Upgraded the CPU on my antique HP 8370 Pavillion

[Robert Casey]

This old Win 98 box I was able to upgrade from a Pentium II
333MHz 100FSB to a Pentium III 551MHz 100FSB. SOme months
ago I couldn't get this system to work with a Pentium III
at 650MHz.

I picked up some used CPUs at a hamfest this morning,
blew a whole $20 for 4 CPUs, two Pentium IIs and two
Pentium IIIs. All worked, though I kept the fastest
one in the system. So far all my regularly used software
likes the new CPU, though the VGA adapter did get a little
testy for a while. Had to reload the drivers.

I suppose that I now crunch numbers 5/3rds as fast as
before. Of course HD accesses and such are the same as
before.

 

[Tony Hill]

This old Win 98 box I was able to upgrade from a Pentium II
333MHz 100FSB to a Pentium III 551MHz 100FSB. SOme months
ago I couldn't get this system to work with a Pentium III
at 650MHz.

Powerleap (www.powerleap.com) will sell you a 1.4GHz Celeron chip that
is designed for your system. Of course, it'll cost you $100, but
that's probably the fastest you could drop into the system.

I suppose that I now crunch numbers 5/3rds as fast as
before. Of course HD accesses and such are the same as
before.

I know myself and some others have found that a new hard drive often
provides the most noticeable improvement in the "feel" of the system,
even if it doesn't always make the biggest difference on benchmarks.