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GemStater
Joined: 12 Aug 2024
Posts: 10
Location: Pacific NW USA
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 Posted: Mon Aug 12, 2024 9:27 pm Post subject: Help with CPU Upgrade: AMD - Socket FM1 - "Llano". |
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...as the title says.
Current known specifications ->
Computer: HP Pavilion Slimline s5-1126
Motherboard: Pegatron AAHD2-HY (Holly), rev 102
CPU: AMD A4-3400 2.7Ghz
I've looked for the motherboard info at cpu-upgrade.com, but couldn't find anything.
I did find a random guy on YouTube who claims this board, or at least rev 1.03, will support CPUs up to A8-3850 and a max TDP of 100W.
Looking at the list of "Llano" processors on Wikipedia here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_AMD_processors_with_3D_graphics#Lynx:_%22Llano%22_(2011)
I see the following two CPUs as the biggest.
1) Athlon II X4 651K
2) A8-3870K
So what I'd like to know before I buy is how do I find out, exactly, what my motherboard will support?
Also, is it possible I'd need to update the motherboard BIOS to install a newer, bigger CPU?
Any other suggestions or recommendations?
Thanks in advance.
EDIT: I already added a graphics card so I don't need integrated graphics . |
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Wasmachineman_NL
Joined: 04 Jul 2019
Posts: 988
Location: Netherlands
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| Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2024 4:53 am Post subject: |
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do yourself a favor: ditch that boat anchor of a computer and get yourself a 6th-7th gen OptiPlex off eBay.
Upgrading that thing is a dead end. |
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GemStater
Joined: 12 Aug 2024
Posts: 10
Location: Pacific NW USA
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| Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2024 9:25 am Post subject: Good point... |
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| Wasmachineman_NL wrote: | do yourself a favor: ditch that boat anchor of a computer and get yourself a 6th-7th gen OptiPlex off eBay.
Upgrading that thing is a dead end. |
Thanks.
I understand what you are saying. I bought this thing from Goodwill for $8.47. So I'm tinkering around on this "boat anchor" just for fun and because it's cheap.
The other variable not mentioned is I've flashed this computer to Linux OS which doesn't have huge system requirements and runs well on this machine.
I also had other parts laying around from my old HP/AMD computer.
To date I've installed an NVIDIA GT610 graphics card at a cost of already paid for. I also found a second stick of RAM on eBay for $7.50/shipped.
So tinkering, recycling old parts and having fun in the process. Besides this machine I have two much newer computers that I actually rely on.
Back to the question at hand: What's the biggest, best CPU upgrade I can install in this machine? |
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crazybubba64
Joined: 03 Jul 2018
Posts: 1371
Location: WI, USA
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| Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2024 9:36 am Post subject: |
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That board supports up to an A8-3850 officially.
Athlon you mentioned may work but I'm not certain.
EDIT: A8-3870K has the same TDP and stepping so I don't see why it wouldn't work.
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KK_Fin
Joined: 01 Jul 2013
Posts: 835
Location: Finland
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| Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2024 10:10 am Post subject: |
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I have a rev 1.03 board with BIOS 8.13 as test board for FM1 CPUs. All CPUs I have tried with it have booted, including A8-3870K.
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GemStater
Joined: 12 Aug 2024
Posts: 10
Location: Pacific NW USA
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| Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2024 11:03 am Post subject: |
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Great! Thanks guys. So to be safe, sounds like I should stick to the A-series CPUs.
Now I already have an AMD Silent CPU Cooler that's rated for 125W. Do you think this will fit the micro-ATX motherboard and Slim HP case? |
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GemStater
Joined: 12 Aug 2024
Posts: 10
Location: Pacific NW USA
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| Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2024 11:07 am Post subject: |
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| Also, have not checked what BIOS version I'm on but I'd suspect it's the factory installed one. How do I go about updating this to the latest version. Is the through the HP website? |
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GemStater
Joined: 12 Aug 2024
Posts: 10
Location: Pacific NW USA
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| Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2024 11:05 pm Post subject: |
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Update: Found that my BIOS version is 7.05 - 8/11/2011
Will FM1 CPUs produced after that date work?
