Considering Pentium D to Core 2 Duo upgrade

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doughboyea

New Member
Hi all,

Gotta first say that I am a total n00b when it comes to computers, so, if I say anything that seems rather obvious or ridiculous, I apologize.

I've been trying to figure out if I can upgrade my processor. I have a Dell XPS (Gen 5, I think) with a Pentium D @ 3.0Ghz w/2gig Ram. I believe that this XPS system has the LGA775 socket. I mainly do web surfing, word/excel, and statistical analysis. Sometimes watch movies, rarely games. I really do not want to change out my motherboard or any other hardware except the processor. I currently have Windows XP Media.

Would I notice a real difference if I went the Core 2 Duo route?
Could I even stick in a Core 2 Duo?
Would there be a limit to frequency?
Is it a simple swap?
They've been out for a while now, so, costs should be on the cheap side, no?

Am I missing any questions that a n00b should ask?

Thanks in advance,

Dough
 
i think the best C2D u could get is a E4500.
someone on this site went from a PD 3.4GHz to a E4500 an said he notist a speed increase
 
If your not gaming, then I wouldn't say it's worth it. I just bought an E6550, I had a pentium d 820, and I haven't noticed much difference. I would assume it is slightly faster starting up, but not enough to catch my attention. In games it definitely does help, but everything else I did the pentium d was totally fine.
 
Well, I have been noticing my PC running as if it were lacking speed. It does take quite a while to boot up, sometimes hanging (due to a harddrive connection issue). Other times, it takes a while for other programs to start up. And when running, again, on the slow side. Not alot, just something that annoys the hell out of me. And this is after a fresh re-install of the OS to rid any spyware and what not.
 
You need to check to make sure it's compatible. Just because your computer has an LGA775 socket doesn't mean it's compatible with the Core 2 Duo's.
 
But of course, that's why I'm asking for assistance in here. Again, my knowledge of such systems is limited and I do not wish to waste money or cause irrevitable damage to my otherwise working PC.

So, how can I tell if it is compatible?

Dough
 
Motherboard model name. Give us. =] If you don't know how to get that, the easiest way would probably be downloading a sys info app, like Pcwizard, everest, sisoft sandra, etc.

The lowest chipset that was able to accept a C2d was like a 975x. Your board will have to, at the least, meet this requirement.
 
Cool, ok, downloaded and installed the PCWizard application.

Motherboard: Dell 0GC375
Chipset: nVida nForce4 SLI X16 Intel Edition
 
That nvidia chipset is C2d compatible, but the board isn't, according to everything I've looked at. It hit EOL (end of life) very soon after it was released, Dell apparently released a C2d compatible line of boards (under the dell 700's) soon after that. Checking out Dell, most of what I could find were posts in the message board of peeved and disappointed owners who tried but couldn't upgrade to the core2.

Looking deeper, it seems certain (rare) revisions of that motherboard actually allowed C2d's, but the vast majority did not. :(
 
Interesting... so that's it eh. I pretty much have the CPU maxed out then. Well thank you all for the input. I guess I'll have to investigate another alternative.

Dough
 
Well, I have been noticing my PC running as if it were lacking speed. It does take quite a while to boot up, sometimes hanging (due to a harddrive connection issue).
Click to expand...

It could be the HDD that's causing the problems, then, rather than the CPU bottlenecking.

Bottom line: You have a good CPU at the worst (800-series), and a very decent one at the best (900-series). The D-series take a lot of unwarranted flak, they're great CPU's when you take a step back and look at them. If you have a D8xx, you may want to look into upgrading to a D9xx; slightly more efficient/cooler.
 
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