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Thread ID: 34221	2003-06-07 12:29:00	What type of CPU and RAM will work with my computer?	ComputerWalrus (3973)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
150668	2003-06-07 12:29:00	Hey I've got a Compaq Presario 3200 that I got fairly cheaply in 2001, and it's running fine, however the RAM and CPU specs are a little too low for me so I was going to upgrade them both because the products are so cheap. I was just wondering if I need to use a specific brand of CPU and RAM for the computer. Regarding the CPU it has a 700mhz Celeron in there so does this mean I can just buy a faster Celeron and replace it, and it will fit in the computer? And for the RAM, it has two slots, both taken up by 64mb ones, giving it 128. I've found out the maximum for this type of computer is 512mb, so can I use two 256mb memory parts of any brand, or do I need to use a specific brand for my computer? Thanks :)	ComputerWalrus (3973)
150669	2003-06-07 13:26:00	You can just buy a new celeron and put it right in but you'll have to check it against the slot/socket type. As far as I know all celerons are socket 478. As for the ram you'll just have to check that you have the right type. eg. DDR, SD, DIMM. And Windows 98 can't handle more than 512MB of it.	hamstar (4)
150670	2003-06-07 13:52:00	i think they changed the specs of the celeron cpu a number of times in the past couple years so i dont know if its as simple as droping one with a higher clock speed straight in. And im not referring to the socket.	metla (154)
150671	2003-06-07 14:22:00	Hey Thanks Hamstar and Metla I should have mentioned before it's running windows ME, has a 700Mhz processor and is a 3200 series with 3BW310 as part of the name too. I looked through a heap of documents and it says SyncDRAM as the type of ram it has. Anyway I was actually asking more about the brand, eg would it only take one brand of ram? Kingston etc Seems like it is a fairly rare type of Presario which makes it tougher to know I guess.	ComputerWalrus (3973)
150672	2003-06-07 16:07:00	Ok after a few hours reading I understand what you mean with the sockets? Should I just get a new motherboard that's compatible with a 2-2.2 Celeron ? I would just buy a new PC but everything else seems to be working ok.	ComputerWalrus (3973)
150673	2003-06-07 21:03:00	Hi Walrus, Chances are your current Celeron would be a socket 370, which will go up to 1.2Ghz I think (if your motherboard can handle it) otherwise if you're wanting something faster a Celeron 2Ghz for example is socket 478 and would require a different motherboard. I would assume that any brand of RAM would work, however you'd need to check you were buying SDRAM and not the (now) more common DDR RAM, as these are different physical sizes and won't fit into the same slots (yours has SDRAM). If you do change your motherboard you'd also need to buy the DDR RAM. On top of all this, if you're buying a new CPU etc. you might end up needing to buy a new Power supply, as your current one is (at a guess) probably 200w and you'd need at 300w or more to run the much faster CPUs. If buying a new PSU you may as well just buy it with a new case as a PSU with or without a case is roughly the same price :) HTH Mike.	Mike (15)
150674	2003-06-08 00:18:00	>Windows 98 can't handle more than 512MB bollocks ;-) win9x/me will handle up to 2gig of ram, however seeing as the motherboard max's out a 512 it dosn't matter. to be able to get 512m ram in that pc you may need to use double sided and sometimes even registered ram. might be a safer bet to install 2x128. it will run quite well with 256. also with that motherboard try to get/use a p3 instead of the celeron. even at the same clock speed the p3 will be faster.(p3 are socket 370). check what the highest speed it can got to, but beware compaq are known not to be very upgrade friendly.	tweak'e (174)
150675	2003-06-08 02:42:00	>Windows 98 can't handle more than 512MB >bollocks >win9x/me will handle up to 2gig of ram OT, but: win9x will IF you do a bit of haxing... BUT what are the chances someone using 9x will EVER use more than 512? not very high. what are the chances that win9x will handle programs requiring that much ram? realistically, not very likely - sure they'll run, but not very well, and those programs will require stability, something 9x is not reknowned for. what are the chances that a user can run more than say... 3 simultaneous tasks on win9x without it crashing, let alone enough tasks to use more than 512meg of ram? not very likely. Basically its a futile waste of time configuring 9x to take more than the 512 it can only handle by default, because once your requirements get higher than 512meg, you should really be looking at a better OS like NT/2k/xp or Linux. (IMHO of course.. if you really really want to stick with 9x, be my guest) Back on topic - seeing as you want to upgrade, which will require opening up your computer, open it up now and take a look inside... if you pop the heatsink off the cpu (with the computer turned off of course) you'll notice the socket will be labelled with what socket type it is. If it says socket 370, then you can only use a socket 370 chip in there. This is a fairly hands on approach, but it'll get you accustomed to the interiors of your computer for when it comes time to upgrade. If you arent comfortable with this yet, or are just lazy, a program like wcpuid will tell you what socket you're running with As for the ram, any brand should be fine, but you'll probably want to stick with a reputable brand such as micron, crucial, corsair or siemens. I mean if you buy the ram new and it doesnt work, you can always return it for a refund ;) You might want to consider upgrading your OS to winXP at the same time though... it'll make much better use of that ram	whetu (237)
150676	2003-06-08 12:53:00	Hey thanks for the help everyone, especially Whetu for the wcpuid idea. Guess I'll have to shop around and see what I can get. A lot of effort just to play Delta Force-Black Hawk Down :)	ComputerWalrus (3973)
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