Will this cpu be compatible ?

Question

Hi there basically i have this Lenovo thinkcentre and its currently got a Intel Pentium E2200 and its a socket lga 775. Id like to upgrade the cpu though and i already have an Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 and thats also lga 775. So its not the sockets im concerned about its the FSB speeds of them. As the Pentiums FSB speed is 800mhz but the Core 2 Quads is 1333mhz and i cant really find much information about my motherboard. Some info i found said my motherboard does support a 1333mhz cpu but then some say it only supports a 1066mhz cpu. So my question is that if i put the Quad into my thinkcentre and boot it will it cause any damge to the rest of the computer if it isnt compatible, for example say if my board did only support a 1066mhz cpu and i switch it on with the quad would it cause damage ? ( MOTHERBOARD - LENOVO G31T-LM )

Thanks Sam :)

Answer 1

hi sam

well your main problem is the socket designation your using .... socket lga775 is basically discontinued now and its hard to find any lga775 compatible upgrades since most retailers have moved to stocking the newer 1155 and 2011 intel socket processors

however a core 2 quad would be possible,,but as you have mentioned you are concerned about the motherboard and the max front side bus it will support... well your best bet is to download the program "cpu-z"( http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/cpu-z.html ) and then once installed run the program and look at the motherboard tab... there you will find the motherboard make and model and using this information you can then locate more detailed information regarding your motherboard

however ive managed to find a seller on ebay selling the motherboard for your pc,and included in the motherboard specifications are the fsb ratings and your motherboard does support a maximum of 1333mhz ... it also supports 1066mhz but theres nothing regarding 800mhz ( which it should considering your currently using a pentium E2200 ) .. you can check the motherboard information at http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/IBM-LENOVO-ThinkCentre-M57e-A57-G31T-LM-MAINBOARD-Intel-G31-FRU-45C2882-53Y3282-/200709653114?pt=Motherboards&hash=item2ebb3a427a

so going off this information ( which i have no reason to think its incorrect ) you should be able to upgrade to a core 2 quad or core 2 extreme which both have a 1333mhz fsb

in regards to damaging your motherboard,well if you did use a cpu thats not supported by your motherboard it simply woulnt boot .. these are safety measures placed by both the motherboard and cpu manufactuers for just these reasons.... however its mainly the bios that will recognize the cpu,s not supported and will stop any boot to avoid damage

its very similar to when you install a cpu thats just been released and you get a blue screen when you try to use it with your motherboard ... this occurs because the bios version does not meet the required bios version for the cpu ( eg F4 and your motherboard is only F1 ).... and when you install the chipset drivers you get a blue screen since your motherboard wont recognize the cpu ... after you update the bios the newer microcodes are installed and the cpu is now recognized ...... anyway the reason for the blue screen is safety and avoiding damage to your hardware ....

if you do upgrade and buy a oem cpu without a cooler make sure you buy a cpu cooler that can support the cpu .. for example a core 2 quad uses around 120w.. so you dont want a cpu cooler thats only rated for 90w... it wont do any damage in the short term however long term and the continious high temps will shorten the cpu,s lifespan

i hope this helps sam ... any questions let me know

good luck mate !

Answer 2

the g31 chipset certainly supports a 1333 fsb; I have used a couple of them. it this is your board:

http://www.ascendtech.us/ibm-lenovo-g31t-lm2-lga775-motherboard_i_mb4ibmg31tlm210.aspx

you should be okay, as the q8200 is the low-end processor. to be 100% sure, you need to find the latest bios for the board. this might prove a bit tricky with people like Lenovo! however, trying the q8200 will not damage the board. if the code for the q8200 is not present, it will either not work or be seen as something different. go ahead and mount it.

Answer 3

The common sense thing to do would be look up the motherboard specs to see what processors are compatible. Don't be misled by some moron in here that tells you any processor that fits your socket will work. That is NOT true.

Answer 4

unfortunatly your motherboard only supprts 1066 mhz, and you cannot place a clockspeed of 1333mhz into a mobo that supports 1066mhz. I cannot tell you what happens if you do because I have never tried it myself but they are not compatible.



I would just go look up a list of compatibles and stick to that list to avoid problems.