Compaq Presario C700 Upgrades And Facts!

FINALLY!

AFTER SO MANY PEOPLE LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO GET UPGRADE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS NOTEBOOK. I AM HERE TO HELP. I'VE PLAYED WITH A NUMBER OF THESE, AND UPGRADED A NUMBER OF THEM. I'VE ALSO COMPILED A NUMBER OF FACTS FOR YOU FROM HP, AND TESTING.


FACTS:

-THE HP COMPAQ PRESAIO C700 USES THE INTEL GM965 CHIPSET

-THE PENTIUM DUAL-CORE T2XX IS A MEROM BASED (C2D) CHIP, NOT THE OLDER SLOWER YONAH (CD)

-YOU CAN UPGRADE THE PROCESSOR IN THIS NOTEBOOK TO ANY SOCKET P, CORE 2 DUO, PENTIUM DUAL-CORE CHIP INCLUDING PENRYN BASED CHIPS. (T8XX, T9XX)

-THE MEMORY COMPARTMENT HOLDS THE MEMORY/WIRELESS CARD/AND GM965 CONTROLLER. THAT IS NOT THE PROCESSOR YOU SEE THERE WHEN YOU OPEN IT. YOU MUST OPEN THE NOTEBOOK ENTIRELY TO GET TO THE CPU.

-THIS NOTEBOOK CAN BE UPGRADED TO 2GB MEMORY ONLY! ANY OTHER COMBO WILL CAUSE WINDOWS NOT TO BOOT. HOWEVER, SOME HAVE GOTTEN 3GB BY PUTTING THE 2GB MODULE IN THE INNNER MEMORY BAY. THIS IS THE ONLY CONFIG THAT WORKED. CANNOT CONFIRM THIS THOUGH.

-THIS NOTEBOOK DOES NOT HAVE THE SO-CALLED "MIDDLE BUTTON" ON THE MOUSE PAD.

-THE INTEL GMA X3100 GRAPHICS ARE INTEGRATED, AND CANNOT BE UPGRADED.

-THERE ARE XP DRIVERS, HOWEVER, THIS IS AN UPGRADE THREAD SO LET'S MOVE ON.

-THE PENTIUM DUAL-CORE T2XX SERIES IS ARE 64-BIT CHIPS.

-YOU CAN USE A HP 12-CELL LI-ION BATTERY WITH THIS NOTEBOOK, HOWEVER YOU CANNOT CONFIG THIS NOTEBOOK WITH A 12-CELL BATTERY, YOU MUST BUY SEPERATELY, I'VE SEEN SOME ON EBAY. IT WILL FIT THIS NOTEBOOK.

-THE MAINBOARD ACCEPTS 800 MHz FSB. 800/533/667

-THE OEM PRODUCT KEY WILL WORK TO ACTIVATE WINDOWS VISTA 64-BIT. I'VE USED IT. IF YOU HAVE PROBLEMS DOING THIS EMAIL ME AND I'LL GUIDE YOU THROUGH IT.

I HOPE THIS WAS HELPFUL IN ANSWERING SOMW QUESTION ABOUT UPGRADING THE COMPAQ PRESARIO C700 SERIES NOTEBOOK. IT'S A SLEEK, ELEGANT NOTEBOOK, THAT CAN BECOME A POWERHOUSE AFTER SOME UPGRADES. WELL ENOUGH FOR NOW HAPPY UPGRADING.

 

Running/installing OSX on a non-apple label computer like your C700 is a violation of Apple's OSX's EULA(end user license agreement) and thus cannot be discussed on NBR.

Do not bring up that topic again...

Also, try upgrading the BIOS for the 4GB issue.

-Kdawgca
NBR Mod

 

Also, try upgrading the BIOS for the 4GB issue.

-Kdawgca
NBR Mod[/QUOTE]

Sorry Buddy, even with BIOS update 4GB will not work, tested and appoved

 

How did you determine that the mobo uses the GM965 chipset?

 

You can use CPU-Z to find out which chipset your motherboard uses.

