Dell XPS 1640 Motherboard replacement

Hi,

I know this is an old system and probably not even worth it to fix, but I'm kinda doing it just for fun. However, it hasn't been fun at all b/c it has driven me nuts trying to find information.

I have a Dell XPS 1640 with a p743d motherboard. The socket is a 479. This confused me a little b/c the cpu is an Intel Duo 2 T9550 2.66 Ghz 6MB.

I read that the 479 socket for Duo 2 CPUs can only go up to 2.33 Ghz, a 2.66 required a socket P. Uber confusion.

So I researched some more and apparently Intel Duo 2 T9550 can use both Socket P and Socket 479. I assume my cpu is socket 479 b/c the socket on the motherboard is 479.

OK! So I bought a refurb replacement p743d. It looks identical. Socket is 479 and even has the same ATI 3670.... and ... it didn't work. Smoke came out of the subwoofer connector and screen wouldn't boot and the icons were going crazy.

Did I just buy a bad motherboard? Or is this not the right one?

I'm scared to buy another one.

Thanks.

EDIT - My apologies. I posted it in the wrong forum. Can the mods move this into the Dell XPS forum? I don't know how to delete and repost.

 

If you hooked everything up correctly and smoke came out of anything, it's a bad board. I would return it for a replacement.

 

Thank you, I was thinking the same thing. But is it possible that the CPU is incompatible with the board, which caused the smoke?

 

If your replaced the board with the same part number board it should be fine. What are the markings on the socket for the old and new motherboards?

I'm certain the 1640 is socket P, maybe the socket is weirdly marked? The chipset is Intel PM45 right?

 

They're both mPGA479m.

 

Probably just a generic foxconn socket since socket P is 478 pins with only one extra missing near the key. It is for sure a socket P board since it uses the PM45 chipset.

 

I don't know what the chipset is? How do I check?

I think it should be a socket P too b/c I read socket 479 can only go up to 2.33 gHz.

But if it is just a generic socket and is actually a socket P, I don't think many of the eBay vendors know how to identify them. The most they ask is just for the PPID and the tell me it matches.

 

I just googled xps 1640 chipset to find out what it was. What are you getting hung up on though? If you buy the right part number for the motherboard you will be fine. Dell didn't build motherboards with the same part number that have different sockets, chipsets, etc. If your CPU worked in part number p743d, it will work in part number p743d again.

 

Oh? Ok thank you! I guess I just had a bad experience with the last one I bought. I wasn't sure if it was a bad motherboard or it was an incompatible motherboard.

 

As long as everything was hooked up correctly then it was just a bad board. That is assuming all of the other components are working properly which is likely.

 

Cool! Thanks for all your help. I'll give it another shot!