upgrade

[astro]

I have a P166MMX and 32Mhz ram. I'm wanting to upgrade to P233MMX and 64 Mhz ram. I don't know what MB I have and the company I bought it from doesn't answer my mail. The invoice says; Item number:COMP-PNT/TX32/T Description: PNTMB/TX/NOCPU/32MBE/512/FDD/TO
Is anyone familiar with this MB and can tell me if it will handle this upgrade.

If this would not be a good choice of upgrading, then what AT up grade should I do. I don't want to change cases. Any advice and help is appreciated.

[nk4]

When you bootup the computer, before the memory count, what does it say? It should report the chipset and model of the motherboard. Your chipset is probably P5I430TX and after that is the model. Try putting this info on a search engine and there is a chance you might come up on the manufacturers page or an old review of the board which mentions the manufacturers name.
There you should find the info you need.
The motherboard itself may have a sticker on that reveals the manufacturer.

Once you locate your board search for a cpu compatibility list, or the latest bios for your motherboard. Chances are you can upgrade at least to 64MB of ram and at least 200mmx, if not 233.
In any case this is not that faster from what you have. You are better off changing everything, and Im afraid that includes the case. I doubt you can even find a 233 unless second hand.
If you motherboard can take it, you might be able to get a k6-2/300 but again its not worth it. You'll feel the need to upgrade again in 3 months time.
A celeron system with motherboard and case is not that expensive anymore.

[ANTONIO E GUERRA]

As far as I know, a Tx motherboard will allow to upgrade up to 64 meg will a reasonable increase in performance, but if you add more than 64, the system will run very slowly. It is one of the limitations of the TX and TXpro chipsets.

[MR COMPUTER]

There is a string of numbers and letters,on the first screen when your computer boots up This "Bios String" can be used to identify your mainboard.Once your board is identified,we'll know what you can be upgraded to.You may not need to buy another board!Post the number,We'll help. http://www.sysopt.com/forum/wink.gif
PS:I have two Tx boards running 128 meg of ram.Great performance increase over 32 or 64.

[astro]

Well, after 7 months of calling, emailing and writing, today I received a mainboard manual. One day after post. You guys are tops and I appreciate that we have people like you so willing to help others.
The MB is a FIC PT-2007 and can upgrade to 233Mhz and accepts 256MB RAM using 4 SIMMS of 8,16,32,64 and 128MB with support from FPM and EDO DRAM and 2 DIMMS of 8,16,32,64 and 128MB w/support for EDO DRAM and SDRAM.

Thanks again.
Astro

[DavidX]

astro
You may find that your manual gives a maximum of 233MHz simply because that was the fastest CPU at the time it was written. It still is the fastest Socket 7 CPU made by Intel. But if your motherboard is not limited to just Intel, then you might want to try an AMD K6-2/300MHz. On the other hand, as nk4 said, for a bit more money you can upgrade the whole shebang.

Mr Computer
Yup, I also have a TX board with 128Mb RAM. Despite it disabling L2 cache, it still seems an improvement http://www.sysopt.com/forum/smile.gif

[MR COMPUTER]

astro - Look near the center of your mb.The jumpersettings for an Amd 266 are marked in white.Thats the max for that board. Good board overall! http://www.sysopt.com/forum/wink.gif

[astro]

DavidX and Mr Computer,
I am only about 20 months from the first time I turned a computer on, so please bare with me.(which is about the age of this computer.) I just removed the outer case and I really didn't see what you was speaking of. (AMD white marking.) I did see in the manual that it accepts AMD-K6 and Cyrix/Ibm M2.

I looked on PriceWatch and found P233mmx and 32 more Ram for around 86.00. I also checked prices for going with new mainboard,ATX case, Cel. 400 amd 64MB Ram for a little over 300.00. I'm concerned about the 128 cache compare to the 512 I have now. Again, I really don't know that much about what I'm talking about.I use the Pc more for the internet than anything else. I would really like to do the upgrade myself and the complete overhaul looks spooky. I also have been reading about overclocking, but I know someone else will have to do that if I went that way.
Thanks Guys,
Astro

[Ziz]

Don't worry about the cache issue.

A) With a C400a you're getting over double the raw processor speed you've got now.

B) The Celeron cache is built into the processor, so even though it's a lower amount, it's running at twice the speed of the cache on any other processor, P2 included.

C) If you don't want to change your case, there are a handful of AT format boards that will take a Celeron or P2, provided it clears the interior layout of your case. I know Asus has a P2B variant in AT format, and I've seen them by other MB companies too. That either saves you $50 to $75 on a case, or gives you that much extra money to buy more memory, better video, better sound, whatever.

Don't worry about overclocking until you have the machine running at standard specs first. As far as doing the upgrade yourself, if you know how to use a screwdriver, you're on your way. Take your time. Make notes of what you're doing every step of the way. If you have a Polaroid camera (the kind with the pictures that develop themselves) take pics along the way and number them so that you have a visual record in case you have to backtrack. First time is always scary, it gets easier after that.

[astro]

Thanks Ziz, That,s good information. All of you are most helpful and I appreciate it>

[AuraEdge]

PMMX has 512k cache??
i know all about cels full speed 128k and PII and PIII's 512k half speed and Xeons full speed 512k and AMD K6-3's full speed 256k...but i havent a clue about older comps since i just learned about comp engineering about 2 months ago

[800XL]

PMMX chips have an L1 cache of 32k. With socket7 motherboards the L2 cache is on the motherboard and was usually 256k or 512k. The Celeron has 128k of L2 cache built into the chip, the PII has 512k of L2 on the Slot 1 card. The PII class (including the PPro) integrate the L2 cache with the CPU instead of putting it on the motherboard.

[MR COMPUTER]

Hey astro - I just did an upgrade to a PT2007.I added an AMD 233mmx and 64 meg of edo ram.Runs great! I consider this a good low dollar upgrade.I upgraded the bios at the same time.Customer is pleased! http://www.sysopt.com/forum/wink.gif

[astro]

I think maybe that would be my best bet since I'm not to sure of myself. That is go with a 233 of some sort and 64MB ram. I could very easy spend over $300 on case, board, processor and ram, then would end up doing sound, video and HD. By this time I could probably buy a PIII 500 with 9 gig's for the same amount.

[Ziz]

Yeah, you could end up spending big bucks, but part of the reason you're here instead of just shopping for a new machine is because you're at least a little bit interested in the workings of your computer. By upgrading a bit at a time, not only do you learn what's going on in there, you can determine what you have and what you need to upgrade next. Once you know how to fix your machine, you pretty much know how to fix someone else's machine....see where this is going? I went from being self taught to running a Tech Center at a Staples store. (I've moved on since then, but that helped me get the job I have now.)

If you're interested in making your machine work better (as opposed to just making it work at all), then venture into the upgrade. It might lead to a career, and the way computers are becoming more and more a part of everyday life, you've practically got job security for as long as you live!

[brandon184]

i think you mean 32MB and 64MB of RAM, instead of 32Mhz and 64Mhz of RAM buddy. http://www.sysopt.com/forum/smile.gif

[astro]

Thanks Brandon 184 but I think most everyone knew what I was speaking of.

[brandon184]

i know, but I just thought I'd clear that up. http://www.sysopt.com/forum/smile.gif