I have a 945PM chipset in my dell, and even with the latest bios revision, I can only use 2Gb of memory.
I run XP, so it doesnt matter to me all that much. 2Gb of memory is way more than one could ever need with XP.

K-TRON

 

Can CPU-Z distinguish between a GL960 and the 965 variants?

 

I find it strange that 800/533 memory can run, but not 667. Would 667 be downclocked to 533 then?


Also, is it really nessicarry to type in caps? It drives me crazy

 

this is only because, it does not accept the socket M 667 chips. currently i know of no socket P 667 chips.[/I]orry about the caps[/I]

 

That has been a problem and it reports GL960 as GM965 as you are thinking.

That caught my eye also so read twice. Does not mention memory it is talking about FSB. And 667Mhz RAM would work on 800Mhz FSB.

 

The T5550 is one.............

That is what I thought. Perhaps GPU-Z can identify, since the GL960's X3100 has a lower clock than the one with GM965............

 

your hp help utily if you haven't uninstalled the crap. will scan your system and show GM965 Express Chipset.

your hp drivers support at web
site will confirm this.

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/softwareList?os=2093&lc=en&cc=us&lang=en&product=3548227&dlc=en

 

GPU_Z confirms


http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g152/RockinRubies/c700.jpg

 

Sweet. I was thinking about getting a C700T for my friend, and was concerned that it used a cut-down chipset (as HP Parts says it is a "Celeron-M" board)............

 

C700 Presarios probably DO NOT use the Intel GM965 Express chipset, despite what CPU-z and GPU-Z reports on your system. The Z programs can't spot them yet.

It may ultimately depend on your exact Model number (C700 is the line number, is not the model number). Mine is the C717NR. I think they have 713's, 714's, 715's and 716's and maybe more. These are just the model numbers I've seen surfing around today. I suspect that all of the 71# are like this.

The HP website says nothing ANYWHERE about the specific chipset for these Presarios other than it has the x3100 accelerator. Even when you call/online chat with HP and ask them which chipset you have, they will take a long time to answer and come back with the half hearted answer that you have the GM965. When you ask for verification, they have nothing but vague answers. BUT YOU PROBABLY DO NOT HAVE GM965.

HERE'S HOW TO TELL FOR SURE:
Download Everest Ultimate Edition (free trial version is fine) and run it on your system. Then click on motherboard and then chipset. There's about a 95% chance that it will identify the northbridge as Crestline GL960.

All evidence points to the GL960 officially supporting 2GB of ram, and unofficially 3GB (unofficial because any configuration over 2GB requires 2 ram sticks of differing capacities, so the memory won't be running in dual channel). I haven't found a single instance anywhere where someone got 4GB of RAM to boot into Windows on one of these Presarios.

Wonderful, isn't it?

As long as the CPU isn't soldered in, all users have reported success swapping out the T2310 with Chips in the T5XXX line and getting the C2D upgrade to work, but that it requires you to pretty much completely dismantle the darn thing to get to the CPU/heatsink assembly. You still won't have higher ram capacity however.

On a more positive front, I hear Intel will be releasing DX10 compliant graphic drivers for the x3100 accelerator at the nd of this month, so (as long as the drivers apply to the GL960) we might get the promised Dx10 support that they failed to deliver upon at launch.....

Because of the suspicious lack of documentation, I can't help but wonder if a simple "altered" BIOS would enable higher RAM freqeuncies and capacity....

 

No,

GM965 accepts 667Mhz Memory, 800 FSB (This is the C700's Config), HP didn't skim here.
GL960 accept 533Mhz Memory Only! and 533MHz FSB Only!

The HP Compaq Presario C714NR, C713NR, C710NR, and above. Uses Intel GM965 Chipset. This is for sure.
The HP Compaq Presario will not use over 2gb ram. No other configs have been confirmed to work.
The HP Compaq doesn't have a soldered cpu. Yes you have to take off the back panel, but that's all I did to upgrade.
.

A great notebook imo. From value to mid-range, in a cpl steps.

 

Yeah, the C700T looks like a good deal (and HP just threw in free shipping as of this morning).

 

Update:

For those that own this notebook, flash your BIOS to F.31
This update does the following for you.

