Processor Upgrade

Question

Hi everyone,

I have a 3 year old Dell Inspiron 3800 which has a Pentium III 600Mhz. I am considering to upgrade the processor to a Pentium III 750 or 800 Mhz, which ever i can find. Would i see a big difference in speed, i only plan to continue using my machine for non gaming purposes. Secondly how can i remove the processor from the motherboard, i gather that there is instructions for re-seating the CPU, where can these be found on the Dell website? Finally will my current motherboard and cooling system cope, i have learnt that the i3800 was built up to 850Mhz.

Thanks very much in advanced,

Steve

spiked_martini · Answer

Instructions on removing & replacing here:

I would imagine that if the 3800 went up to 850, then using 750 or 800 in it wouldn't be a problem. I don't have enough experience with this to offer a definitive opinion, though.

Best of luck!

ejn63 · Answer

Your system uses an MMC-2 cartridge CPU. These were built up to 850 MHz, but volume production ceased with the 750s - the 800 and 850 are fairly rare and as a result, expensive used - figure on $300+ for one at auction. They have not been made for a couple of years, so the used market is tight - you can try EBay or similar.

Although there is a plentiful supply of desktop P3s, the MMC-2 800 and 850s are far more constrained in availability. I doubt you'll find a 200-250 MHz jump worth the $300+ the new CPU will cost, but if you do, it's a straightforward replacement job - suppor.dell.com (use your service tag) will have complete disassembly/replacement instructions.

DeJimbo · Answer

if you're using regular apps, keep the pIII 600 and get a new hard drive that is 5400 or 7200rpm.  that will speed you up way more for all applications.

DAVIDINNC · Answer

I agree..... I think you would likely benefit more from a faster hard drive, and/or more memory perhaps, and not really notice much value versus cost benefit with upgrading the processor.

chaistt · Answer

Hi there everyone, Thanks for your suggestions, as far as hard drives go, ATA-100 2.5inch size is correct right? Thanks Steve

chaistt · Answer

Hi there, Thanks for

chaistt · Answer

Hi there, Thanks for everyones

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Processor Upgrade

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