Guest Brad Posted May 2, 2008 Posted May 2, 2008 Hi, I bought an old Packard Bell "Multimedia C115" desktop computer from a friend of mine for $20.00. While he had it, he did a some upgrades (128M ram, USB ports, etc.). It has Windows 98SE. The Pentium processor speed is a 120Mhz. I would like to upgrade that to at least 200Mhz. Besides changing the CPU, what other changes would I have to make? Thanks in advance, Brad Before you type your password, credit card number, etc., be sure there is no active keystroke logger (spyware) in your PC.
Guest dadiOH Posted May 2, 2008 Posted May 2, 2008 Re: Upgrading a Slow CPU to a Faster CPU Brad wrote: > Hi, > > I bought an old Packard Bell "Multimedia C115" desktop computer > from a friend of mine for $20.00. While he had it, he did a some > upgrades (128M ram, USB ports, etc.). It has Windows 98SE. > > The Pentium processor speed is a 120Mhz. I would like to upgrade > that to at least 200Mhz. Hardly worth the bother. Assuming you could even *find* one that old/slow. > Besides changing the CPU, what other changes would I have to make? None as long as your motherboard will work with whatever CPU you get. -- dadiOH ____________________________ dadiOH's dandies v3.06... ....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that. Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico
Guest thanatoid Posted May 2, 2008 Posted May 2, 2008 Re: Upgrading a Slow CPU to a Faster CPU bpetria@verizon.net (Brad) wrote in news:481b01ee.1127487@news.verizon.net: > Hi, > > I bought an old Packard Bell "Multimedia C115" desktop > computer from a > friend of mine for $20.00. While he had it, he did a some > upgrades (128M ram, USB ports, etc.). It has Windows > 98SE. > > The Pentium processor speed is a 120Mhz. I would like > to upgrade that to > at least 200Mhz. > > Besides changing the CPU, what other changes would I > have to make? What dadiOH said. See if you can get a manual from some website (Google with /exact/ model #) to see up to what speed CPU your MB will accept. You can probably get it free or for $3 from a computer repair shop - they often have a box of under-1GHz chips just sitting there gathering dust. I don't /think/ that it would harm your machine, so if you can't find out /what CPU/ your MB accepts, you could just take a few chips and keep going up until it stops working. But damage /could/ be done I suppose, maybe someone more knowledgeable will comment. That could end up being quite a nice machine. -- Of course, it is no easy matter to be polite; in so far, I mean, as it requires us to show great respect for everybody, whereas most people deserve none at all; and again in so far as it demands that we should feign the most lively interest in people, when we must be very glad that we have nothing to do with them. - Arthur Schopenhauer
Guest philo Posted May 2, 2008 Posted May 2, 2008 Re: Upgrading a Slow CPU to a Faster CPU dadiOH wrote: > Brad wrote: >> Hi, >> >> I bought an old Packard Bell "Multimedia C115" desktop computer >> from a friend of mine for $20.00. While he had it, he did a some >> upgrades (128M ram, USB ports, etc.). It has Windows 98SE. >> >> The Pentium processor speed is a 120Mhz. I would like to upgrade >> that to at least 200Mhz. > > Hardly worth the bother. Assuming you could even *find* one that old/slow. > >> Besides changing the CPU, what other changes would I have to make? > > None as long as your motherboard will work with whatever CPU you get. > Just check the jumpers. if the boar can be jumpered for a 200mhz cpu... it will work. Win98se will work better with a 200mhz cpu
Guest Jeff Richards Posted May 2, 2008 Posted May 2, 2008 Re: Upgrading a Slow CPU to a Faster CPU The changes required would be quite extensive. The speed of a CPU is the maximum clock rate that it can run at, not the speed at which it actually runs - that is determined by the motherboard it's plugged in to. You need to confirm that the motherboard you are using has the ability to run the CPU at that rate, and that you can find the necessary documentation to change the clock speed to whatever the new CPU can handle. On a machine of that vintage there's probably several jumpers to change. Often, changing the clock speed also changes the memory access speed, so you will need to ensure that the memory can also cope. If you really want to upgrade it, it's probably easier to find a faster motherboard with CPU installed and configured than to replace the CPU in the existing motherboard. My local computer store has a bin of recycled motherboards removed from working machines (not guaranteed, but very likely OK) that sell for a few dollars each. -- Jeff Richards MS MVP (Windows - Shell/User) "Brad" <bpetria@verizon.net> wrote in message news:481b01ee.1127487@news.verizon.net... > Hi, > > I bought an old Packard Bell "Multimedia C115" desktop computer from a > friend of mine for $20.00. While he had it, he did a some upgrades (128M > ram, USB ports, etc.). It has Windows 98SE. > > The Pentium processor speed is a 120Mhz. I would like to upgrade that > to > at least 200Mhz. > > Besides changing the CPU, what other changes would I have to make? > > Thanks in advance, Brad > > Before you type your password, credit card number, etc., > be sure there is no active keystroke logger (spyware) in your PC. >