-Increase system graphics memory from 251MB to 384MB, allows hardware acceleration in full screen mode. (downloading latest intel x3100 drivers recommended)
(not recommended if running 1GB of ram)
-Allows for 3GB support for Windows Vista 32-bit and 4GB or more for Vista 64
(you must put 2GB DIMM in inner slot, and 1GB DIMM in outter slot) HP site also confirms this.
-Allows for penryn support.
-Also, if you want longer battery life, high-capcity 8 cell and 12 cell batteries from HP fit this notebook, you have to buy seperatly though, hp.com does not allow you to configure this laptop this way.

hope this helps

**This fix worked well on C714NR other models may not be compatible.

 

What about upgrading the wireless card?
I have the C713NR and it comes with a broadcom chip. The card is not minipci (to my dismay) but a mini pci express (pci express version of minipci).
I'm looking to replace it with an atheros-based wireless card (that supports packet injection ) but I am not sure about which card to choose. To make matters worse, I am hearing that certain HP laptop BIOS will refuse to boot without an approved wireless card (there's some sort of blacklist).

Have any of you upgraded the wireless card on your C700 series laptop? If so, please chime in.

 

I haven't switched wireless cards. I'm still using the broadcom. Works fine for me, However, I am pretty sure the Intel cards work just fine, I am not sure of atheros.

 

I'm dual-booting vista home premium (i have a not for resale copy of ultimate but don't think i need it, yet) and good old xp pro. I'm adding ubuntu 8 and planning to use it with BT2 or 3 (boot via usb or cd). None of the Linux variants support the Broadcom chip in this laptop (version 2 of BCM4318). I went through a lot of pain (ndis wrapper) to get it to work with ubuntu but it's still not very good. I think the best route is to swap the card out with another minipcie card that has good linux support. Since I'm buying a new card anyway, might as well get one that supports packet injection (allows cracking of WEP keys within a few minutes instead of a few hours).

At this point, I'm trying to decide between Intel 3945 ABG (as low as $30) vs. Atheros AR5005GS (about $40 on ebay). Both have listed support from madwifi but I'm looking for something easy but will have as much new features (support abg or abgn or bgn) as possible. I'm sure there's one (or a few out there) as packet injection isn't new anymore.

I have to say I didn't expect this much "fun" out of a $350 laptop. So far I've upgraded the ram to 2GB and HD to 7200rpm 200GB Momentus drive. I'm not looking to replace cpu but I am extremely interested in pinmodding it. However, from what I've read, it's impossible for the T2310 since bumping the FSB will drop the multiplier to a very low multiplier which will negate any benefit.
So far, this little laptop turned from a toy (unexpected purchase since I was aiming for the Asus eepc) to my main computer (my newly upgraded desktop with 8800GT is getting little or no use at all now).

 

Try here for help with the wireless.

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=733031

I paid slightly more for the notebook, I suck I guess..lol, but it is great. No skims on hardware by HP. So deffinately worth the buy

 

you can not change the wifi card in this notebook. i own one. i tried both the atheros and intel cards and it will not boot with them it tells you it is not compatible hardware.. buyer beware before hand.. wanted to let you know

 

Does 3g memory running at 128 of 64 ?

 

drmega,

It takes less than 3 minutes.
Download Everest Ultimate edition free version.
Run the program, then click on the motherboard and then the chipset.
Check the Northbridge.


I'm not griefing you, I'm trying to help.

 

Resting One if the chipset was GL960 it would not accept 800FSB or DDR2 667 Ram both of which the C714nr accepts.

 

Hi,

I have a C751NR, and w/BIOS F.27 it runs w/3 gb of memory w/no problems.

The 1 gb stick has to go on the inside slot, and the 2 gb, on the outside slot, at least w/mine it did.

Evenually, I'll check it w/4 gb, to see if it supports 3.25 gb w/the 32 bit version of Vista. I do have 4 gb in my Gateway, so maybe I'll try it w/that.

Update: I did check it w/4 gb, but it doesn't work.

I've updated the BIOS to F.31.

