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Thinking of replacing the cpu in Dell Dimension 2350

Started by charliedog , Mar 11 2010 12:40 PM

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#1
charliedog

Posted 11 March 2010 - 12:40 PM

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5 posts

I have a seven year old Dell Dimension 2350 running Windows XP, that was recently replaced with a new HP desktop when the PSU died. After replacing the PSU I decided to try a few things just to see what I could learn and accomplish w/o bricking it. So far I've added a wireless PCI card, a PNY GeForce 8400 GS graphics card, and upped the RAM to 2 GB.

From what I've read, the Celeron 1.7 cpu is a bit of a dog, so I'm thinking of replacing it w/ a P4 either 2.2, 2.4, 2.6 as long as it has a 400 FSB, it should be ok, right?

My question is this: do I need to update the BIOS? It presently is version A00, and I see on Dell's support site there are flash updates for A00, A01, and A02. Do I need to flash the BIOS before installing the P4? If I don't, will the machine explode?

TIA

Larry aka Charliedog

#2
peter99

Posted 12 March 2010 - 04:51 AM

Member

Member
283 posts

Check to make sure it’s the right BIOS update for your computer, as using the wrong one will damage the computer.

There are instructions at the site how to use the update,

The following changes have been made to the A01 BIOS to create A02:

1. Updated support for newer Pentium 4 and Celeron CPU's.
2. Added "Series" to the system model string in setup.
3. We now log CMOS checksum errors in the event log.
4. Added F2=System Setup and F12=Boot Menu to system splash screen.
5. System no longer resets upon memory error. System now halts.

Also download the manual as up-dating the CPU you might have to change some jumpers on the motherboard