CPU upgrade for 370pin Intel Celeron

[RGalarza75]

I have been searching all over the internet for specific info on upgrading my CPU from a 600Mhz 370pin Celeron to 1.3Ghz Celeron. Here's my problem. I have my computer in a microATX case with the following configuration:

Windows 2000 Professional
Sony CD-RW 8xWrite/32xCD-ROM
EPO DVD-ROM 16xDVD/40xCD-ROM
Standard Floppy
AsusTek MEW-AV (4PCI, microATX board)
D-Link 10/100 ethernet card
V.90 Lucent WinModem
256Mb RAM
145W Power Supply PS3 microATX (Enlight EN-8146902)

I am concerned that my power supply is not sufficient to run the 1.3Ghz Celeron at 1.5V. Before I purchase the new Celeron, can anyone give me advice on whether or not this configuration will run smoothly on my current PS??? I have also done research and can only find a 200W microATX power supply to be the largest I can get currently. Any thoughts? I'd appreciate it greatly!

[saphalline]

Considering that your configuration has onboard video and sound, that helps a great deal in determining your power supply requirements. However, a Celeron 1.3GHz would require a bit more power, tho not as much as you'd think given the smaller micron process (0.13 vs 0.18/0.25 depending). I think moving up to a 200W power supply will work.

You forgot to check one thing, tho - whether or not your mobo will support the Tualatin procs!! I went to the Asus website and managed to get to your mobo's page - tried to look at the manual's .pdf file but no such luck right now (I hate MSN ). You might have better luck, or you might have the manual at home. Either way, the higher speed Celerons (800MHz and faster) generally need special support, which older mobo's may not provide. Sometimes it's as simple as a BIOS update, other times you're flat out of luck.

Good luck.

edit - couldn't get the link to work, here's the link to the full list of Asus mobos, just choose yours - http://download.asus.com.tw/mb_alllist.asp - if a window comes up asking you to DL the "traditional chinese" font, just click Cancel

[mjc]

Is this board an actual retail MEW?

If it is the HP version then you are most likely out of luck. For the retail version you still may be out of luck. And your power supply most likely will not cut it...

[RGalarza75]

I've been searching for that same info about my mobo supporting Tualatin processors. In fact, I can only find info about AsusTek MEW boards and not MEW-AV. I am not sure if they have the similar chip support. I believe that my board is an OEM mod of the MEW or similar, but I can't seem to find an exact match anywhere!!!

I may have to drop an email to AsusTek to find out... or maybe someone out there has had this question answered for them already??

By the way... thanks for the info about my PS. It will help me make my decision on purchasing the new Celeron

[RGalarza75]

Is this board an actual retail MEW? It was actually a board I took off an old Sony VAIO PCV-J100. I used this board because it was microATX form factor - and I really only needed a microATX case.

The question remains: will a 200W power supply be enough to support a new 1.3Ghz Celeron Tualatin Processor? I am unclear as to what "mjc" meant by ... "And your power supply most likely will not cut it..." Do you mean my current power supply of 145W? If so, I figured as much - too bad huh?

Hey "saphalline," what part of MN are you writing from?

[mjc]

No it will not (power supply).....the AV is the onboard AudioVideo version of the MEW.

As to the board being able to handle the 1.3GHZ, I am not very sure about that either...being a proprietary version (very likely, due to coming form a Sony) you may not have all the jumpers/BIOS options availabe for you to try. You may get it to run but you may not be able to get to full speed.

[RGalarza75]

Thanks mjc... so now the new question is:
1) what is the highest speed Intel CPU (370pin 100Mhz Bus) that you think I can upgrade to on my current system.
2) Also, what would be the highest speed Intel CPU (370pin 100Mhz Bus) if I upgraded my PS to 200W?

With this info, I pretty much will have an idea as to the limits of my current system. It runs pretty smooth now, as I said, but would be even sweeter if I could upgrade the processor. Thanks a bunch guys!

[saphalline]

If your current 145W power supply runs things fine, and you're just doing a CPU upgrade, I think a 200W power supply could handle up to 900MHz or 1GHz. You could try and get a Coppermine PIII at 1GHz, but those are truly expensive now! Whatever you get, make it a Celeron 'cause they're cheap enough that if you can't get it to full speed it won't have cost you too much.

The 900MHz and 1GHz versions of the Celeron are still the old Coppermine core architecture, so even though they run on a 100MHz bus they are more compatible than the Tualatin ones. This also means they still have the smallish 128KB of L2 cache (rather than 256KB for Tualatins) but better that than not working at all.

I'm about 15-20 minutes from the Mall of America.

[RGalarza75]

Hey, thanks alot guys... it looks like I may end up with a 1Ghz or 1.1Ghz Celeron with a 200W P/S. I don't want to mess with the possibility of an incompatible Tualatin processor on my motherboard. I may even invest in a second computer down the road - this time I'll be sure to select more carefully the components of my system. You guys have been a great help

saphalline, we are practically neighbors living in southern Twin Cities suburbs. Thanks a great deal especially for your extra effort!