My desktop pc is an hp a730n that has a intel pentium 4 3.0ghz processor, I recently got a 3.4ghz processor same thing just 400mhz more for free! and yes my motherboard will be able to handle it i called hp to confirm, i want to switch processors so my pc has the 3.4ghz instead of the 3.0ghz, i know it probally will not make that much of a difference but hey it was free and its 400mhz more... i have never did this before but doi i just take out the old processor and put the new one in and drop some thermal glue/paste on it and thats it? do i need to do any configering or some complication crap like that or is it just switch it and it works?
Is this how you change a intel processor?
If HP told you the cpu is compatible I will assume it is. I hope you also got the fan/heatsink with the cpu because if you're going from a 3 GHZ Northwood to a larger 3.4 Prescott you may have some cooling issues as the Prescotts run quite a bit warmer. Replacing a cpu is simple. Remove the heatsink pull the lever on the cpu pull the old one out and slip the new one in. Note at what corner the little gold triangle is on on the one youre pulling and make sure the one you put in has the triangle in same corner. It should just fall into place--you wont have to push it in--if you do you'll bend the pins if its a 478. Clamp the lever down and lock it. Use a soft cloth and Isopropyl alcohol and clear the old heatsink grease off the cpu and heatsink base. Dont touch them cuz that will put oil from your fingers on them. Also dont touch the lower contacts of the cpu or the board where they go either.I suggest Artic Silver 5 heatsink grease, especially if youre using the old heatsink. With Artic Silver 5 you dont cover the whole heatshield with a paper-thin layer on a single-core cpu but put a little 1/2 pea-sized bit right in center of heatshield over the core then gently set the heatsink on it and turn it slightly clockwise and counter-clockwise just a tad as you clamp the fan/heatsink into place. Make sure you take care with the cpu you take out too. Upon startup your puter will prompt you to go into bios because of the cpu change. That's normal and the bios should automatically configure your new cpu. If you get a CPU Ucode error upon startup theres a compatibility issue with the new cpu. You may want to go to the boards website and check what bios you need to have to run the 3.4 and make sure you already have at least that version if you haven't already done so when you called HP.
Is this how you change a intel processor?
You have to clear the CMOS before you start up or the motherboard will run on the same settings it did with the old processor. Try this forum: http://www.buildyourown.org.uk/
There is usually someone around who will be happy to walk you through a small job like that.
