Processor Upgrade

[moleslayer]

I'm currently running a s/h 4 year old Dell 'dimension' xps t700r.
It's my first PC and I'm a complete novice.
I've gradually upgraded : SDRAM 384MB
Storage 60GB
Monitor 15" Flat Panel
DVD/CD RW
Printer & Scanner Etc;
I'm very happy with the system, but now the latest Dells have a Pentium 4 / 2.5GHz , this makes my little 700MHz look a bit on the puny side. Is it economical & feasible to change it ?

[Dr. Bunsen Honeydew]

Your Dell appears to have a slot 1 processor, which limits the choice of faster processors as that format died a death soon after. However, a quick look around eBay shows that your PIII is selling for around £70 and (for example) a socket A motherboard, Athlon XP1800+ with heatsink and fan are selling for around £100. In other words, you could use all your existing components to create a super-duper modern PC for about £30!

This upgrade is relatively easy, but if you're not too confident about it then ask someone for help. We managed to upgrade our son's old pentium 166 to an athlon with 64Mb graphics card for £70 without any problems, but obviously the old processor was'nt worth anything.

It would be worth checking that your power supply is at least 300w and that your case would fit the motherboard before you do anything.;)

[Background Noise]

Its an endless process, as soon as you upgrade one bit, the other bits become the old bits and on it goes. However a new motherboard/athlon will make a big difference. You can get boards that will accept both your current SDRAM or DDRRAM.

Be a bit careful though with the Dell. (I had a Dimension xps of similar vintage). You might well find that their own power supply won't fit the new board, the case will probably take the new board but the back orifices for the various ports might need a bit of cutting and you may well find that the front switch cables (from the reset, on/off switch etc) won't connect to the new MB (wrong plugs). So it might be worth getting a new case too - it will be much more widely compatible, the PSU will have all the leads and voltages you will need and it will be much more future proof.