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Jet boot Jack

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Aug 28, 2007
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Hello,

I decided to upgrade my E8400 to a Xeon X5460. I've found one who has already been modified to physically fit in my LGA775 socket here.

Will I have to fiddle or update my bios? I have an XFX Nforce 780i mobo and this is its BIOS Version: Phoenix Technologies, LTD 6.00 PG, 1/16/2008

I searched all over and all those who have done it and share my exact mother board brand say it works well with a P09 bios. Couldn't find any word about how it fairs with my current bios version.

 
Solution
cub_fanatic


You don't actually need to cut the notches in the CPU, most people just remove the little plastic tabs from the CPU socket itself which is way easier. But, at that price it seems like a decent deal [strike]assuming it comes with the sticker...
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You don't actually need to cut the notches in the CPU, most people just remove the little plastic tabs from the CPU socket itself which is way easier. But, at that price it seems like a decent deal [strike]assuming it comes with the sticker installed as well[/strike] nevermind, they just welded the two pads instead of a sticker. A regular unmodded X5460 costs like $25 used on ebay and a sticker is another $3 or $4.

As for the BIOS, the only way to know is to try it with your current BIOS. If it doesn't work, simply upgrade to the P09 version that others said works.
 
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Solution
First off, thanks for the reply.

Is there a specific way by which it will not work if it wont, or will it simply be that the bios wont recognize the CPU?
Let me rephrase it- are there ways in which this will not work and I would not be able to tell? For example, running ok but not benefiting at all from the upgrade? God I hope that doesn't sounds too dumb...

 
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Basically, it'll either work or it won't. If your BIOS doesn't support Xeons or doesn't support that particular Xeon it won't even boot. Sometimes, this is due to the motherboard being older than the CPU so the BIOS you have installed doesn't even know the X5460 exists yet but the motherboard manufacturer does so they released an update for it. As for performance, you should notice a difference in anything that can take advantage of more cores or CPU threads such as gaming, rendering and file compression. If you are just using it for normal day to day stuff like browsing, school or office work, you probably won't notice any difference at all. One way to know for sure that your PC is recognizing all 4 cores is to use an app like CPU-Z or even Coretemp which will show you your system info. Core temp will show you the temp of the individual CPU cores. You can also simply open task manager and click the performance tab. It should show 4 individual CPU threads. If you want to compare the difference in performance between the Core 2 Duo and the quad core Xeon, you can run a benchmark test like Passmark before and after you change CPUs.
 
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I'm upgrading for gaming. I ran HWiNFO32 combined with RTSS which revealed that in most games the bottleneck is my CPU (except from The Witcher 2 which maxed up the GPU as well). I think I will feel the benefit after the upgrade but in any case, you say it will either boot or not. If the latter, provided I prepared beforehand of course, could I flash the BIOS as is or would I need to schlep my old CPU back in?
 
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If you are familiar with updating a BIOS, you might as well just do it now regardless. It never hurts to have the latest BIOS installed. That way, you know that is the right BIOS for the new CPU and you won't have to go through the hassle of swapping in the old CPU again. Simplifies everything.
 
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Actually, Im not. That's why I'd rather avoid it if I can. Second reason is that XFX dropped support for their motherboards, I had a hard time reaching their stored archives to acquire the new version and if it fails I have no one official to rely on.

But if I have to update, I will. Of course I'd rather not but I don't mind so much if I ruin my current rig. It's close to 8 years old and I was thinking of getting a new one. Main reason I don't is cos I feel it's not a good time as it's unclear what will be Intel's flagship socket for the next 5-10 years. 1151's Skylake is in its infancy and too pricey atm (and without justification, I gathered it is not considered to be a quantum leap), and the 1150 might be great and all but it seems like it's in its twilight, as far as the socket to build to at least. I don't want to find myself in 8 years at the same spot I am today, in which the most reasonable upgrade is a modded CPU shipped from China...

So I decided to wait 2-3 years and meanwhile try to make the best with what I got. I hope that these 30$ will make my life a little better till then. I don't plan on playing The Witcher 3 anytime soon...
 
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You could always just go with the Core 2 Quad. Something like the Q8400 or Q9400 are in the same price range and don't need any BIOS updates or mods to work. I've seen the Q8400 for around $25 on ebay and the Q9400 for around $35. Both are 2.66 GHz, 1,333 MHz FSB, 45nm, 95w TDP CPUs but the Q9400 has 6MB cache and the Q8400 has 4MB cache. Your motherboard should be able to easily OC either of them to 3.0 or 3.1 GHz maybe more depending on your CPU cooler and if the chip you get is stable at higher voltages. You'll get pretty much the same gaming performance out of a 3.1 GHz Q9400 that you would get out of the X5460 despite the Core 2 Quad having half the cache. If you are a little nervous about messing with the BIOS, a C2Q would be the way to go, IMO.
 
