Q 6600

[kickstand]

Will an Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 run on an E-Machine EL 1850G-W42 motherboard? If it will, what can I expect as an improvement?

[mavroxur]

The actual model # ends in 42W, not W42. In theory, that board should support Core 2 Quad processors, but I can't find anywhere that definitively says yes. It does show to support FSB speeds up to 1333 though, so if you decide to go the Core Duo route, i'd pick up a Core 2 Duo E8400 (or 8500/8600) chip. A C2D E8400 would run absolute circles around the stock CPU, which shows to be a Celeron E3400 on the eMachine website. Just be sure to update to the latest BIOS before swapping chips. If you have a Core 2 Quad laying around, it never hurts to try it and let us know if it works.