Upgrade to processor not supported by BIOS ?

[super_copy]

Hello,

I want to replace my current microprocessor with a faster one which
might not be supported by the BIOS of my motherboard. I am wondering if
it can work, in the sense that even though the BIOS might not print a
nice message saying "I recognize this processor as a XYZ", the system
will still run.

My setup...
Processor= AMD Athlon XP 2100+, Palomino core
Motherboard= Albatron KX400+ Pro
chipset= VIA KT333 + 8235 south bridge
DRAM= 266 MT/s DDR @ 133 MHz actual clock

I want to replace the processor with
AMD Athlon XP 3200+, Barton core

From Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_AMD_Athlon_XP_microprocessors

the spec's for the two processors are:
Athlon XP 2100+ 1733 MHz 256 KiB 266 MT/s 13x 1.75 V 72.0 W March
13, 2002 AX2100DMT3C
Athlon XP 3200+3 2333 MHz 512 KiB 333 MT/s 14x 1.65 V 79.2 W
October 2003 AXDA3200DKV4D

I know my motherboard supports up to Athlon XP 3000+ and Sempron
processors. Based on the assumption that the BIOS can handle FSB
multiplier of 14x (since it supports the 2500+ Barton), would it be safe
to assume that a 3200+ could work? The only difference is in the FSB clocks:
133 MHz * 14x for 2500+ Barton
166 MHz * 14x for 3200+ Barton
....which I can set via a physical jumper on the motherboard.

Thanks for any input!

 

[kony]

Hello,

I want to replace my current microprocessor with a faster one which
might not be supported by the BIOS of my motherboard. I am wondering if
it can work, in the sense that even though the BIOS might not print a
nice message saying "I recognize this processor as a XYZ", the system
will still run.

My setup...
Processor= AMD Athlon XP 2100+, Palomino core
Motherboard= Albatron KX400+ Pro
chipset= VIA KT333 + 8235 south bridge
DRAM= 266 MT/s DDR @ 133 MHz actual clock

I want to replace the processor with
AMD Athlon XP 3200+, Barton core

From Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_AMD_Athlon_XP_microprocessors

the spec's for the two processors are:
Athlon XP 2100+ 1733 MHz 256 KiB 266 MT/s 13x 1.75 V 72.0 W March
13, 2002 AX2100DMT3C
Athlon XP 3200+3 2333 MHz 512 KiB 333 MT/s 14x 1.65 V 79.2 W
October 2003 AXDA3200DKV4D

I know my motherboard supports up to Athlon XP 3000+ and Sempron
processors. Based on the assumption that the BIOS can handle FSB
multiplier of 14x (since it supports the 2500+ Barton), would it be safe
to assume that a 3200+ could work? The only difference is in the FSB clocks:
133 MHz * 14x for 2500+ Barton
166 MHz * 14x for 3200+ Barton
...which I can set via a physical jumper on the motherboard.

It's not safe to assume, but it is likely to work. It's a
try-it-n-see situation, it would not cause damage if it
didn't work, just be sure you get the (rarer?) DDR333 FSB
version of the Barton 3200 instead of the DDR400 version.

Also the following page makes it look like you should first
flash the following linked bios.
"KX400+ 0.19 MB R1.06 2003/10/2 1. Support Barton 3000+
(FSB 333) CPU "
http://www.albatron.com.tw/English/Service/bios_index.asp?keywords=KX400
ftp://ftp.albatron.com.tw/product/it/mb/BIOS/KX400+%20Pro/kx400106.zip

 

[Darklight]

one word of warning i had a AMD Athlon XP 3200+, Barton core
they run dame hot. if you do get one make sure you have a good
heat sink and fan. my advice to you get a AMD Athlon 3000.

don't buy a second hand AMD Athlon 3200

or save your money and go dual core i put together a amd X2 64 bit 5600+
for under £300 that includes psu and case

 

[kony]

one word of warning i had a AMD Athlon XP 3200+, Barton core
they run dame hot. if you do get one make sure you have a good
heat sink and fan. my advice to you get a AMD Athlon 3000.

? Bartons have a larger surface area to heatsink interface,
and lower clockspeed per XP nnnn rating. All else equal a
Barton 3200 will be cooler than a non-barton 3000.

Also they produce less heat than the contemporary P4
Prescott, less heat than today's quad cores (except at idle
Barton was hotter but we can ignore idle temps since any
properly designed system has to deal with the much higher
full load thermal envelope).

The main problem with Athlon XP and P4 era processors was it
took the heatsink industry a while to play catch up and
design better 'sinks like we have today, a modern heatpiped
tower contraption would have no trouble with a Barton and
some of the better heatsinks of that era like Thermalrights
did good too. IOW, it may be better to just avoid the stock
AMD heatsink if one is concerned about overclocking or
reducing noise.

don't buy a second hand AMD Athlon 3200

or save your money and go dual core i put together a amd X2 64 bit 5600+
for under £300 that includes psu and case

Once you're spending more than about $80-110 USD for the
processor, or wanting to overclock, Intel seems to have the
best value at the moment though it's hit-or-miss what
package deals one can find including a case and motherboard.
Fry's often has such deals in the US but not everyone has a
Fry's nearby and often the advertised deals aren't available
for order from their website.