V5209US Memory Speed

I talked to tech support and they didnt help me for ****. My comp was shipped with specs of DDR2-667 memory. Its running at DDR2-533. I use CPU-Z to see my memory speed and it stays at a constant 266mhz.

I talked to tech support and they told me it was 533 and they couldnt change it.

It is locked in BIOS so I cant change it there...Is there ANY way to put it up to 667? The memory dimms say 667 on them...The chipset supports it...how do i make it run there?

-Matt

 

You are limited to 533Mhz due to the front side bus on your Celeron M which is 533Mhz(quadpumped). The only way your are going to be able to run the memory at 667Mhz is to upgrade the processor to one which has 667Mhz FSB or overclock the RAM. OEM BIOS will not have any advanced options, so you will have to work around the BIOS.

 

hmmm...okay well I am planning on upgrading the processor anyways but I have one slight problem. Its not a regular socket 478. Its Socket mPGA478MT. Which I can only assume is a mobile processor socket.

There are 2 missing pins on the socket 478 processor and they are at a different spot on my celeron than they are on say a normal pentium 4... Stores like Newegg only sort by Socket 478...how will i know if it will fit my socket?

 

please? someone? help?

 

What chipset does the system have? If it is the 940GM, then it only supports the Celeron M and if it is the 945GM then you should be able to upgrade to a Core Duo or possible a Core 2 Duo(depends on BIOS support). Dont worry about the Pentium 4, it wont work in the system and the P4 sockets are different from the Intel mobiles(Core/Core 2 Duo, Celeron M 4xx series).

In any case increasing the memory to 667MHz wont make a whole lot of difference, the increased latencies will dampen any performance improvements due to the increased clock speed.

 

Its the 945GM. I thought the Core Duo's were Socket 479?

 

The Core Duo/Core 2 Duo processors actually use 478 pins, but the name of the socket was 479, to differentiate between the desktop socke. That means that the Core Duo processor is Socket 479.

While the mobile and desktop socket have the same number of pins, the placement of one pin is different on them, which means they are not interchangeable.

 

Well...I looked at the socket itself and I could have sworn it said Socket 478MT...but Im using CPU-Z and it says Socket 479 mPGA. Does that mean I could use a Core 2 Duo? That would be SWEET! What an upgrade from this **** celeron...

 

Yes, you can use a Core 2 Duo processor, however, you may require a BIOS update to use it. Have a look on the Compaq/HP website, and see if the newest BIOS has support for the Core 2 Duo. It should say something like "Core 2 Duo support added" or "Merom Support Added". That will mean that it should work.

 

Is it really worth going Core 2 Duo over Core Duo? Is 64-Bit going to give me that much of a boost? Or should I save a few bucks and just go with a Core Duo?

 

I just looked on Compaq/HP site and the latest BIOS for my chipset is F22.A

I have already update to it but it doesnt say anything about Core 2 Duo support or anything...hmmm

 

From a Celeron M, a Core Duo would be a good option & provide a decent boost for overall performance. The Core 2 will provide even more performance. What are going to do with the laptop?? If it is more of a general use(surfing, documents etc) and not anything cpu intensive then a low end Core Duo will do just fine.

 

Well the Celeron does okay for my daily stuff. I have a gaming desktop for all my games but I would like to be able to run Vista w/aero and not have it run so slow (like it does on the celeron) so im thinking a low end Core 2 Duo and a 1gb stick of memory.

I already have 2x256 so it would be 1.25gb total memory...

I might do some very minimal gaming (Starcraft, Age Of Empires) stuff like that...but nothing 3D intensive.

My Gaming PC:
ABit AN8 32X
Athlon 64 X2 4400+
92MM Zalman Full Copper CPU Cooler
2GB DDR400
256MB eVGA Geforce 7900GT KO
320GB 7200RPM SATA HD
Sound Blaster Audigy 24BIT sound
Plextor 16X DVD/CD Burner
500Watt PSU

As you can see my desktop is plenty capable for games so this is mostly for work and when i wanna browse in bed...or play a good game of starcraft/warcraft 3.

Whats a good low end Core Duo or Core 2 Duo? Im not worried about battery life because it spends most of the time plugged in. Should I just go Ebay? What kind of cooling would I need or can I keep stock? Is there any BIOS I can get that is unlocked so I can overclock?

 

Core 2 Duo T5500 or the Core Duo T2300/2400 should be good upgrades without burning a hole in your pocket. Although if you want to buy Core Duo's then look around ebay since prices of boxed processors are a bit high. But do remember that if you buy a boxed processor it will come with manufacturers warranty, buying from ebay might be risky if the product turns out to be defective. Battery life should actually increase since the Celeron M's do not have any pof the power saving features implemented in the Core series like Speedstep. You will have to use the stock cooling since the designs are proprietary(like most things in a laptop) and there arent any aftermarket options. The stock cooling should do well considering the thermal requirements of both the Celeron M and the Core Duo are pretty similar(25 - 31W range).

 

I think Ill take a few weeks and just keep an eye on Ebay for a good deal on a Core Duo. I dont think I need the extra power of the Core 2 Duo. I just wanna speed this thing up to a tolerable level.

Im looking now and seeing this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Intel-T2300-478...9QQihZ015QQcategoryZ86716QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Seems like a pretty good deal to me. I would be going from 1.46 to 1.66 GHz, and from 1MB L2 to 2MB L2, and from 533 FSB to 667 FSB. And...for $100...I think that would work out nicely. What do you guys think?

 

For $100, its a very good deal, however, its ebay and its not the best place to get processors from, like miner has mentioned. A boed processor is a better deal, and you will get a warranty. The biggest thing from going from a Celeron M to a Core Duo/Core 2 Duo will be the second core. You should notice a more responsive system, and you will be able to multitask much better.

 

Will there be a huge difference between a T2300 and T2400?

 

No, there are based on the same architecture, so the only difference will be a result of the clockspeed. The T2400 will perform faster under processor intensive applications, such as video editing and encoding. other than that, there will be no difference. In games, the graphics processor limits the performance, usually nothing to do with the processor.

 

I think Ill go with the T2300 just because its a bit cheaper. Not sure if Ill go EBAY or not. Im gonna look around for a good price...

Mostly I just want Vista to run well so I figure the Core Duo and 1.25GB memory and I should be all set...

 

Yes, I think the T2300 will be fine. If that turns out to a little on the expensive, then you may want to consider the T2250, which has a faster clockspeed, but a slightly slower FSB of 533 MHz. Otherwise its the same. The FSB decrease won't hurt performance at all, if all you wish to do is be able to run Vista smoothly.

RAM wise, more is always better, and this is particularly the case with Windows Vista. 1.25 BG will be fineto run Vista smoothly and fast, but if you do get the oppurnity to upgrade to 2 GB, then it will be even faster.

 

Okay. Thanks all who helped

Ill let you know when I upgrade and how it goes...

-Matt