I'm thinking about upgrading the CPU on my gracefully aging Dimension 4500, not because it makes sense - probably doesn't - but for the adventure. Wasn't so long ago that changing a light bulb was the extent of my electro-mechanical ability. I've already changed just about everything else (drives, cards, power supply), so upgrading the CPU is my next challange.
The only thing about this job that feels scary to me is replacing the cooling pad. Looks like I'm going to have to do it because the Intel retail kit for my upgrade - the P4 3.06 Northwood - has a heat sink that won't fit into my case. (That's what they say in the Dell Community Forums.)
Does Dell make a kit (CPU + cooling pad + heatsink) for my computer? It would need to include the P4 3.06/533 Northwood. Or if that doesn't exist, can I buy a replacement cooling pad? I guess I'd have to order these things through Dell Spare Parts.
FWIW, the Dell web site says that 2.8GHz is the fastest CPU supported by the
board. I would update the BIOS to the latest before attempting any CPU upgrade,
unless you have already done so.
Dell does not sell any CPU upgrade kits. What you want is simply the "OEM" CPU
without heat sink/cooling fan. Or buy a "retail" kit, and simply do not use its
heat sink/cooling fan. To replace the CPU, remove the entire rear fan assembly,
then the heat sink. The CPU may stick to the heat sink. If so, pry it off
gently with a small screwdriver. Now put the new CPU in, reinstall the Dell
heat sink and rear fan assembly.
One other caveat: If the present CPU does not operate with a 533MHz front side
bus, you may need to replace the presumed PC2100 memory with PC2700.
.... Ben Myers
On Wed, 2 Jul 2008 19:25:13 -0400, "Daddy" <daddy@not.valid.net> wrote:
>I'm thinking about upgrading the CPU on my gracefully aging Dimension 4500, not because it makes sense - probably doesn't - but for the adventure. Wasn't so long ago that changing a light bulb was the extent of my electro-mechanical ability. I've already changed just about everything else (drives, cards, power supply), so upgrading the CPU is my next challange.
>
>The only thing about this job that feels scary to me is replacing the cooling pad. Looks like I'm going to have to do it because the Intel retail kit for my upgrade - the P4 3.06 Northwood - has a heat sink that won't fit into my case. (That's what they say in the Dell Community Forums.)
>
>Does Dell make a kit (CPU + cooling pad + heatsink) for my computer? It would need to include the P4 3.06/533 Northwood. Or if that doesn't exist, can I buy a replacement cooling pad? I guess I'd have to order these things through Dell Spare Parts.
>
>Thanks for your help.
>
>Daddy
Community Forum Members seem to think that the 3.06GHz is the fastest Northwood that my 845E chipset can handle, and that information in Dell documentation to the contrary is dated.
Now I'm no expert...I only know what I read in the Forums. The problem with the 3.06 seems to be the heat sink: It's somewhat larger than the heat sink supplied with the other Northwood processors (including my current 2.26/533) so it won't fit into the retention base.
Now that I know that Dell didn't make an OEM upgrade kit, my remaining options are 1) use my current heat sink - Forum members say it's still good enough for the 3.06; or 2) use the 2.8GHz processor instead, which has the same size heat sink as my current processor, so Intel's retail kit will fit.
If I go with the 2.8GHz processor I don't have to worry about cleaning off the heat sink and learning how to apply Arctic Silver. I read the application instructions and, I don't know, it's not something I would want to try without having someone showing me how to do it.
I presume the reason for removing the rear fan assembly is to give me more room to work?
I got this tip about removing the heat sink from the CPU: Run the computer for a while to make the CPU warm, That will soften the themal pad somewhat.
Thanks again for your help.
Daddy
"Ben Myers" <ben_myers_spam_me_not@charter.net> wrote in message news:197o6453btsa5u4k60srcj79rj82ci8oer@4ax.com...
