cpu
 

2 of my old pc's ( optiplex sx280 ) motherboard went out a while back, ( capacitors leaked ) since i am now retired from work i decided to look for something to do and decided to see if i can work on the pc's,i just ordered 2 motherboards..and also this is my way of learning how to build my own computer.and to keep me busy...the problem now is i kinda mixed the cpu's when i was putting the stuff away.. in other words i don't know which one goes to which now..i'm in the process of getting new cpu's..my question is since i'll be getting new motherboards does it matter what cpu goes to either pc's..my old cpu's were intel Pentum 4 with 800mhz fsb, hyper threading 1mb l2 cache or celeron d processor with 533mhz fsb 256k l2 cache..or can i just get any type of cpu and what will happened if i installed a wrong cpu..running wxp..any suggestions would be greatly appreciated..

Re: cpu
 

Billy I hope you are not getting in over your head. The two CPU's you have are not compatible with exactly the same boards. CPU's are not a component you mess with as they are highly sensitive to static electricity. Even if you had leaking capacitors that doesn't mean that the processors escaped damage.
Did you order these motherboards from Dell as in replacement parts or did you order them from somewhere else? If they are newer boards and not replacements then you will need to order newer CPU's too. You will need to know what type and range works for those boards.
This is why I always order new motherboards with cpus installed. I get what I know is compatible with the board and I don't have to worry about installing it wrong or damaging it.

Re: cpu
 

They are the same mothrboard i had to give them the part # .i didnt get them frm dell,i got from txacces.com, i didnt get the cpu's yet im thinking about bringing the motherboatd with me to the store when i buy the cpu's

Re: cpu
 

Were both boards the same part #? If so then it won't matter which CPU you put in which board. You could try the old processors first and see if they work. If they don't work then go buy new ones.

Re: cpu
 

motherboards has the same part #..got it from txcess for $89.00. ea..i didnt wanna buy new ones, just wanted to know if i can or i'll be able to build a comp. myself.. i found cpu's at StarMicroInc.com for $29.00.and they're the same cpu's i got .so if nothing works at least i didnt spend that much..got another quest. what is the worst that could happened besides not getting it to work, this won't create a fire right ?

Re: cpu
 

No, I don't think you will start a fire. :g The voltages used are only 5V or less, so it would be hard to cause it to burn.

Re: cpu
 

thanks Doug, just got home from compusa, i was gonna buy a cpu, they don't carry Pentium 4 anymore, i guessed i'm stucked ..hopefully these things i ordered ( 2 motherboards, and 2 cpu's )..all refurb. will work..if not, i kinda figure out how to build one.and i will try..so anyway thanks again..

Re: cpu got it fixed
 

just got done and fixed one of the pc's..i just replaced the old motherboard with a refurbished one, and i used one of the old cpu's and it's working fine now..i couldn't use the the other older cpu, since i wiped off the thermal grease on it, i just have to wait for the ones i ordered to come in..i'm thinking about upgrading these pc's with new hhd. and memory card.what is the posibility of upgrading it to a new os.( w7)?

Re: cpu got it fixed
 

The problem with that is some of the older hardware (including motherboards) are not compatible with Windows 7. Once you get it going with the existing XP(?) you can check on Microsoft's website and they have a compatability tool you can run or at least they used to.

Re: cpu
 

Thanks , i thought about and it i think i'll stay with my xp..i'm using one of the pc's right now and it's running like a charm..and it's faster too..i'll just upgrade the ram (2g-4g) and hhd.( 500g - 1tb ) after going through to all these i think i'm ready to build a computer myself..:)

Re: cpu
 

Windows XP will only see 3gb of the 4gb ram. And some of the comp gurus I know tell me a system will actually perform faster with 4 512mb (2gb) rather than 4 1gb modules (4gb) due to latency issues in the bigger modules.

Re: cpu
 

i just got the ultra ddr2 memory,2048mb pc2-6400 800 mhz, 4gb of ram..2x1024.( $42.00 ).my pc only has two slots..checked the compatibilty and i shoud be able to upgrade it to 4gb.(.by the way this memory will be installed on the other pc a soon as the other cpu comes in ).this pc im using now even with the 512g on ( i will be upgrading it to a 2gb) it it's running faster than before..well i had to removed some programs i dont need..this pc will be use mainly for doing some music editing and ie browsing ..having to replaced the motherboards, it opens a lot of possibilty for me to build a pc..but thanks for the info..

Re: cpu
 

got all the pc's working.upgraded the rams to 4gb..p4 2.8 cpu's fresh xp pro intalled..video memory to 3057..and it made a lot of diff..it's alot faster ..i'm happy.