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Evergreen Tech. CPU upgrades

I have a Dell Dimension XPS P100c computer. I would like to upgrade the CPU. I have contacted Dell and they say that the maximum speed CPU that I can put in my computer is 133MHz. I have contacted Evergreen Tech. and they say that their Spectra 400 will work in my system with a file that I can download from their site. Since I talked to Evergreen Tech., I have received an advertisment for Evergreen Tech.'s 200MHz CPU for only $59. Their ads say that it will work with any 75MHz or higher computer. Has anyone made either upgrade to a Dell XPS P100c?

jhance

I'd save the $59 and put it toward a new CPU/motherboard combination or a new system. The Evergreen chip will probably work in the Dell XPS but I suspect you will be disappointed with the performance boost. The Dell Dimension uses a standard ATX form factor motherboard and you can by a replacement from many sources.

A new Socket370 motherboard is $60-$150 and a Celeron 400 is about $75.

RoadWarrior

These guys offer value for money upgrades too
www.powerleap.com

but they caution.....

""Original DELL BIOS is written to prevent any
non-Intel CPU from working. However,
K6-compatible BIOS versions for many Dell
systems are available from Unicore. and
MicroFirmware.""

Evergreen do have some type of incompatible bios support with their products, but it is going to be a bit of a kludge if the machine won't support other processors natively.

Keep an eye on this page here, and put yourself on their mailing list,
http://www.compgeeks.com/cgi-bin/prod_disp.asp?cat=Mboards

I got a K6 and ATX motherboard and fan deal from these guys for the price of that upgrade, running at 300Mhz, and it was here within a couple of days. They don't have quite such a good deal for ATX at the moment, they sell out of their good deals quickly. Looking at their listing as of posting, you can put together a Slot 1 Celeron 300 upgrade for under $100 (CPU, motherboard, fan) but I guess you will need ram too, I imagine you have SIMMs. You could get the PC Chips motherboard they have with sound and video onboard, it has 2 SIMM sockets, probably not worth doing unless you have 32Mb or more in 2 SIMMS, better to buy new RAM.

regards,

Road Warrior

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pjknibbs

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nutwiss

yep... I agree whole-heartedly - my father was desperate to upgrade his P75, he was going to use the same Evergreen 200 as yourself, I finally convinced him to have a Slot1 Celeron 350 - I cost about £30 more than the upgrade, but has the additional benefits of:

faster Bus
more RAM potential

upgradability (your overdrive system would be scrap in <12 months)

A nice new case! (oops, forgot to mention that, unless you can find a decent AT board)

RPDC

ASKER

I accept pjknibbs'ans. as the best posted. Although I was specifically looking for someone who had made the upgrade to tell me if it went smoothly or not. I was aware of the advantages to a new motherboard, but was reluctant to go that route since I have 80Meg of dRAM in my system. If I go with a new motherboard, I will have to buy new RAM. I was planning to keep this system, even if I leave it with the 100MHz CPU in it, and let my wife use it for wordprocessing and internet access.