> FWIW, the Dell web site says that 2.8GHz is the fastest CPU supported by the
> board. I would update the BIOS to the latest before attempting any CPU upgrade,
> unless you have already done so.
>
> Dell does not sell any CPU upgrade kits. What you want is simply the "OEM" CPU
> without heat sink/cooling fan. Or buy a "retail" kit, and simply do not use its
> heat sink/cooling fan. To replace the CPU, remove the entire rear fan assembly,
> then the heat sink. The CPU may stick to the heat sink. If so, pry it off
> gently with a small screwdriver. Now put the new CPU in, reinstall the Dell
> heat sink and rear fan assembly.
>
> One other caveat: If the present CPU does not operate with a 533MHz front side
> bus, you may need to replace the presumed PC2100 memory with PC2700.
>
> ... Ben Myers
>
> On Wed, 2 Jul 2008 19:25:13 -0400, "Daddy" <daddy@not.valid.net> wrote:
>
>>I'm thinking about upgrading the CPU on my gracefully aging Dimension 4500, not because it makes sense - probably doesn't - but for the adventure. Wasn't so long ago that changing a light bulb was the extent of my electro-mechanical ability. I've already changed just about everything else (drives, cards, power supply), so upgrading the CPU is my next challange.
>>
>>The only thing about this job that feels scary to me is replacing the cooling pad. Looks like I'm going to have to do it because the Intel retail kit for my upgrade - the P4 3.06 Northwood - has a heat sink that won't fit into my case. (That's what they say in the Dell Community Forums.)
>>
>>Does Dell make a kit (CPU + cooling pad + heatsink) for my computer? It would need to include the P4 3.06/533 Northwood. Or if that doesn't exist, can I buy a replacement cooling pad? I guess I'd have to order these things through Dell Spare Parts.
>>
>>Thanks for your help.
>>
>>Daddy
>
> Community Forum Members seem to think that the 3.06GHz is
> the fastest Northwood that my 845E chipset can handle, and that
> information in Dell documentation to the contrary is dated.
It's worth a try. You can't harm the system--it just won't work if not
supported.
> Now that I know that Dell didn't make an OEM upgrade kit, my
> remaining options are 1) use my current heat sink - Forum
> members say it's still good enough for the 3.06
It certainly should work. Dell's arrangement of air flow with these is
really pretty good--hot air goes right out of the back of the machine,
instead of being pushed down at the motherboard. You should use Dell's
heat sink.
> I don't have to worry about cleaning off the heat sink and learning
> how to apply Arctic Silver.
I wouldn't worry about this. If you need heatsink compound, the cheap
no-frills stuff they sell in a plastic tube at Radio Shack stores
works fine. Arctic Silver is good stuff but it's unnecessarily
extravagant for most needs.
The basic idea behind applying any heatsink compound is to make sure
that what you apply either covers the heat spreader (the metal top of
the CPU in this case) with a thin layer of compound.
> I presume the reason for removing the rear fan assembly is to
> give me more room to work?
It does make things easier.
> I got this tip about removing the heat sink from the CPU: Run
> the computer for a while to make the CPU warm, That will soften
> the thermal pad somewhat.
The heatsink compound will form a tight bond between CPU and heatsink.
Even if you do this, you may find that the heatsink is difficult to
remove. It sticks to the CPU really firmly, especially after years of
heating up and cooling down. Go slow and be careful.
If other people have succeeded with the 3.06GHz Northwood in a 4500, you can,
too. Use your current heat sink. If you can send me a photo of it (remove
_spam_me_not from email address), I can advise further. Dell used several
models of heat sinks, all the same dimensions, but with different thermal
conductivity properties.
I am sure that the Dell documentation is dated, and that Dell had moved on to
other models (4550? 8250?) by the time the 3.06 was in production.
The reason for removing the rear fan assembly is to give you ROOM to work.
If the thermal pad is not warm and softened, usually both CPU and heat sink come
out stuck together... Ben Myers
On Wed, 2 Jul 2008 21:32:06 -0400, "Daddy" <daddy@not.valid.net> wrote:
>Thanks for the advice.
