What is involved when u want to switch a processor ?

Question

I am taking a computer class I know generally how to physically take it out but I was wondering about changing one thats not of the same brand

I have an IBM tower that is pretty good single core 1.64 GHZ but was wondering if you can take a newer dual or Quad Core and stick it in there? if no how hard is it to find the IBM board with a newer processor I heard that IBM can be tricky when it comes to switching parts

note: runs Windows XP

Answer 1

You first have to check your socket type. AMD and Intel make different sockets, so you can't mix motherboards and CPU's. IBM makes almost all its computers with Intel chips.

If its Intel, and your motherboard doesn't have socket LGA 775, then the new Intel processors won't even fit. Even if you do have LGA 775, motherboards made before dual and quad core processors will not handle them, simply because they were not made to do so.

If its AMD, you can get away with putting a dual core in a socket 939, if you can find a CPU that's compatible. For quadcore, the motherboard must be socket AM2+.

You need to get the model number of your motherboard and look up its specifications online. I would bet that since its a 1.6 GHz, its fairly old, and won't take a dual or quad core proccessor.

EDIT: There is a very very slim chance that it supports dual core proccessors, if it is from 2002.