The A8-3870K has a release date of 12/20/2011 |
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crazybubba64
Joined: 03 Jul 2018
Posts: 1371
Location: WI, USA
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| Posted: Wed Aug 14, 2024 7:56 am Post subject: |
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| GemStater wrote: | Update: Found that my BIOS version is 7.05 - 8/11/2011
Will FM1 CPUs produced after that date work?
The A8-3870K has a release date of 12/20/2011 |
Yes you should be fine. The main thing is checking if CPUs of the same stepping are supported in most cases. (which the A8-3870K should be the same as your A4-3400)
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GemStater
Joined: 12 Aug 2024
Posts: 10
Location: Pacific NW USA
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| Posted: Wed Aug 14, 2024 8:28 am Post subject: |
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| crazybubba64 wrote: | | GemStater wrote: | Update: Found that my BIOS version is 7.05 - 8/11/2011
Will FM1 CPUs produced after that date work?
The A8-3870K has a release date of 12/20/2011 |
Yes you should be fine. The main thing is checking if CPUs of the same stepping are supported in most cases. (which the A8-3870K should be the same as your A4-3400) |
Thanks!
Can you explain "stepping"?
Also, I put in a want add for CPU cooler brackets if anyone has some spares they'll part with. |
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crazybubba64
Joined: 03 Jul 2018
Posts: 1371
Location: WI, USA
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| Posted: Wed Aug 14, 2024 9:06 am Post subject: |
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| GemStater wrote: |
Thanks!
Can you explain "stepping"?
Also, I put in a want add for CPU cooler brackets if anyone has some spares they'll part with. |
Think of "stepping" as "core revision" in this case.
Each "stepping" of a core is usually given a unique CPUID that is shared across multiple CPU models, regardless of how the chip is binned.
Most motherboards will separate CPU support by the CPUID provided by the processor.
For example, the A4-3400 is the LN-B0 stepping of Llano.
The A8-3870K is also LN-B0 stepping, so it is likely that the board implicitly supports the chip.
If the stepping changed between the parts, there is a chance that a board could require a BIOS update in order to support it.
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GemStater
Joined: 12 Aug 2024
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Location: Pacific NW USA
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| Posted: Wed Aug 14, 2024 10:19 am Post subject: |
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| Great info. Thanks! |
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GemStater
Joined: 12 Aug 2024
Posts: 10
Location: Pacific NW USA
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| Posted: Wed Aug 14, 2024 10:20 pm Post subject: |
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Looking on eBay, there are many of these A-series chips for sale. Lots of them from China merchants. I also noticed some chips are made in Malaysia while others say made in China. Is this a normal thing? Is one better than the other?
A few years back, I did buy an AMD CPU from China and everything checked out and it provided years a great service. Just wondering if there is something to be looking out for? |
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crazybubba64
Joined: 03 Jul 2018
Posts: 1371
Location: WI, USA
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| Posted: Thu Aug 15, 2024 7:51 am Post subject: |
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| GemStater wrote: | Looking on eBay, there are many of these A-series chips for sale. Lots of them from China merchants. I also noticed some chips are made in Malaysia while others say made in China. Is this a normal thing? Is one better than the other?
A few years back, I did buy an AMD CPU from China and everything checked out and it provided years a great service. Just wondering if there is something to be looking out for? |
There should be no functional difference based on where the chips were assembled.
I haven't had any trouble with China merchants on eBay. I'd be more cautious if it were a very obscure or rare part (some parts have a history of being remarked), but these A-series APUs aren't super desirable nowadays so any listing is more likely to be legitimate than not.
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GemStater
Joined: 12 Aug 2024
Posts: 10
Location: Pacific NW USA
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| Posted: Sun Sep 01, 2024 10:30 am Post subject: |
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Update:
I was able to update the BIOS with a bootable Windows 10 flash drive. That took it from version 7.05 to 7.23. This cleared up a usability issue I was having with the computer not correctly shutting down.
I also received the A8-3870K CPU from China. It booted up just fine and made the computer noticeably more peppy.
Another eBay score was two sticks of the fastest supported 8GB DDR3 RAM at 1866Mhz.
The old HP runs Linux Mint Debain Edition really well and this was a worth while project that cost very little. With Windows 10 security updates ending 10/14/2025, and some older computers not supporting Windows 11, this may be a solution for those willing to give Linux a try and keep their old computers on the road.
Happy computing! |
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