I've also got the very latest Intel Video Driver loaded, and it doesn't appear to support DX10 yet. It won't do Windows Aero, and GPUZ says that it is only supporting DX9. I'll check it w/3DMark.

Correction: it does support DX10. The Aero Windows work. An error on my part.

It is suppose to have the Intel GM965 chipset, which supports a cpu FSB of 533, 667, and 800 MHz. The C700 series, according to the HP Service Manual, supports cpu's up to the Intel T8300 cpu. http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c01301275.pdf

.

 

F.33 BIOS IS AVIABLE!

Well. I'm trying to upgrade my C700 to x7900 2,8GHZ FSB800 (BUS 200) CPU but I have some problems. System recognizes CPU model, starts right and shows x7900 @ 2800MHz, but when I check this into everest or CPUID i can see that system works at 6x200 multiplier (1.200) and not at 14x200 multiplier (2800) I've checked it on full mode. Cannot I set multiplier to 14x? What is the top CPU upgrade that i can get to my C700? Thanks!

System works with only 3GB (1+2) max. on Vista x64 and F.31... I'll try with F.33...

 

I tried changing the CPU in my wife's C712NR, but the socket was different.
Just the corner on the CPU where a few pins were missing, was a different config than the replacement. Mine came with a DC T2310, and I borrowed a T7250 from a d620 at work to test with.

Anyone know what socket it has? Or what socket that d620 has (so I know what it is NOT, at least) and what's a best bang-for-buck not too expensive upgrade proc for it? I upgraded the RAM to 2GB already - Circuit City had Kingston 1GN SO-DIMMs for $29 a few weeks ago - bought 2 of those puppies for it.

T

 

From what I can find on Intel's website, the T2310 and T7250 cpu's both appear to be the Socket P. This is the very latest socket that is available for laptops from Intel. The old standard was called the Socket M, which is probably what you had that wouldn't fit.

.

 

Thank you on the BIOS update.


.

 

Officially it is the T8300.

With your x7900, the fact that it has an unlocked multiplier could be the problem, since there is no place to set it in the BIOS, but that's just a guess on my part.


.

 

So what's out there Socket M that I can put in?
Seems alot of vendors just put Micro-FCPGA, and don't put whether it's socket M or socket P.

T

 

You said that the original cpu was a T2310, which is a Socket P cpu.

Newegg http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...89627504+1051728970+1302820275&name=Dual-Core lists their cpu's by the socket, so go there.

According to this Service/Maintenace manual for the Compaq C700 Series http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c01301275.pdf you can go up to a T8300 cpu, which is a 2.4 GHz, w/3 mb L2 cache Socket P cpu.

.

 

I thought a T7250 was a Socket P?

What socket is on a Dell Latitude d620?
I borrowed a T7250 from a D620 to try out, but it didn't fit...


T

 

The Dell D620 specs says that it has the 945GM/PM Chipset, which only supports a cpu w/an FSB of 533/667 MHz, or Socket M. http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/latd620/en/UG/specs.htm

The T7250 has an FSB of 800 MHz http://processorfinder.intel.com/List.aspx?ParentRadio=All&ProcFam=2643&SearchKey= So that cpu model couldn't have come from that laptop. It would not of worked in the D620. You sure that that is the right P/N for that cpu?

It says right in the Service/Maintenance Manual, on page 9, that the C700 series will take both the T2310 and the T7250 cpu's. So the fact that your T7250 didn't fit in your C712NR, means that if could not of been a T7250.

The Socket M support FSB's up to 667 MHz max. The Socket P support FSB's up to 800 MHz max.

.

 

Well, I can't remember what the actual CPU said ON it, but XP Pro SP2 System properties on that d620 identified it as a T7250, FWIW.

I did look at the bottom of both CPU's, and the little corner where the pins are missing, they were both different. I have a C712NR, which Vista identified as a T2310.

Oh - Wait! I ran CPU-Z on the D620, and saved it as an .HTM file....

<bowing down>

You da man...you da man...

Memory was failing me, apparently...
The D620 had a T7200, according to the .htm file I saved from CPU-Z...

