Upgrading your CPU can be a fast and
simple way to invigorate an aged sys-
tem. The process is not difficult, but it is
important to exercise caution during the
upgrade because the CPU can be dam-
aged if not handled correctly.
Before purchasing a new CPU, make
sure your existing motherboard will sup-
port it. (See our chart for general compat-
ibility.) Also, be sure to check the mother-
board manufacturer’s web site for a BIOS
update which may add compatibility for
higher processor speeds.
To help prevent damage to sensitive
components, make sure you are properly
grounded whenever you touch or handle
computer hardware. To this end, you
should periodically touch the metal parts
of your case or power supply or buy an
antistatic electricity wristband. You may
find it easier to perform this and many
other upgrades if you first remove the
motherboard from the case.
First, unplug the system and discon-
nect all the attached cables. Open the
case and lay it on its side. Locate the
CPU fan’s power supply and unplug it
from the motherboard connector.
Remove the heatsink/fan (HSF), which
is held in place by metal clips that are
attached to plastic retention tabs on the
CPU socket. One of the metal clips will
have a groove into which you should
insert a flat head screwdriver. Apply an
even downward pressure and push down
and out until the clip is released. Now
remove the HSF. Be careful to not let the
screwdriver slip—it can damage your
motherboard.
Raise the metal CPU retention lever
located on the socket. The socket will
slide to the side, releasing the CPU.Remove the old CPU from the socket.
Install your new CPU, taking care to
properly align the pins in the socket.
Lower the CPU retention lever. Now install
the new HSF according to the manufac-
turer’s directions. Secure the metal clips
using the same method used to uninstall
the old HSF. Now connect the fan’s power
supply to the motherboard connector.
Start up your system and make sure
the fan is working and the CPU is prop-
erly recognized by your motherboard.
Close your case and you’re good to go!5) Upgrade Your CPU
CHIPSET CPU SUPPORT
VIA KT133, KT133A, KLE133 Athlon, Duron
VIA KT266, KT266A,
KT333, KT400
Athlon, Duron,
Athlon XP
VIA K8T800 Athlon 64, Athlon 64 FX FX-51
AMD 760 Athlon, Duron, Athlon XP
ALi MAGiK 1 Athlon, Duron, Athlon XP
SiS 733 Athlon, Duron
SiS 735, 745, 748 Athlon, Duron, Athlon XP
Sis 755 AMD 64
nVidia nForce 415-D, 420-D,
615-D 620-D Athlon, Duron, Athlon XP
nVidia nForce2, nForce 2 400 Athlon, Duron, Athlon XP
nVidia nForce3 AMD 64
nVidia nForce3 Pro AMD 64 FX, FX-51
ATI Radeon IGP 320 Athlon, Duron, Athlon XP
ATI Radeon IGP 330 P4, P4A
ATI Radeon IGP 340 P4, P4A, P4B
ALi ALADDiN-P4 P4, P4A
Intel 845, 845E, 850 P4, P4A
Intel 850E, 865P P4, P4A, P4B
Intel 875P P4, P4A, P4B, P4EE
VIA P4X266, P4X266A P4, P4A
VIA P4X333 P4, P4A, P4B
SiS 645 P4, P4A
SiS 645DX, 648 P4, P4A, P4BEveryone knows striped RAID is faster
than a greased chicken, but many
people overlook the fact that it’s pos-
sible to optimize an array to perfectly
suit its potential workload. When creat-
ing the array, one screen usually lets
you choose a specific “block size,” also
known as the “stripe size.” This refers
to the size of the data chunks that are
saved to your drives. If you choose a
64K block size and have a 128K file, it
will be written to both drives because
each drive will receive a 64K chunk. If
you had a 256K file, the file would be
broken up into four chunks; two for
each drive. But if you have a 48K file,
it will reside on just one disk, thereby
negating the advantage of parallel pro-cessing afforded by RAID.
In general, desktop users and gam-
ers should stick with a stripe size
between 16K and 64K. These small
blocks tend to offer the biggest per-
formance boosts in both disk I/O as
well as transfer rates. However, if
you do a lot of work with huge files,
such as those created in Photoshop
or Premiere, a stripe size of 512K to
1024K will do wonders for transfer
rates and drive performance. If you’re
interested in a larger block size, check
the RAID controller’s specs before pur-
chase; while every RAID chipset offers
small block sizes, few offer the option
of large block sizes.6) Optimize Your Striped RAID Array