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I know you're right but psychologically I just can't bring myself to upgrade a 3.0GHz processor to 2.66GHz. I know it's silly.

Overclocking makes me just a little less anxious than BIOS updating. In both I have zero experience.
 
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Either way, you will learn something that might come in handy on a new PC. This is a good PC to learn these things on since you aren't risking a brand new $1,000+ system. I know it still has some value, though, it isn't like it is worthless so I understand the hesitation - I still have a C2D HTPC (also E8400) that runs 24/7 since it also records TV and security cam footage as well as a C2Q (Q6600) office PC that I still use. Even though the E8400 is running at 3.0 GHz, the 2.4 GHz Q6600 kicks its butt in modern gaming (I was using a HD 7950 on it). When I OC'd the Q6600 to 3.0 GHz and the RAM to 1,066 MHz, it's passmark score is almost on par with a 3.1 GHz i3 from 2011-12. Back when the Core 2 Quads first came out, though, most games performed better on a higher clocked Duo such as the 3 GHz E8400 vs a 2.4 GHz Quad because those older games did not take advantage of the extra cores and the 25% higher clock speed translated into a clear advantage for those 3 GHz Duo chips. Now, though, in most games made after 2012, you will see better performance even with a stock 2.4 GHz quad running on a lower FSB (the Q6600 runs on a 1,066 MHz FSB). With your 1,333 chipset and a decent overclock, you will probably get 40% or so improvement in some new games.
 
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lol, yes and yes - my cams. Can't be too paranoid here. A few years ago someone broke into my car while it was parked right on my driveway in a gated community. So, we set up a couple cameras. I'm using ispy to record and monitor them which only records when it detects movement so the storage used is minimal. I have a 120 GB HDD in it and it has only used maybe 10% of it since the beginning of the 2015. The TV tuner DVR actually consumes more space since it is recording in HD. I'm actually thinking about a 3rd 720p or 1080p PTZ cam to cover more area. It will follow anything that it detects is moving and also zoom in on it. Thus PTZ (pan, tilt and zoom).
 
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And that cute looking dog in your avatar didn't bark? :)

Sounds like you are almost ready for day Z haha.

Gated community? So I guess you're rural or very very well off. Does everybody in your community sport these cautionary means?
 
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I did a similar upgrade last month.

My Acer desktop is 6 years old, would like a newer machine but can still make do at the moment.

I have been trying to squeeze as much as I can out of it in a cost effective way until I build a new one. Upgraded the graphics a couple of years ago, put in a SSD earlier this year, increased the RAM from 4 to 6 GB. The last thing was the CPU.

So last month I upgraded my Q9300 (2.5 Ghz) to a E5450 (3.00 Ghz) didn't really know if it was worth upgrading just for 0.5ghz. I can't overclock due to my bog standard Acer locked motherboard.

At first my computer did not recognize the E5450 and thought it was still the Q9300. I read a tutorial on how to upgrade the microcode, which I did and it works fine now.

Still not convinced that it has resulted in much of a performance gain, but I do get much lower temps then I did before and the upgrade was so cheap it seemed silly not to give it ago.
 
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That's interesting, thanks for the input. Do you have experience in flashing a BIOS as well? If so, what do you think is easier and less risky?

The way I'm going to do it, as of now, will be like this-
1. Trying the Xeon as is. If no go then
2. Updating the BIOS. no?-
3. Updating the micro codes.

Can you link here the tutorial you used?
Out of curiosity, what was your GPU upgrade?
 
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I used the following tutorial on how to update the microcode: http://www.delidded.com/lga-771-to-775-adapter/2/

and I flashed the bios afterwards. I was a bit wary of doing it as didn't really know what I was doing and did not want to F**k my computer up but it all worked out well in the end thankfully!

I upgraded the graphics to a HD 7700 from HD 4650.

Was considering upgrading again, but I don't think it is worth it unless I overhaul my whole system. Think my current CPU would be a bottleneck on a better card and would have to upgrade the PSU as well.

Hopefully I will get a Skylake based machine next year.
 
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Oh ok now it makes sense.

Thanks a lot and if you'll remember, I'd love to know your decision next year about the overhaul. I plan to do the same in 2-3 years.
 
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