...I'll be over here in the corner keeping my mouth shut


T

 

Good post OP. I feel your pain. Bestbuy is currently eol'ing the c762nr since it's been discontinued. They're clearancing them for $399 out the door. My store just sold out yesterday I believe.

But the laptop is met with so much hatred. People don't know that the new pentium dc's are actually merom and incredibly good cpu's, and they say they'd rather the amd dual core. Yeah, ok... In the world of conroes (merom), the drop from 4mb to 2mb is hardly a big deal at all. The drop from 2mb to 1mb has more of an impact, but still, it makes for an incredibly good cpu.

The c762nr comes with the t2370, which is 13x133=1733, 1mb l2 cache. I'm still ironing everything out myself, but it has a max vid of 1.25v, and cpuz reports 1.363v. Whether the motherboard is actually overvolting or not, I don't know. I haven't taken a multimeter to it. But, I did immediately try underclocking. It's a shame that these cpu's have a high minimum vid of 0.950v. I'm able to run at max speed on lowest vid. Cpuz here reports 1.063. Again, the disparity is consistent. I read that most people get around 2hours or less when on battery. I've used it on battery 3 times down to around 60%, and then did pretty much a full cycle. I use low brightness and 6x133=800, 0.950v in battery mode, and I netted just about 3 hours of usage. All that was done was web browsing, so maybe the 2 hour people are at higher brightness watching videos; I don't know.

That said, thanks a ton for the info on the higher capacity batteries! When this battery starts to age, I'll definitely look into an upgrade. If the 12 cell really can about double my battery life, I'd be seeing maybe close to 6 hours on a charge. That'd be better than any laptop I've owned so far!

As for your gpuz shot. Hmm! How come I'm only seeing 500mhz vs your 667mhz? Same video bios and all.

The cpu being socketted is definitely a huge relief. I've got an engineering sample t5500 that I got for dirt cheap on ebay and am debating using that or at least playing with it.

I have hopes of bsel modding and trying to retain usage of all multipliers, or the possibility of clockgen if I can find the pll. Then I'd have the dilemma of 2ghz 2mb l2 or 2.6ghz 1mb l2. I'm guessing I'd be siding with 2.6ghz. I'm sure it can do that without voltage bumps.

As for this particular model, people express great bias because it only comes with 1gb of ram. Of course vista is going to be unbearably slow. But ram is cheap! Why spend an extra hundred dollars or two to have 2gb of ram or spend the same amount and suffer having a core2solo pretty much (new celeron m 1mb).

If I ever find a cheap screen, I'd love to upgrade from this wxga. But it's not nearly as bad as I remember it being 4 years ago. Maybe my eyes are dying..

You talked about xp being a downgrade. Be that as it may, performance wise, it'd indeed be an upgrade. And for anyone curious, these machines do have slp1 and slp2. So if you wanted to upgrade to a higher vista, you could cook your own discs using the proper slic certs. And if you wanted xp, using the right oemcerts will have you on your way as well. That said, I can't remember how long ago compaq was eaten up, but if there was ever compaq slp1, it's no good to use on these machines. If you check the dmi, it's hp, so you'd need hp oemcerts for xp (and vista too obviously).



I've experienced some crazies with the keyboard and touchpad. I like the feel of the keyboard, but so far, I can't seem to type properly with it. It seems like letters are often getting jumbled (timing between fingers of different hands). I'm pretty sure I'm not being overly exuberant with some fingers, but somehow it just doesn't seem to register right. I'm sure I'll adjust.

but the touchpad... It seems to have a mind of its own. Sometimes I'll lightly brush it and it'll do something absurd, and sometimes I'll only seemingly touch the neighboring area and something will happen. Often, windows will get minimized or winamp will skip songs. And I don't even have any gestures setup for it to do that!

I'm not all too concerned about this, since there's probably newer drivers / going to xp, but I'm using to enabling back/forward gestures in the alps program. But doing so always results in the alps program crashing in a few seconds. Weird.

I haven't done my research yet, but I noticed there's a spot for some sort of card reader. What kind is it, and do you think there are spare parts available somewhere to add this in? I'd love integrated sd abilities for sure.


