...47627+1307163556517+28353475&threadId=1257001

 

[boucher91]

http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsuppor...kId=130&prodTypeId=15351&prodSeriesId=3330535
look here

 

[Goatz]

Ok, according to this spec sheet I can do the following?

http://h18000.www1.hp.com/products/quickspecs/12704_div/12704_div.HTML#Options


With the mobo only able to run PC2 5300 @667 I can get a 2gb stick of that to put in slots 1 or 3 and I am assuming that I can leave the 2gb stick of PC2 6400 in slot 2 or 4 and take advantage of the extra 2gb of memoryof the 6400 but it will just run @667mhz - 5300 speed.?.?


As far as the procs go, the spec sheet only lists HP's options to be shipped with:

AMD Athlon Processor Model 3500+ (2.2 GHz) [THIS IS IN THE MACHINE]
AMD Opteron™ Processor Model 1220SE (2.8 GHz)
AMD Opteron Processor Model 1216 (2.4 GHz)
AMD Opteron Processor Model 1214 (2.2 GHz)
AMD Opteron Processor Model 1210 (1.8 GHz)

I now understand the HT issue with AM2+ and will not go that route..thank you.

But I guess to simplify this, if the mobo & bios on this machine
supports Athon 64 3500+ Socket AM2 would it be safe to assume
that another Athlon 64 AM2 socket proc, for example any of these

https://www.eio.com/c-722-cpus-processors.aspx?pagesize=12&sectionids=460&ViewType=2

(ignore the 2 Semprons) will work??








 

[trents]

Ok, according to this spec sheet I can do the following?

http://h18000.www1.hp.com/products/quickspecs/12704_div/12704_div.HTML#Options


With the mobo only able to run PC2 5300 @667 I can get a 2gb stick of that to put in slots 1 or 3 and I am assuming that I can leave the 2gb stick of PC2 6400 in slot 2 or 4 and take advantage of the extra 2gb of memoryof the 6400 but it will just run @667mhz - 5300 speed.?.?

Correct, the faster ram will downscale to the level of the slowest module. If you run an odd number of sticks however, you will take a performance hit because of running in single channel mode as opposed to dual channel.

As far as the procs go, the spec sheet only lists HP's options to be shipped with:

AMD Athlon Processor Model 3500+ (2.2 GHz) [THIS IS IN THE MACHINE]
AMD Opteron™ Processor Model 1220SE (2.8 GHz)
AMD Opteron Processor Model 1216 (2.4 GHz)
AMD Opteron Processor Model 1214 (2.2 GHz)
AMD Opteron Processor Model 1210 (1.8 GHz)

I now understand the HT issue with AM2+ and will not go that route..thank you.

AM2+ CPUs run at a stock HT Link speed of 1800 mhz, AM2 CPUs at only 1000 mhz. That can result in a significant performance penalty.

But I guess to simplify this, if the mobo & bios on this machine
supports Athon 64 3500+ Socket AM2 would it be safe to assume
that another Athlon 64 AM2 socket proc, for example any of these

https://www.eio.com/c-722-cpus-processors.aspx?pagesize=12&sectionids=460&ViewType=2

(ignore the 2 Semprons) will work??

I wouldn't make that assumption if I were you. Another issue is TDP (Thermal Design Power). Some of the CPUs you reference may draw more watts than the mobo is rated for.






 

[Goatz]

Thanks Trents. I didn't consider the power support issue. The one I am looking at is the 2.7 Ghz model. If the board is offered with support for the AMD Opteron™ Processor Model 1220SE (2.8 GHz) I would think I would be ok. Maybe?

 

[Maul555]

That socket should be compatible with all the AM2, 2+, and 3 processors. You might be able to throw a Phenom II x6 in there with just a bios upgrade... Performance penalty or not, it is physically compatible. I would be looking for a athlon II solution if I where you... A athlon II with a performance hit will still be better than a previous generation processor.

Also, I have, in the past, installed processors into motherboards that officially did not support it, and couldn't tell me what was plugged into it, but it worked just fine anyways... I haven't had the chance to do that to any of the latest generation of hardware yet, but If you can go thru new-egg or somewhere with a great return policy, it might be worth gambling on an unsupported processor just to see what happens.

In any case, your first step is to look for a new BIOS release for that specific board, and the "official" CPU support information contained in that update, or any of the subsequent releases between your current bios version, and the latest one you are looking to install. A lot of times, especially with older boards, the manufacturer will just stop updating the data on it, while at the same time processors keep being released that will work just fine, even if the documentation doesn't mention a word of it.


EDIT: The processor it has in there now has a TDP of 67W according to the interwebs... so from a safety perspective, you should be safe with any of the Athlon II X2 processors as they have a TDP of 65W. Those processors are also pretty cheap, and should provide quite a nice upgrade. And the current CPU cooler would be just fine, with no need to replace it. Although, if I had to hazard a guess, your board is probably ok with anything up to 95W TDP...

 

[Maul555]

I tried looking up the information from HP's website... They really dont give much more information on the motherboard than its part number, slot type, and memory info... But whats I can tell is that the motherboard will support a processor with a TDP of up to 125W... so that opens the doors to a lot of potential processors... It appears to be using a nForce Professional 3000 Series motherboard... So whatever comparable motherboards that use the same chipset are capable of, should also hold true for your motherboard.

 

[Goatz]

Wow, thanks for a the helpful info. You have made this really easy to figure out now.
I'm gonna go with a Athon 64 x2 6000+ cause the limited hyperthread issue with AM2 socket.

Thanks Again!

 

[theflyingrat]

That socket should be compatible with all the AM2, 2+, and 3 processors. You might be able to throw a Phenom II x6 in there with just a bios upgrade... Performance penalty or not, it is physically compatible.

I'd never bank on an AM2 motherboard being able to work with an AM2+ or AM3 CPU out of the box just because the processor fits. Especially an OEM motherboard. And I can nearly guarantee HP never bothered to update the microcode for the newer Phenom-derived processors. Dell didn't for dozens of their AM2 designs - I can't use Phenoms, Phenom IIs, Athlon IIs, or anything else with my OptiPlex 740s at work because of this. They physically will not operate those motherboards.

If an AM2+ or AM3 CPU works in this Proliant, I'd be surprised.

 

[trents]

Wow, thanks for a the helpful info. You have made this really easy to figure out now.
I'm gonna go with a Athon 64 x2 6000+ cause the limited hyperthread issue with AM2 socket.

Thanks Again!

That's a hot-running chip. Make sure you have a good heatsink/fan and good case ventilation.

 

[Goatz]

Yea I'm just gonna use the stock cooler...how bout this one? -

2.8GHz AMD Athlon 64 X2 5600+ Dual-Core 2000MHz 1MB x2 Socket AM2

 

[trents]

I'd go for the 6000+. You can always turn the frequency multiplier down and the cpu voltage (assuming your bios has these abilities) to make it run cooler and become the equivalent of a 5600+ or whatever. Besides, you might have enough cooling power anyway.