Hi, I do a lot of video editing, and right now the rendering takes a very long time. I am hoping to speed this up by upgrading the CPU. Currently, I have an Intel Celeron 600MHz processor with 128 L2 cache. It's got a Coppermine core and a Socket 370 FC-PGA package. It's got a 66MHz FSB, also. My motherboard is an Intel CA810E with BIOS version A08. The computer is a Dell Dimension L600cx with some upgrades (384 MB RAM, new video card & hard drive). What can I upgrade this processor to, and what adapters and things will I need to do it? (I assume that if I bought a Tualatin processor, I would need an FC-PGA2 adapter?) Would my motherboard be compatible with a higher speed FSB (such as 100MHz or 133MHz)? What about the lower voltage of a Tualatin processor? I think I would want at least a 1.2GHz processor, if possible. Also, should I get a Celeron or a Pentium III? I'm not too concerned about the cost. Would a Pentium III be faster? Lastly, where could I purchase all the items I would need online? Thank you for your assistance!! -Burbble

If you are serious about upgrading to be able to do video editing at a reasonable speed, I strongly suggest that you upgrade to at least an AMD 2000+ or Pentium 2.0 GB. Both these chips are now 'obsolete' and relatively inexpensive. You will need a new motherboard and memory also, but you will have acceptable performance!

Ok, to start with, follow this link to Intels spec page on this board. This board actually supports up to 133Mhz system bus speed but it depends on the processor you put into it. It will run up to a 1.0Ghz P3 but some of this is dependent upon the BIOS version/revision which it describes as well. Read the page in its entirety and it should tell you everything you need to know to move further along. As to purchase locations, once I decided what I wanted to do, I would first check Frys Electronics as their large purchasing leverage allows them to sell the level chips you are looking for pretty cheaply (if they still have them). Other than that, call Intel tech support or marketing and they should know where you can find what you are looking for. borelli34

Go here to see if you can overclock that celeron. http://www.tomshardware.com/cpu/20000728/ I agree with rac that you should consider a much faster cpu. You can get an athlon xp2000+ bare bones system (motherboard, cpu, heatsink/fan, case, 300w power supply) for $115-$125 in which you could then put your pc100 memory, your hard drive, cd rom, floppy drive, video card, etc. Those are the pricewatch.com prices. I've bought from the low bidders at pricewatch before and recommend calling three or four of them (they all have about the same price) and talk though the deal with them to get a feel for how they treat you. Ask them if they recommend one of their higher priced motherboards instead of the one you're calling about as a way of drawing out their failure rate with the board in question. Also ask them if your pc100 memory will work and still allow the cpu to run off a 133mhz clock. Many boards allow the memory speed to be 100 while the cpu is 133, but others will underclock the cpu to 100 to match the memory, making your new cpu run like an xp1500. My current board allows separate 100mhz dram clock and 133mhz cpu clock. Or you could just get new memory that runs at 133. I do a lot of buying from micropro.com but their deal on a barebone xp2000 is in the $200s.

Thank you all for your replies, I've decided to get a Barebone XP2000+ system, and 512 MB of PC2100 DDR RAM. I've already got a 120GB hard drive, firewire card, monitor, etc. The computer I have now would only be upgradable to 833MHz, according to Dell. Even a 1GHz CPU with a Coppermine core would not be much faster than the one I have now. Thanks again for your assistance! -Burbble