Also, my laptop didn't come with the broadcom minipcie. It has the atheros ar5007 series card. No super108 iirc, but it's still quite a beast. I definitely do love atheros chips.

I'm quite worried about the power connection though. Especially being on the side. I've got quite a few friends with hp laptops, where the power connector fails after some time, obviously from stress. It's just an extra stress to have to constantly be thinking about that. But so it goes I suppose..

All in all, a+ $399 notebook. The new denser hdd's.. 160gb 5400rpm faster than my 60gb 7200rpm hitachi. Bet it'd be way more reliable as well.


That's all for now I suppose. If anyone is planning on taking it apart, can you note the pll? Or if anyone already knows, please do share! I tried a few, and the SLG ones are the only ones to give me readings when I getfsb. However, the first two in the list lock or bsod the computer. The last one kills explorer, and eventually the system. Perhaps it's a pll by SLG but not supported yet by setfsb.


Sorry for the long post. Consider it a good review

edit: good not referring to the review, but the laptop itself!!

 

Hi,

I'm looking to upgrade my RAM and I'm not 100% on the size to get. i keep being told 240 pins but its way to big to fit in my computer. Can someone help me out?

 

200pin ddr2 sodimm.

something like this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146125





I would have recommended http://www.buy.com/retail/product.a...87399&Type=PE&Category=Comp&Gad=0&dcaid=17864 but you guys are talking about 2x2 configs not working reminds me of picky old intel chipsets. looks like we came full circle again

 

Oh cool. http://www.laptopking.com/kingpartdetails.asp?ref=807&category=dcjack

so it's not on the motherboard anymore. that's good. the price is silly though to buy another. should be fixable with cheap parts

 

Is a processor upgrade necessary? The processor in it is ok right? If a cpu upgrade is in order then which one is the best for the money? Or which cpu would be a little better for a respectable amount of money? I appreciate the advice.

 

Which cpu do you have? The pentium dc t2370, if that's what you have, is a great cpu. It only really differs from higher end core2duo's in that it only has 1MB of l2 cache, vs 2mb, 3mb, 4mb, or 6mb. But the performance penalty isn't all too great at all. Are you asking just because you want to upgrade or because you feel the cpu is weak for what you do? How much ram do you have? If you're only running around with 1gb, then you'll see worldly gains going to 1.5gb or even better, 2gb.

 

I know somebody said you can't upgrade the wireless card on page 2 but can somebody confirm that. I would like to upgrade to a draft-n.

Also, I have a C762nr and when I upgraded to 2GB from 1GB I saw a significant jump in response in Vista.

 

Hi everyone. I have a question concerning CPU processor upgrade compatibility for a Compaq Presario C714NR. Currently I have the Pentium Dual Core [email protected] installed which is the processor that the laptop was boxed with. It's a socket P processor, by the way.
I went on Wikipedia and saw that the T2000 dual core series supports up to 1.86 GHz (T2390) and has the same voltage, socket, etc. as my current processor.
However, I went to my local Best Buy and the Geek Squad associate wasn't sure if my processor was upgradeable and he said that I ran the risk of frying my motherboard if I installed the new processor. Although he didn't check to be sure what was compatible or not.
So my question is, does anyone here know fairly certainly whether or not it would be safe to upgrade my processor? And if so, what are my options as far as new processors go? As in, am I limited to the Pentium Dual Core T2000 series?

 

You can use any socket p processor barring the new 266fsb ones. with the newer bioses, you can even use penryn 200fsb ones.

 

Sweet. Thanks for the fast response.

 

thanks for the fast reresponse and good luck! ebay may have some cheap(edit)* ones.

 

Does anyone want to trade your Broadcom Wireless with my Atheros 5007 Wireless Card??

Atheros has a better signal reception, but I need Broadcom...

I've finally figured out that C700 is locked to Compaq wireless cards after buying 2 Dell wifi cards from eBay..

If you're interested, PM me.

 

I'm going to assume that opening the laptop (to either upgrade the CPU OR to check the PLL) will void the warranty?