Need upgrade info on older Gateway mobo

  • Thread starter Thread starter John Barrington
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John Barrington

I have an older mobo laying around from a Gateway unit that I want to build
strictly for the family to surf with.

The mobo is a Gateway part #4000407 w/ currently a Pentium II 500mhz
installed. I know the maximum memory that it can use, but I don't know the
maximum CPU, and the only thing that I would be interested in is increasing
the CPU if it's possible.

So, what is the maximum CPU allowed?

Here's some additional information about the mobo that might help someone
help me:
http://support.gateway.com/s/MOTHERBD/JABIL/m00407/m00407nv.shtml
 
500 Mhz is fast enough for surfing, even with a broadband connection. The amount of memory you need depends on your OS. You will need 256 MB with WinXP.

John said:
I have an older mobo laying around from a Gateway unit that I want to build
strictly for the family to surf with.

The mobo is a Gateway part #4000407 w/ currently a Pentium II 500mhz
installed. I know the maximum memory that it can use, but I don't know the
maximum CPU, and the only thing that I would be interested in is increasing
the CPU if it's possible.

So, what is the maximum CPU allowed?

Here's some additional information about the mobo that might help someone
help me:
http://support.gateway.com/s/MOTHERBD/JABIL/m00407/m00407nv.shtml
Click to expand...

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Mike Walsh
West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S.A.
 
I have an older mobo laying around from a Gateway unit that I want to build
strictly for the family to surf with.

The mobo is a Gateway part #4000407 w/ currently a Pentium II 500mhz
installed. I know the maximum memory that it can use, but I don't know the
maximum CPU, and the only thing that I would be interested in is increasing
the CPU if it's possible.

So, what is the maximum CPU allowed?

Here's some additional information about the mobo that might help someone
help me:
http://support.gateway.com/s/MOTHERBD/JABIL/m00407/m00407nv.shtml
Click to expand...

Generally speaking, an Intel OEM BX chipset board like that could
run up to 1.1GHz Celeron or 1GHz P3 (100MHz FSB models ONLY) with
a slotket adapter (in other words, these are socket 370 CPUs
needing the adapter for at least conversion to slot 1 interface).

Some also wouldn't support less than 1.8V, though I don't know if
it applies to your specific board. If so, a slotket with manual
voltage jumpers on it (fairly common feature) might be needed,
set to that 1.8V minimum value suppported. Note that CPU default
voltage will be less than this, somewhere inbetween 1.5-1.75V,
but back in that day many people did this type of upgrade and
1.8V is historically seen as still low enough to be "safe" and
promote acceptible lifespan (chips still run today) and not so
high as to create cooling problems with any *normal*, reasonable
quality small heatsink.

The other issues would be if your board unnecessarily halts
system when it can't make a proper CPU ID. IIRC, Intel's last
couple retail board bios did this, but your current bios for this
Gateway OEM board is "probably" not going to do this, odds are
high it'd work fine but even so it would be better to buy CPU
from someplace with a good return policy.

Also keep in mind that you might find an old socket 370
motherboard that can support same CPUs for little more than the
cost of the slotket, or for a little more $, a motherboard
supporting Tualatin Celerons might allow faster CPU while
allowing reuse of your memory (and "probably" power supply too,
depending on how many other power hungry parts are in the system,
in general a 200W PSU is sufficient for a Tualatin CPU in a basic
system config.).

So far as slotted CPUs go, the board might run up to PIII-600, or
higher speed P3 (still only those with 100MHz FSB) in the
coppermines up to same 1GHz, but with these slotted SECC2 CPUs
the board must support voltage lower than 1.8V already, else some
kind of circuit modification will be needed to force board to use
1.8V. You might check any available documentation to see if the
board supports lower than 1.8V, typically the voltage lower limit
would be 1.8V, 1.5V, or rarely 1.3V (IIRC).
 
Mike Walsh said:
500 Mhz is fast enough for surfing, even with a broadband connection. The
Click to expand...
amount of memory you need depends on your OS. You will need 256 MB with
WinXP.

You're right, but I was interested into finding out the maximum CPU this
board could take within reason and without modifying anything (like over
clocking). I was going to keep the upgrading to this baord at a minimum
other than what I might have on hand. I'll buy a few things like a USB 2
port for it, but if I could find a faster but cheap CPU on eBay, I might go
ahead and spring for it.
 
Thanks for the info, kony.

I'm a little slow here, but I think that you are saying that the fastest
*normal* CPU this board will handle will be a 600?
 
Thanks for the info, kony.

I'm a little slow here, but I think that you are saying that the fastest
*normal* CPU this board will handle will be a 600?
Click to expand...

Yes, the older "Katmai" P3 600 in the 100MHz FSB version (or
maybe all of them were 100MHz FSB, I don't remember), not the
Coppermine P3 600 which also came in a SECC2, slot 1 form, IIRC.

I have one of those around here somewhere, if you want it for $12
incl S/H, let me know, but it isn't much of an upgrade from the
500MHz CPU you already have. The coppermines (when used on a
slotket) are a better upgrade option, IMHO.
 
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