Question about chipset on mobo

[str8pimpin]

I recently bought two pre-fab computers from HP (boos in the crowd heard). My last computer purchase was 3 years ago (P3 800), so I was out-of-it when knowing what to look for.

After studying this site and learning about the curent technology, I decided to examine my computer and see how my components stacked up, and it looks like HP built a cheapee for the desktop:

3.0E (Prescott) CPU -- deeper pipeline = slow
Intel 848P Chipset = single channel only
Only two DIMM slots (2GB max memory)
GeForce FX5200 128MB
uATX form facor

Interestingly, the notebook is much better...

Centrino 1.5GHz
Mobility Radeon 9200
DVD+RW/CD-RW Combo Drive, 60GB drive, 512K RAM

My question is, whenever I run PC Wizard (same company that makes CPU-Z), or the Intel chipset identifier, it always comes up as 865PE (PC Wizard) or 865 Chipset Family (Intel chipset Identifier). The PC Wizard even says I have DIMM 0,1,2,3.

When I look on my board, I only see two DIMM slots and I removed the heatsink on the chipset and I think it said 80848P (very small, hard to read).

Motherboard is a P4SD-LA, of which there have been many revisions. However, my board seems to match the description and physical pictures of HP's website.

Any idea why a 848P chipset would be idenitifed as 865PE? Intel says thier program can differentiate between the two. Do these programs detect drivers, BIOS settings, or something physically unique about the hardware?

Thanks in advance for any assistance. I just want to know what I have in case I decide to upgrade.

 

[Crashman]

I might have some answers for you, but because it's and HP, I'd rather just say this: Booo (hisss).

<font color=blue>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to a hero as big as Crashman!</font color=blue>
<font color=red>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to an ego as large as Crashman's!</font color=red>

 

[str8pimpin]

Hey now, it does what I need it to do. Can't we all just get along?

 

[Ned_Flanders]

Boo to you too! (sorry). Get a packard bell, they RULE! (kill me, kill me now)

I am a small fat ginger kid and I lob cow pats at old people, please be my friend

 

[Crashman]

Well, you mentioned it first. Anyway I think those programs are looking at BIOS, and your board's BIOS might be based on that of an 865PE board, modified for the 848P chipset. This is possible because they could produce very similar boards with 2 different northbridges.

<font color=blue>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to a hero as big as Crashman!</font color=blue>
<font color=red>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to an ego as large as Crashman's!</font color=red>

 

[etp777]

Maybe the Intel chipset indentifier says that because that's exactly what the chipset is.

"In order to answer the demands the market has for a single channel chipset, Intel simply took the 865 and removed one channel. The result is today known as 848. "

Quoted from first page of the 848P product review right here on little old Tom's. PC Wizard did same thing, just gave closest match.

 

[Crashman]

Gee, I never read that, I thought they just made a few minor changes to the 845.

<font color=blue>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to a hero as big as Crashman!</font color=blue>
<font color=red>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to an ego as large as Crashman's!</font color=red>

 

[str8pimpin]

Nope, the 848P is basically the 865 chipset with dual-channel DDR support removed, so it can only support single-channel memory up to 2GHz. Everything else I believe is the same. They list the 848P as "supporting" HT technology, while the 865, 875 as "optimized" for HT Technology. There could be more differences, but I think the mere support of dual-channel memory "optimizes" HT technology, since low memory bandwidth really impairs multithreading.

Anyways, I was just curious because Intel said their identifier could differentiate the 848P from 865 family. Doesn't seem to do it. Oh, well.