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CPU Upgrade

Computer CPU Upgrade Help & Information

You want to perform a CPU upgrade, but you're afraid that you will screw something up. There is always help for hire, but who wants to spend money on something that can be done by you in just 15 minutes. If you let me take you by the hand through the buying and installing process, you will save time and money and gain experience doing it. Plus I will tell you the precautions that you need to take to make sure you don't ruin your new CPU. So let's get started shall we.

First, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) is what process's your computer information. If you have a slow CPU, then you will have a slow computer. Upgrading your CPU is a great, cheap way to get a couple more years of life out of your PC.

Before we begin, you should know that upgrading your CPU is somewhat a challenging task, and you should take the most care when doing it. If you don't, you could ruin the motherboard and/or your new CPU.



Buying the Correct CPU

This sounds easy but it's not, especially for the computer illiterate. First of all you can't assume your motherboard will be able to support the latest CPU technology and speeds. If your computer is about 1 to 2 years old, then most likely it will be able to support newer CPU's. But if it is any older then that, it is questionable whether it will support the new CPU you want.

The reason is because new faster technology is developed all the time, and the socket types and sizes are steadily changing. That is why you should try to read your motherboard or computer's manual before buying your new CPU, and find out the exact type of CPU you can buy. It should say in either one of those manuals what slot type it is. You could also do a search on the net for your motherboard type and CPU specifications for it.

Another way of finding out your CPU socket type is to remove your CPU's heat sink, then remove the CPU by lifting the locking lever, and on the right side it should have that information engraved on the plastic molding that surrounds your CPU. For more information on removing your old CPU, read the " How to Install your new CPU " section below.

Socket Types

Okay, so what are the different socket types available on the market? Below is a list of the current socket types for CPU's and what CPU's use them.

  • Slot A - AMD Athlon
  • Slot 1 - Intel Pentium II/III
  • Socket 7 - AMD, Cyrix, Intel Pentium
  • Socket 370 - Intel Celeron A
  • Socket 478 - Pentium 4
  • Socket 940 - 64 bit Opteron and Athlon FX CPUs (multiple CPU motherboards)
  • Socket 939 - 64 bit Athlon's
  • Socket 754 - Cheap socket for 64 bit Athlons
  • Socket 775 - For Celeron D's, etc.

Not all socket types are listed above. All you have to do is make sure you find out your correct CPU socket type, and then buy a CPU upgrade that uses that same socket type.



Types of Upgrades

Many people might think that there is only one way to upgrade a CPU, when in fact there is three. The three different types of upgrades is a chip-for-chip upgrade, the piggyback upgrade and the daughtercard upgrade. The only upgrade I have ever done is the chip for chip upgrade. The rest are still not to difficult, but you should still refer to the instruction manual for installation steps.

Chip for chip CPU upgrade - A chip for chip upgrade is where you remove the old CPU and replace it with a new one. Usually you will completely replace the old CPU, but sometimes you will have to slip an OverDrive chip into a special socket, also located on the motherboard. Most of the new motherboards do not have an OverDrive socket though. This is the only CPU I have upgraded and is the most common type of upgrade.

Piggyback CPU upgrade - This upgrade is where you stack the new CPU on top of the old one. Very easy to do but not common with most computers that were made in the past 5 years.

Daughtercard upgrade - This type of upgrade involves a new chip on a separate card. The card has little pins on the bottom of it just like a CPU and it slides right into a ZIF socket.

CPU Speed Recommendations

Remember the days when computer processors were measured in MHz? With the introduction of the blazing fast GHz processor, those days are gone. Don't get me wrong, people still use MHz processors, but the price of a GHz processor is pretty low. So why not get one. The only computer users that I recommend buy a MHz processor is someone who uses their computer strictly for business/financial and other small tasks. All other types of users should check out my speed recommendations below that they should get, and no higher. If you follow those recommendations, you will only pay for speed that you need and save money on your CPU upgrade purchase.

Common home use - 1 to 1.5 GHz

Heavy work needs - 2 GHz

Computer gamers - 2.5 to 3.5 GHz



How to Install your new CPU

If you need to learn how to install a CPU, then you have come to the right website. I have upgraded my CPU about 20 times, and friends and family members countless times. I have made just about all the mistakes too, from bending one of the pins to applying the heatsink wrong. These mistakes will destroy your CPU and must be avoided. I can help you avoid them and you will install your new CPU properly with my help.

Laptop CPU Upgrade

If you have a laptop, and you wanted to upgrade your CPU that is in it, then check out our laptop CPU upgrade page. We will help you find the correct CPU you need and help you install it into your laptop.

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