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HP Recommended
Pavillion Media Center a1640n
Microsoft Windows 10 (64-bit)

Hi all.  I've been cleaning and updating my granddaughter's desktop PC.  This model uses an Asus P5BW-LA rev 1.05 MB (HP/Compaq name: Buckeye-GL8E), an Intel E6300 CPU with 4x1GB of PC2-6400 RAM and is running a 64-bit Windows 10 Pro installation.

 

I thought I would upgrade the CPU while I was at it and bought a used E6700 which is part of the same Intel product line with all the same specs, except for the clock speed being faster.  The rated FSB on both chips is 1066 and HP's documentations says it should work: http://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c00748726

 

However -- there's always a however isn't there -- the E6700 won't boot into BIOS.  No beep codes or any other indication, just never brings up the boot screen.  I've reset CMOS, tried faster RAM and tried slower RAM but none of those things make any difference.  I checked to see if there was a later/updated BIOS but it appears there was only ever one produced, v3.17, and that's what is currently installed.

 

Does anyone know if there is some technical limitation -- like CPU model being hard coded in BIOS or some such thing -- that keeps this from working or have I likely purchased a bad cpu chip?

 

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

Howard

Resmond, WA

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION

Accepted Solutions
HP Recommended

Greetings,

 

The processor should work as the specs are the same.

 

So, when you reinstall the E6300 it boots correctly but the E6700 is DOA.

 

Sounds like a bad chip. The only way to verify is to install the E6700 in a different motherboard.

 

Cheers!

View solution in original post

5 REPLIES 5
HP Recommended

Greetings,

 

The processor should work as the specs are the same.

 

So, when you reinstall the E6300 it boots correctly but the E6700 is DOA.

 

Sounds like a bad chip. The only way to verify is to install the E6700 in a different motherboard.

 

Cheers!

HP Recommended

Thanks Jay.  DOA, that's pretty much what it looked like but I was hoping for some little known jumper setting. 🙂

 

Thanks and regards,

 

Howard

HP Recommended

Hi,

 

You're welcome.

 

A BIOS update sometimes adds support for additional processors.

 

The last update for this PC was in 2007. It is listed under Win XP and can be found here. There is no documentation on adding additional support for other processors. i would not mess with this update if it has not been applied to the PC. There is always risk involved. It could kill the motherboard.

 

You're running Win 10 on this PC. That's cool.

 

Many newer PC's have all kinds of issues when trying to upgrade to Win 10.

 

Jay.

HP Recommended

It aleady had that BIOS (3.17) installed.

 

This PC had no issues upgrading and has been 100% stable since.  In fact, since the MB chipset and CPU were both 64 bit, I "converted" it from a 32 bit Windows 7 system to a 64 bit Windows 10 system when I upgraded/replaced the OS.

HP Recommended

Well, I "may" have solved the DOA or not issue.  It appears that Intel made two different families of the E6x00 processor -- a 65 nm version codenamed CONROE and a 45 nm version codenamed "WOLFDALE".  The motherboard spec calls out the E6x00 CONROE family but the replacement chip was a WOLFDALE.  Other than than that lithography difference of 65 nm vs 45 nm all the other specs are identical.

 

I guess that difference is enough to keep it from working but given the same socket for both I don't know why.

 

Oh well...

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