# Microprocessor upgrade?



## jackfish (Dec 27, 2006)

I have a computer with a Pegatron 2A99h 6.01 motherboard with an nVidia MCP61 A3 chipset and AMI 5.15 BIOS running an AMD Athlon II X2 215 microprocessor. Any chipheads know if I can plug in an AMD Athlon II X2 260 and get it to work?


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## Harpmaker (Oct 28, 2007)

jackfish said:


> I have a computer with a Pegatron 2A99h 6.01 motherboard with an nVidia MCP61 A3 chipset and AMI 5.15 BIOS running an AMD Athlon II X2 215 microprocessor. Any chipheads know if I can plug in an AMD Athlon II X2 260 and get it to work?


While I'm having trouble finding out anything about your PC, AMD seems to indicate that there should be no problem using those CPU's on the same mobo. They are the same family, wattage, buss speed, socket type and essentially the same voltage.

http://products.amd.com/en-us/DesktopCPUSideBySide.aspx?id=608&id=693&id=680


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## Infrasonic (Sep 28, 2010)

I've never heard of Pegatron (isn't that a Transformer?) but after some Googling it looks like a small division of ASUS providing OEM parts. What kind of computer is it (Dell etc.)? The X2 260 *should* work (same voltage) but I would buy one retail with a good return policy just incase it doesn't.


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## jackfish (Dec 27, 2006)

Compaq Desktop PC

Yeah, I kinda figured it would be a match but wanted to get your opinions. There is also an AMD Athlon II X2 265 which runs a 3.3 GHz (215 is 2.7 and 260 is 3.2). Is the 19% increase in clock speed worth the $67?

How could I find out if there are AMD Athlon II X3 or X4 chips that might be compatible with that system board and BIOS?


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## Harpmaker (Oct 28, 2007)

jackfish said:


> Compaq Desktop PC
> 
> Yeah, I kinda figured it would be a match but wanted to get your opinions. There is also an AMD Athlon II X2 265 which runs a 3.3 GHz (215 is 2.7 and 260 is 3.2). Is the 19% increase in clock speed worth the $67?


Only you can determine if the upgrade is worth it. I probably wouldn't do it.



> How could I find out if there are AMD Athlon II X3 or X4 chips that might be compatible with that system board and BIOS?


The best way is to go search the hardware manufacturers sites for that info. The mobo maker is the usual place to get that info, but I never did find Pegatron's site. :scratch:

Just found this thread on another tech forum. This mobo has the same chipset as yours. You can read the thread (it's short), but the crux of the matter is that you will have to contact Compaq and hope they have the info you need.

http://www.techsupportforum.com/har...cer-em61sm-em61pm-motherboard-compatible.html


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## jackfish (Dec 27, 2006)

From HP Compaq's documentation on the Compaq 505B MT it appears the top processor which can be used is the AMD Athlon II X3 435 (2.9 GHz). These are currently $75. The AMD Athlon II X2 215 has a CPU Benchmark of 1605 and the AMD Athlon II X3 435 has a CPU Benchmark of 2533. The AMD Athlon II X2 215 has a Sandra Dhrystone of 26669.3 MIPS and the AMD Athlon II X3 435 has a Sandra Dhrystone of 43088.7 MIPS. In addition, it appears that the AMD Athlon II X3 435 can be overclocked to as much as 3.65 GHz in some systems and remain stable. I'll keep you updated as I proceed.


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## Andre (Feb 15, 2010)

What is happening to your system that made you think a cpu upgrade would fix/ significantly improve the problem? I have never beleived in upgrading bits and pieces of computers, run it until the software you want to run is unusable then rebuild from scratch.


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## jackfish (Dec 27, 2006)

Do you tweak your HiFi?


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## Andre (Feb 15, 2010)

With a computer I would consider "tweaking" playing within the registry, adjusting the MTU and other Windows adjustments. I would also consider BIOS adjustments, clock speed, core voltage a tweak. Replacing a brain I consider preemptive surgery in order to save the life of a terminal patient...


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## Infrasonic (Sep 28, 2010)

It depends on what you use your computer for. A lower clocked triple core processor will do better in multi-threaded applications (generally audio and video editing/encoding) and a faster dual core will be better in everything else. Usually games will run better with more Mhz vs more cores but that depends on the game engine.

Basically if the computer works fine now save the money and do a full upgrade down the road (in a year or so), that $75 will go much further.

Here is a pretty good benchmark comparison tool:

http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/desktop-cpu-charts-2010/benchmarks,112.html


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