>
>Community Forum Members seem to think that the 3.06GHz is the fastest Northwood that my 845E chipset can handle, and that information in Dell documentation to the contrary is dated.
>
>Now I'm no expert...I only know what I read in the Forums. The problem with the 3.06 seems to be the heat sink: It's somewhat larger than the heat sink supplied with the other Northwood processors (including my current 2.26/533) so it won't fit into the retention base.
>
>Now that I know that Dell didn't make an OEM upgrade kit, my remaining options are 1) use my current heat sink - Forum members say it's still good enough for the 3.06; or 2) use the 2.8GHz processor instead, which has the same size heat sink as my current processor, so Intel's retail kit will fit.
>
>If I go with the 2.8GHz processor I don't have to worry about cleaning off the heat sink and learning how to apply Arctic Silver. I read the application instructions and, I don't know, it's not something I would want to try without having someone showing me how to do it.
>
>I presume the reason for removing the rear fan assembly is to give me more room to work?
>
>I got this tip about removing the heat sink from the CPU: Run the computer for a while to make the CPU warm, That will soften the themal pad somewhat.
>
>Thanks again for your help.
>
>Daddy
>
>"Ben Myers" <ben_myers_spam_me_not@charter.net> wrote in message news:197o6453btsa5u4k60srcj79rj82ci8oer@4ax.com...
>> FWIW, the Dell web site says that 2.8GHz is the fastest CPU supported by the
>> board. I would update the BIOS to the latest before attempting any CPU upgrade,
>> unless you have already done so.
>>
>> Dell does not sell any CPU upgrade kits. What you want is simply the "OEM" CPU
>> without heat sink/cooling fan. Or buy a "retail" kit, and simply do not use its
>> heat sink/cooling fan. To replace the CPU, remove the entire rear fan assembly,
>> then the heat sink. The CPU may stick to the heat sink. If so, pry it off
>> gently with a small screwdriver. Now put the new CPU in, reinstall the Dell
>> heat sink and rear fan assembly.
>>
>> One other caveat: If the present CPU does not operate with a 533MHz front side
>> bus, you may need to replace the presumed PC2100 memory with PC2700.
>>
>> ... Ben Myers
>>
>> On Wed, 2 Jul 2008 19:25:13 -0400, "Daddy" <daddy@not.valid.net> wrote:
>>
>>>I'm thinking about upgrading the CPU on my gracefully aging Dimension 4500, not because it makes sense - probably doesn't - but for the adventure. Wasn't so long ago that changing a light bulb was the extent of my electro-mechanical ability. I've already changed just about everything else (drives, cards, power supply), so upgrading the CPU is my next challange.
>>>
>>>The only thing about this job that feels scary to me is replacing the cooling pad. Looks like I'm going to have to do it because the Intel retail kit for my upgrade - the P4 3.06 Northwood - has a heat sink that won't fit into my case. (That's what they say in the Dell Community Forums.)
>>>
>>>Does Dell make a kit (CPU + cooling pad + heatsink) for my computer? It would need to include the P4 3.06/533 Northwood. Or if that doesn't exist, can I buy a replacement cooling pad? I guess I'd have to order these things through Dell Spare Parts.
>>>
>>>Thanks for your help.
>>>
>>>Daddy
>>
Ben: I appreciate your offer. I was lucky enough to find a local computer shop that will show me how they apply heatsink compound. After that, I think I'll be good to go.
Daddy
"Ben Myers" <ben_myers_spam_me_not@charter.net> wrote in message news:bf3r649m79a9s0qqs9sgq0l0dn3tknvqto@4ax.com...
> If other people have succeeded with the 3.06GHz Northwood in a 4500, you can,
> too. Use your current heat sink. If you can send me a photo of it (remove
> _spam_me_not from email address), I can advise further. Dell used several
> models of heat sinks, all the same dimensions, but with different thermal
> conductivity properties.
