|
Donation/Premium |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
kgj
Trooper
Joined: May 25, 2006
Posts: 24
Location: USA
|
 Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 9:21 pm Post subject: CPU compatiblility |
|
|
please help! i have a dell inspiron 8000 which has recently started running slow. i am interested in swapping out the cpu. it is a P3 700 mHz processor. can i simply swap it out for another P3 processor, but faster (say 933 or 1000 mHz) processor with no problems?
i can't seem to find the pin configuration socket size. so i don't know if its 370? or if all mobile pentium 3's were the same socket size?
btw, i did the usual updating & running (several times) my a/v software, but it shows nothing; cleaned the drive from temporary & useless files, run dskchk; defrag; registry cleaning, etc. but it continues to run slower than it did just a few mos ago
|
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
Bill_Bright
General
Premium Member
Joined: Jan 16, 2004
Posts: 9046
Location: Nebraska, USA
|
| Posted: Fri May 02, 2008 3:44 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: | | continues to run slower than it did just a few mos ago |
What does that mean? Is it getting slower and slower progressively (regressively?)? Or Does it just run slower than it used to?
IMO (assuming your system is free of malware, heat trapping and performance robbing dust and dirt, your fans work and you have plenty of free disk space) unless you have already done so, you would be better off upgrading your RAM to 1Gb. I suspect the problem is, based on the CPU you have, that laptop came with very little (by today's standards) RAM, apparently as little as 128Mb, maybe 256Mb.
You could upgrade your CPU, but any you find will be expensive and/or very used. Generally, you get much more bang for your money when upgrading RAM. In the case of laptops and PCs using motherboards with on-board graphics, they are additionally hampered by the graphics system snagging a chunk of system RAM for graphics use - effectively robbing RAM from the OS and CPU.
This, in-turn, forces the OS and CPU to bang on the slooowwww hard drive's Page File even harder and if the free space is low, performance takes a bigger hit.
To make matters worse, because of badguys, we are forced to pile on more and more layers of resource hogging security defenses. Then to add insult to injury, the trend (greed!) in the anti-malware industry (which, BTW, has no incentive to rid the world of malware) seems to be "let's see how much fancy frills, whistles and other useless resource hogging bloat we can shove on the minions."  
Sorry. [soapbox mode - off]
My point is, the very nature of computing has changed such that our operating systems and CPUs need more resources (RAM) just to juggle the management of the OS itself, the hardware and all the necessary security tools (AS, AV, FW, etc.) that must be loaded - before you load up anything else, such as your browser, email, or Word.
A slow processor is still faster than the fastest hard drives so if the CPU and the OS have lots of fast temporary storage (RAM) to work with, they will not have to slow down and "wait" for needed data to be swapped out of virtual memory (the slow page file) all the time.
So, to answer your question, yes, you should be able to upgrade to a faster CPU, as long as your BIOS and motherboard support it. But, if you provide us some more information, such as amount of RAM, free disk space, list of programs that run at boot, version of Windows), then I am sure we can point you in a more cost effective (in terms of performance gains for amount spent) direction.
You might want to review the CastleCops MRP - just to make sure you have covered all the bases, in terms of clutter and malware.
_________________
 Bill, AFE7Ret
Freedom is NOT Free!
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
grsamf
1st Responder
Site Moderator
Joined: Oct 08, 2006
Posts: 1275
|
| Posted: Fri May 02, 2008 10:10 pm Post subject: |
|
|
In addition to Bill_Bright's suggestions regarding memory and the MRP, you might check to see how many services are running automatically that could be switched to manual or turned off completely. Resources used by unneeded services can slow the computer. Perhaps more importantly, some services set to run automatically can present some security issues. There are many guides for determining what services are needed, but one of the better ones can be found here.
_________________
How to be wise in two easy steps: 1) Think of something really stupid to say. 2) Don't say it.
The better I get to know my fellow lawyers, the more I love my dog.
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
|
You can post new topics in this forum
You can reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
You can attach files in this forum
You can download files in this forum
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001 phpBB Group
|
Forum FAQ
Search
Usergroups
Profile
Login to check your private messages
Login
