Confusion with P4-M -- Retail Versus OEM?!?

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Hi all...

I ordered a Pentium 4-M from PC Connection, and it arrived.
The thing is, it arrived, in an Intel box, but without the fan
and heat-sync it was supposed to come with.

I called PC Connection, and they said, yes, it was supposed to come
with one. But they didn't know why it didn't.

I called Intel, and they quickly told me that only OEM versions come
without fan and heatsink, so I should tel PC Connection they sold me
an OEM chip.

I did a bit of research, and, supposedly, OEM versions don't come in
Intel boxes.

So I'm confused... I've got an Intel box, unopened, but it contains
a chip and manual, but no fan nor heatsink.

What's going on here? Anyone have any experience with this kind of thing?

Also, I want to replace my IBM Thinkpad A31's P4M 1.8Ghz with this new
P4M 2.4Ghz chip. Can I use the fan and heatsink it already has, or are
the ones that come with a Retail version of the P4M 2.4Ghz chip
beefier somehow?

- Tim


--
 
Spammay Blockay said:
Also, I want to replace my IBM Thinkpad A31's P4M 1.8Ghz with this new
P4M 2.4Ghz chip. Can I use the fan and heatsink it already has, or are
the ones that come with a Retail version of the P4M 2.4Ghz chip
beefier somehow?
Click to expand...

Call Intel again or check the power consumption specs for both CPUs. The new
ones should dissipate less heat, but it's still 2.4 GHz against 1.8 so
check..
 
Spammay said:
I ordered a Pentium 4-M from PC Connection, and it arrived.
The thing is, it arrived, in an Intel box, but without the fan
and heat-sync it was supposed to come with.
Click to expand...

Is it an OEM CPU? Only intel boxed CPUs come with heat sink...

But then, I wonder what kind of heat sink should come with an P4-M CPU as
these CPUs are usually used in notebooks, and notebooks have very customized
heatsink/fan constructions...
Also, I want to replace my IBM Thinkpad A31's P4M 1.8Ghz with this new
P4M 2.4Ghz chip. Can I use the fan and heatsink it already has, or
are the ones that come with a Retail version of the P4M 2.4Ghz chip
beefier somehow?
Click to expand...

I upgraded my IBM A31 recently from P4-M 1.4 to P4-M 2.2GHz, and I re-used
the original fan/heat sink. It works fine, the temperature didn't raise any
higher than with the old CPU even under full load. SO the 2.4GHz CPU should
be fine, too.

As to the heatsink/fan, You have to use the original heatsink/fan because
notebooks have customized constructions, and standard fans/heatsinks don't
fit. So it doesn't matter if Your CPU would come with heatsink or not,
simply because this heatsink won't fit...

Benjamin
 
Hi all...

I ordered a Pentium 4-M from PC Connection, and it arrived.
The thing is, it arrived, in an Intel box, but without the fan
and heat-sync it was supposed to come with.

I called PC Connection, and they said, yes, it was supposed to come
with one. But they didn't know why it didn't.

I called Intel, and they quickly told me that only OEM versions come
without fan and heatsink, so I should tel PC Connection they sold me
an OEM chip.
Click to expand...

I wasn't aware that retail versions of mobile CPUs existed - laptop buyers
are not expected to even be capable of opening them up. If it really was
supposed to come with a heatsink, you may have been sold an "open box"
where a previous buyer kept the heatsink - PC Connection should make good
on this.
I did a bit of research, and, supposedly, OEM versions don't come in
Intel boxes.

So I'm confused... I've got an Intel box, unopened, but it contains
a chip and manual, but no fan nor heatsink.

What's going on here? Anyone have any experience with this kind of thing?

Also, I want to replace my IBM Thinkpad A31's P4M 1.8Ghz with this new
P4M 2.4Ghz chip. Can I use the fan and heatsink it already has, or are
the ones that come with a Retail version of the P4M 2.4Ghz chip
beefier somehow?
Click to expand...

Have you already downloaded the hardware manual for the A31:
http://www-3.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/MIGR-39298.html ? You might find
something in there about possible different types of heatsinks for the
different processor models.

