DIYbanter - Compaq Armada 110

On Mon, 21 Apr 2008 21:03:50 +0200, B³a¿ej wrote:

Hi,

I have Compaq Armada 110. I've just upgraded the CPU from Celeron 700MHz
to
P3 850MHz, but
the computer is very unstable after that. He can crash a few minutes
after
power on, and then I must wait to power it again.

I found SW1 switch near the processor. Does anyone know what it is about?
How
is should be set for 850MHz.

Any suggestion how to resolve this issue?

Any advice will be appreciated.

Regards,
Blazej

Most motherboards have pretty clear explanations for the functions of
various
connectors and switches printed directly on the PCB. There is also quite
likely
a diagram somewhere inside the casing which repeats the same information
in a
slightly more user friendly format.

Likely causes for an unstable computer after a CPU upgrade, in the order
that I
would check:

1. Overheating CPU. If your CPU socket is Slot A (the actual CPU is
mounted in
a cartridge, with fan and heatsink being integral units) then this is not
the
case. Otherwise, there is a good chance that the heatsink and fan are
either
under-rated for the new CPU, or are not making a good enough contact with
the
surface of the chip. The heatsink is obviously making SOME contact,
otherwise
the PC would shut down within seconds, and possibly destroy the chip.
Also,
confirm that the fan has been connected to power correctly, and is turning.

2. Incorrect settings. There are three of these to be concerned about -
Bus
Frequency, Multiplier, and Voltage. Ignore voltage settings - they're not
the
problem. The Bus frequency (which may be referred to by a different name)
sets
the clock by which the entire system runs. The multiplier steps this
frequency
up to drive the CPU. Many Intel CPU's do their own multiplying so this
setting
may not exist on your PC. These settings can be set either via hardware
(DIP
switches or jumpers), or in the BIOS software. The software will be self-
explanatory, while the hardware almost always has a little chart somewhere
to
list the various settings for the switches/jumpers. The bus frequency and
clock
multiplier should be set to generate your new CPU's correct speed.
Possible
correct combinations would include a bus speed of 100MHz, and multiplier
of 8.5x
(100MHz x 8.5 = 850, the correct speed). It is important that the bus
speed still
match the capabilities of the other components (memory, etc), so you will
most
likely only need to set the multiplier, but as I said earlier, this is
probably
automatically controlled by the CPU itself.

Failing these two items, doublecheck that you didn't shift or damage
anything while
changing the CPU. there is a slim chance that the new CPU draws more
power and
the existing PSU can no longer reliably power the system, but this is VERY
unlikely.
The most likely solution is an overheating CPU.

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