>
> I am sure that the Dell documentation is dated, and that Dell had moved on to
> other models (4550? 8250?) by the time the 3.06 was in production.
>
> The reason for removing the rear fan assembly is to give you ROOM to work.
>
> If the thermal pad is not warm and softened, usually both CPU and heat sink come
> out stuck together... Ben Myers
>
> On Wed, 2 Jul 2008 21:32:06 -0400, "Daddy" <daddy@not.valid.net> wrote:
>
>>Thanks for the advice.
>>
>>Community Forum Members seem to think that the 3.06GHz is the fastest Northwood that my 845E chipset can handle, and that information in Dell documentation to the contrary is dated.
>>
>>Now I'm no expert...I only know what I read in the Forums. The problem with the 3.06 seems to be the heat sink: It's somewhat larger than the heat sink supplied with the other Northwood processors (including my current 2.26/533) so it won't fit into the retention base.
>>
>>Now that I know that Dell didn't make an OEM upgrade kit, my remaining options are 1) use my current heat sink - Forum members say it's still good enough for the 3.06; or 2) use the 2.8GHz processor instead, which has the same size heat sink as my current processor, so Intel's retail kit will fit.
>>
>>If I go with the 2.8GHz processor I don't have to worry about cleaning off the heat sink and learning how to apply Arctic Silver. I read the application instructions and, I don't know, it's not something I would want to try without having someone showing me how to do it.
>>
>>I presume the reason for removing the rear fan assembly is to give me more room to work?
>>
>>I got this tip about removing the heat sink from the CPU: Run the computer for a while to make the CPU warm, That will soften the themal pad somewhat.
>>
>>Thanks again for your help.
>>
>>Daddy
>>
>>"Ben Myers" <ben_myers_spam_me_not@charter.net> wrote in message news:197o6453btsa5u4k60srcj79rj82ci8oer@4ax.com...
>>> FWIW, the Dell web site says that 2.8GHz is the fastest CPU supported by the
>>> board. I would update the BIOS to the latest before attempting any CPU upgrade,
>>> unless you have already done so.
>>>
>>> Dell does not sell any CPU upgrade kits. What you want is simply the "OEM" CPU
>>> without heat sink/cooling fan. Or buy a "retail" kit, and simply do not use its
>>> heat sink/cooling fan. To replace the CPU, remove the entire rear fan assembly,
>>> then the heat sink. The CPU may stick to the heat sink. If so, pry it off
>>> gently with a small screwdriver. Now put the new CPU in, reinstall the Dell
>>> heat sink and rear fan assembly.
>>>
>>> One other caveat: If the present CPU does not operate with a 533MHz front side
>>> bus, you may need to replace the presumed PC2100 memory with PC2700.
>>>
>>> ... Ben Myers
>>>
>>> On Wed, 2 Jul 2008 19:25:13 -0400, "Daddy" <daddy@not.valid.net> wrote:
>>>
>>>>I'm thinking about upgrading the CPU on my gracefully aging Dimension 4500, not because it makes sense - probably doesn't - but for the adventure. Wasn't so long ago that changing a light bulb was the extent of my electro-mechanical ability. I've already changed just about everything else (drives, cards, power supply), so upgrading the CPU is my next challange.
>>>>
>>>>The only thing about this job that feels scary to me is replacing the cooling pad. Looks like I'm going to have to do it because the Intel retail kit for my upgrade - the P4 3.06 Northwood - has a heat sink that won't fit into my case. (That's what they say in the Dell Community Forums.)
>>>>
>>>>Does Dell make a kit (CPU + cooling pad + heatsink) for my computer? It would need to include the P4 3.06/533 Northwood. Or if that doesn't exist, can I buy a replacement cooling pad? I guess I'd have to order these things through Dell Spare Parts.
>>>>
>>>>Thanks for your help.
>>>>
>>>>Daddy
>>>
>
Upgrade CPU on Dimension 4500 
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