Rgds, George Macdonald

"Just because they're paranoid doesn't mean you're not psychotic" - Who, me??
 
Call Intel again or check the power consumption specs for both CPUs. The new
ones should dissipate less heat, but it's still 2.4 GHz against 1.8 so
check..
Click to expand...

I called them, and they said I can reuse my current fan and heatsync.
THIS time, they also told me that that chip DOESN'T come with a fan
and heatsync. So I heard both things from two different guys...
Oh well, I'll just use the damn chip. :-)

- Tim

--
 
Benjamin said:
I upgraded my IBM A31 recently from P4-M 1.4 to P4-M 2.2GHz, and I
re-used the original fan/heat sink. It works fine, the temperature
didn't raise any higher than with the old CPU even under full load. SO
the 2.4GHz CPU should be fine, too.
Click to expand...

May we assume that it now kicks-ass compared to the old CPU? I was
looking at the R41, but if the A31 takes the upgrade it may be fine for
what I want, and even available used if I look.
 
Is it an OEM CPU? Only intel boxed CPUs come with heat sink...

But then, I wonder what kind of heat sink should come with an P4-M CPU as
these CPUs are usually used in notebooks, and notebooks have very customized
heatsink/fan constructions...
Click to expand...

It was in a retail box... but today at Intel, the guy I talked
to told me it did NOT come with heatsink and fan. Weird to hear
these opposite bits of info.

The chip has these little metal pegs coming out of one side, which
I suspect are built-in heatsinks (not to be confused with the pins on
the other side).
I upgraded my IBM A31 recently from P4-M 1.4 to P4-M 2.2GHz, and I re-used
the original fan/heat sink. It works fine, the temperature didn't raise any
higher than with the old CPU even under full load. SO the 2.4GHz CPU should
be fine, too.

As to the heatsink/fan, You have to use the original heatsink/fan because
notebooks have customized constructions, and standard fans/heatsinks don't
fit. So it doesn't matter if Your CPU would come with heatsink or not,
simply because this heatsink won't fit...
Click to expand...

Wow, thanks for all the information! I believe I can rest easier
now that I won't have an opened-up notebook with screws all over and
not be able to put the new chip in!

- Tim

--
 
I wasn't aware that retail versions of mobile CPUs existed - laptop buyers
are not expected to even be capable of opening them up. If it really was
supposed to come with a heatsink, you may have been sold an "open box"
where a previous buyer kept the heatsink - PC Connection should make good
on this.


Have you already downloaded the hardware manual for the A31:
http://www-3.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/MIGR-39298.html ? You might find
something in there about possible different types of heatsinks for the
different processor models.
Click to expand...

I've downloaded the manual, haven't looked at it in detail yet.
But I think everything will work out fine now. Thanks!

- Tim

--
 
Bill said:
May we assume that it now kicks-ass compared to the old CPU?
Click to expand...

Yes, it's ass-kicking. It felt like a complete new notebook...
I was
looking at the R41, but if the A31 takes the upgrade it may be fine
for what I want, and even available used if I look.
Click to expand...

I like the A31, and certainly never will give it away. It's now ~2.5yrs old
but runs over 8hrs/day and doesn't get handled very carefully, and always
served me without problems...

Benjamin
 
Spammay said:
It was in a retail box... but today at Intel, the guy I talked
to told me it did NOT come with heatsink and fan. Weird to hear
these opposite bits of info.
Click to expand...

Maybe the first guy didn't notice You were talking about a mobile chip...
The chip has these little metal pegs coming out of one side, which
I suspect are built-in heatsinks (not to be confused with the pins on
the other side).
Click to expand...

No, that's the CPU die ccover. P4-M doesn't have a heat spreader but only a
die cover like the old FCPGA P3s or the AMD Athlons...
Wow, thanks for all the information! I believe I can rest easier
now that I won't have an opened-up notebook with screws all over and
not be able to put the new chip in!
Click to expand...

You don't have to open much, replacing the CPU at the A31 is very easy...

Benjamin
 
You don't have to open much, replacing the CPU at the A31 is very easy...
Click to expand...