Guest philo Posted May 2, 2008 Posted May 2, 2008 Re: Upgrading a Slow CPU to a Faster CPU "Jeff Richards" <JRichards@msn.com.au> wrote in message news:OycqlVKrIHA.3680@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl... > The changes required would be quite extensive. The speed of a CPU is the > maximum clock rate that it can run at, not the speed at which it actually > runs - that is determined by the motherboard it's plugged in to. You need > to confirm that the motherboard you are using has the ability to run the CPU > at that rate, and that you can find the necessary documentation to change > the clock speed to whatever the new CPU can handle. On a machine of that > vintage there's probably several jumpers to change. Often, changing the > clock speed also changes the memory access speed, so you will need to ensure > that the memory can also cope. > > If you really want to upgrade it, it's probably easier to find a faster > motherboard with CPU installed and configured than to replace the CPU in the > existing motherboard. My local computer store has a bin of recycled > motherboards removed from working machines (not guaranteed, but very likely > OK) that sell for a few dollars each. Hello: I work on a lot of vintage Packard Bells and the boards are proprietary so replacing the mobo with an AT or ATX type would not be possible. Most PB P1's are easily jumpered to 200mhz and no RAM changes are required... A good flashlight and reading glasses may be needed...but... It's an easy ten minute job...and for win98...going from 120 to 200 mhz makes sense to me> OTOH: If you walk out into the street, chances are there's a pitched out P-III sitting there that was tossed because the owner left a floppy in the drive ! <G>
Guest Jeff Richards Posted May 3, 2008 Posted May 3, 2008 Re: Upgrading a Slow CPU to a Faster CPU Huh? Who mentioned AT or ATX? -- Jeff Richards MS MVP (Windows - Shell/User) "philo" <philo@privacy.net> wrote in message news:%23bU1bcKrIHA.2520@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl... > > "Jeff Richards" <JRichards@msn.com.au> wrote in message > news:OycqlVKrIHA.3680@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl... >> The changes required would be quite extensive. The speed of a CPU is the >> maximum clock rate that it can run at, not the speed at which it actually >> runs - that is determined by the motherboard it's plugged in to. You >> need >> to confirm that the motherboard you are using has the ability to run the > CPU >> at that rate, and that you can find the necessary documentation to change >> the clock speed to whatever the new CPU can handle. On a machine of that >> vintage there's probably several jumpers to change. Often, changing the >> clock speed also changes the memory access speed, so you will need to > ensure >> that the memory can also cope. >> >> If you really want to upgrade it, it's probably easier to find a faster >> motherboard with CPU installed and configured than to replace the CPU in > the >> existing motherboard. My local computer store has a bin of recycled >> motherboards removed from working machines (not guaranteed, but very > likely >> OK) that sell for a few dollars each. > > > Hello: > > I work on a lot of vintage Packard Bells and the boards are proprietary > so replacing the mobo with an AT or ATX type would not be possible. Most > PB > P1's > are easily jumpered to 200mhz and no RAM changes are required... > A good flashlight and reading glasses may be needed...but... > It's an easy ten minute job...and for win98...going from 120 to 200 mhz > makes sense to me> > > > OTOH: If you walk out into the street, chances are there's a pitched out > P-III sitting > there that was tossed because the owner left a floppy in the drive ! <G> > >
Guest philo Posted May 3, 2008 Posted May 3, 2008 Re: Upgrading a Slow CPU to a Faster CPU Jeff Richards wrote: > Huh? Who mentioned AT or ATX? You specifically stated that your local computer store has a bin of used boards. The so called "surplus bins" present in computer stores generally consist of boards from machines that have been upgraded, or perhaps new , old stock inventory etc. It is very unlikely a used motherboard bin would have a proprietary PB motherboard...but if they did have one that would in-fact fit the OP's machine...it would simply be a very similar board to what he already has. Though most any AT or ATX machine can be a possible candidate for a mobo upgrade...the PB's do not fit into that category due to the proprietary nature of the board. Of course...I have occasionally done a few major modifications... and recently did take a nibbling tool to an old AT style cabinet and get a proprietary board to fit in there... No rational person would go through all the trouble that I will often go through just to save some old equipment <G>
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