Processor Upgrade Question

[b1tchm4gn3t]

I am 100% sure of one thing....this is gonna be a dumb question. I have a hp Pavilion with a 2.0ghz celeron, 256 mb ram. I want to basically plug in fast speed with a processor upgrade and I have no idea on what to buy. I know I want to go with Intel but is there anything from stopping me from putting a p4 in this thing? Any help would be appreciated! Thank You.

[bladestorm]

Being an AMD guy I dont know much about Intel, but i'm pretty sure they make separate boards for Pentiums and Celerons? Whats the model of your board?

[b1tchm4gn3t]

where would I get that info at on this PC?

[bladestorm]

The model number of the board should be printed somewhere on the board itself. Since it is a manufactured computer, it would probably be best to contact HP for the answer.

[b1tchm4gn3t]

you are right...it is still under warranty... I will do that. Thank you for the advice

[bladestorm]

Your welcome.

[elmotheteapot]

If you can afford it buy another 256mb RAm stick, it will be worth it aswell as the processor. Because its a cely mobo unlikely dual channel will there, but you can still have two sticks.

[redwudz]

The model number and serial for motherboards is usually at the bottom of the board, right under the lowest PCI socket. The model # may also be somewhere in the middle of the board. Not sure if you can put a P4 on a Celeron board, and I think your Celeron is about as fast as they get. A better alternative may be to get a MicroATX size motherboard and replace your existng board. I have used them in the smaller HP cases. You may have to use a all in one board, depending on how much room you have for PCI or AGP slots on the back of case. A fast P4 may cost you a lot more than you want to spend, so consider an AMD if you want to save a few dollars.

[pixel]

I believe that P4 and Celerons are interchangeable, but if it is a made-for-celeron board you will only be able to put in a P4 with 400MHz FSB at the most, which is a waste of money to be honest.

The fastest celeron available I believe is 2.7GHz, so upgrading that will not justify the small speed increase.

The best idea is as redwudz says and look into getting a micro ATX/flex ATX motherboard and getting an AMD. That will give you a big power boost at a cheap price.