The hardware manual has about 5 or 6 things it says I have to remove
to get to the CPU. One is the battery, admittedly, but there seem to be
a few things to take out (daughtercard, keyboard, fan cover, etc.).

- Tim

--
 
Tim,

Spammay Blockay said:
I called them, and they said I can reuse my current fan and heatsync.
THIS time, they also told me that that chip DOESN'T come with a fan
and heatsync. So I heard both things from two different guys...
Oh well, I'll just use the damn chip. :-)
Click to expand...

As I said to you in the forums, Benjamin is correct that the mobile
processors don't come with heatsinks and fans in the Retail boxes as these
are machine specific, not universal like in a desktop.

Another thing to consider is maxing out the RAM in your unit. As I and
others have mentioned the A31 series will happily max out at 2GB with two
PC2100 or PC2700 sticks of 200 pin DDR-SDRAM.

--
Regards,

James

Checkout the NEW Thinkpad Forums: http://forum.thinkpads.com
 
Spammay said:
Hi all...

I ordered a Pentium 4-M from PC Connection, and it arrived.
The thing is, it arrived, in an Intel box, but without the fan
and heat-sync it was supposed to come with.
Click to expand...

I would tend to think that mobile chips would not come with an Intel
fan/sink, as notebook designs are highly specialized and what might fit
in one might not fit in another.
 
Tim,



As I said to you in the forums, Benjamin is correct that the mobile
processors don't come with heatsinks and fans in the Retail boxes as these
are machine specific, not universal like in a desktop.
Click to expand...

And as I said there, as well, that's what Intel told me the second
time I called. But thanks again! :-)
Another thing to consider is maxing out the RAM in your unit. As I and
others have mentioned the A31 series will happily max out at 2GB with two
PC2100 or PC2700 sticks of 200 pin DDR-SDRAM.
Click to expand...

Yes yes, we've also talked about this -- I put in a 1GB chip, along
with the existing 256MB chip. The 2nd GB chip would have made it a little
more than I wanted to pay (what with the new processor and the age of
the machine taken into account). I rarely need more than 512MB, actually,
unless I'm running something like WSAD (a massive IDE).

Although I suppose some multimedia editors can take advantage of a huge
amount of RAM by never having to swap while doing file transformations,
etc. for big files (movies, etc.). I'll live with my paltry 1.25GB for
now. :-)

- Tim

--
 
Spammay said:
The hardware manual has about 5 or 6 things it says I have to remove
to get to the CPU. One is the battery, admittedly, but there seem to
be a few things to take out (daughtercard, keyboard, fan cover, etc.).
Click to expand...

Just remove the battery, then remove the keyboard and the keyboard cover,
and You have access to the CPU fan/heatsink combo...

The whole replacement took less than 30min...

Benjamin
 
Just remove the battery, then remove the keyboard and the keyboard cover,
and You have access to the CPU fan/heatsink combo...

The whole replacement took less than 30min...
Click to expand...

Thanks! Good to know! Should I use one of those anti-static wrist bands?

- Tim

--
 
Spammay said:
Thanks! Good to know! Should I use one of those anti-static wrist
bands?
Click to expand...

Well, I have an ESD workplace and always wear an ESD wrist strap. But it
should be enough to ground yourself before doing the CPU replacement. You
don't have to touch any electronic components except the CPUs itself, and
these should also only be hold on the corners. Don't touch the pins.

Benjamin
 
JHEM said:
Tim,




As I said to you in the forums, Benjamin is correct that the mobile
processors don't come with heatsinks and fans in the Retail boxes as these
are machine specific, not universal like in a desktop.

Another thing to consider is maxing out the RAM in your unit. As I and
others have mentioned the A31 series will happily max out at 2GB with two
PC2100 or PC2700 sticks of 200 pin DDR-SDRAM.
Click to expand...
I just ordered the Acer newegg had on sale, with a 1.5 Pentium-M. It
comes with a 512M RAM, at some point I *may* want to put in one of the
new 2.x processors, assuming it's a drop-in.
 
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