Upgrade CPU on Acer Aspire M3400

[BajaRasta]

I am wondering if it is worthwhile to upgrade the CPU on a pre-built Acer Aspire M3400. It currently has an Athlon X2 215 Regor (which I understand may be unlockble to 4 cores but Bios is locked ). Here are the specs:
Mobo: 880G/SB850
CPU: AMD Athlon II x215 (Lev 2 Cache 2X512K
GPU: Nvidia GT210 (1GB)
MEM: 8 GB (2X4GB) DDR3 533 Mhz
SSD: Crucial MX100 256GB
HDD: WD 600 GB <7200
PSU: Generic 300W

I plan on building a mid-range gaming rig (noob) in the near future but...

I use the PC mostly for work (Real Estate) and it gets the job done.. however I deal with a lot of images and videos and it seems the processor is always maxed.

Is there any CPU upgrade (AM3 socket) that I would see any significant improvement with that the power suplly could handle?

Thanks!

Erik

 

[Rapajez]

You could try a AMD Phenom II X4 like this: http://www.amazon.com/AMD-Phenom-Socket-Quad-Core-Processor/dp/B002XNBQJQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1411067180&sr=8-1&keywords=AMD+Phenom+II+X4+945 . Estimating 65W vs 95W on the Phenom?

Personally, I wouldn't risk upgrading a CPU in a prebuilt, especially with the Generic PSU. That and the money you'd spend on a outdated semi-outdated CPU could be saved toward your new gaming rig. You could salvage the SSD, HDD, DVD, and Memory (did you mean 1533 Mhz?) from the old rig.

 

[Rapajez]

There's a chance that your locked mobo may not support the Phenom series, even though it's the same socket AM3. Maybe someone from ACER will actually answer that question?

May also want to check the ACER site for BIOS updates before attempting an update.

 

[BajaRasta]

Wow! Thanks for the fast replies.... seems BIOS will support AMD Phenom II X4 820. Would there be a noticeable increase in performance or should I just move on?

CPUMark for X2 215: 1599
CPUMark for Phenom II: 3433

Thanks again!

 

[Rapajez]

It's definitely faster, and has the 2 additional cores. Keep in mind, the doubled CPUMark may not lead to real world doubled speeds.

The question is whether it's worth dropping $100 on, if you can hold out and live with your current CPU, long enough to save for a completely new build. For instance, you could pick up a new $140 8-core FX-8320, and a $80 mobo for around $220 total.

I'd personally wait, especially with the risk of the PSU failing.

 

[BajaRasta]

PC has been bullet-proof so perhaps I'll leave it as is and take your advice and spend the $$ on a new rig. Thanks for the help!

 

[entropydown]

There's a chance that your locked mobo may not support the Phenom series, even though it's the same socket AM3. Maybe someone from ACER will actually answer that question?

May also want to check the ACER site for BIOS updates before attempting an update.

I have the same system with the athlon 2 215 and I upgraded it to a phenom ii x4 965 be with no problems. If you can get a copy of the service manual it lists all the processors it can accept. It was well worth the 70 bucks for the processor

 

[ajhockey3]

I Wanted to upgrade my Acer M3400 And i found a list for future of cpu's acer says will work with this mobo because of the bios

AMD Phenom II 965
AMD Phenom II 955
AMD Phenom II B95
AMD Phenom II 740
AMD Phenom II 720
AMD Phenom II B75
AMD Phenom II 555
AMD Phenom II 550
AMD Phenom II B55
AMD Athlon II x4 640
AMD Athlon II x4 635
AMD Athlon II x4 605e
AMD Athlon II x3 445
AMD Athlon II x3 440
AMD Athlon II x2 255
AMD Athlon II x2 250
AMD Athlon II x2 B24
AMD Athlon II 160u
SEMPRON 140

 

[entropydown]

I Wanted to upgrade my Acer M3400 And i found a list for future of cpu's acer says will work with this mobo because of the bios

AMD Phenom II 965
AMD Phenom II 955
AMD Phenom II B95
AMD Phenom II 740
AMD Phenom II 720
AMD Phenom II B75
AMD Phenom II 555
AMD Phenom II 550
AMD Phenom II B55
AMD Athlon II x4 640
AMD Athlon II x4 635
AMD Athlon II x4 605e
AMD Athlon II x3 445
AMD Athlon II x3 440
AMD Athlon II x2 255
AMD Athlon II x2 250
AMD Athlon II x2 B24
AMD Athlon II 160u
SEMPRON 140

All of these processors will work with the m3400, but only the oem variants not the boxed versions and according to the service manual it supports the AM3 6-core Thuban CPU (140W) as well. My phenom ii 665 is a black edition but the bios has no ability to change any cpu settings. I would replace the power supply for any cpu >95 watts i got a coolmax 600w power supply at frys electronics for $15 after a rebate and it works great with the 125w cpu and a gtx-650 videocard. the 6 core processors would boost the system another 30% over the 4 core. Just remember you need a cpu with a bus speed of 2000Mgh or lower the mb is no 4000fsb capable.

 

[Rapajez]

Well...I'd start a new thread for this entropy, but a few counter-points:

1. Coolmax
This PSU is on Tom's Hardware's Replace Immediately List. There are a variety of factors that make a power supply "good", other than its rated wattage, and a "bad" power supply can lead to some hard to troubleshoot problems at best, and fry your components at worse. See this thread for more info: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html

2. "the 6 core processors would boost the system another 30% over the 4 core"
That's only true if your application actually uses 6 cores. That eliminates most games and applications. Most games are using 2-4 cores these days, so a jump to a faster/more efficient, modern, dual-core, Intel CPU is going to have a way bigger impact on gaming than dropping in that old 6-core. Granted, you need to save a big more for a new mobo, but then you'll be on the latest platform, with support for newer devices anyway.

 

[entropydown]

Well...I'd start a new thread for this entropy, but a few counter-points:

1. Coolmax
This PSU is on Tom's Hardware's Replace Immediately List. There are a variety of factors that make a power supply "good", other than its rated wattage, and a "bad" power supply can lead to some hard to troubleshoot problems at best, and fry your components at worse. See this thread for more info: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html

2. "the 6 core processors would boost the system another 30% over the 4 core"
That's only true if your application actually uses 6 cores. That eliminates most games and applications. Most games are using 2-4 cores these days, so a jump to a faster/more efficient, modern, dual-core, Intel CPU is going to have a way bigger impact on gaming than dropping in that old 6-core. Granted, you need to save a big more for a new mobo, but then you'll be on the latest platform, with support for newer devices anyway.

I have had the coolmax power supply for 6 months and no problems with it what so ever. Voltage is right on for every thing, but you cannot use the 6-pin plug for your video card, it doesn't work properly for that but the 4-pin to 6-pin adapter works great.

 

[Rapajez]

Just be careful, as "working for 6 months" doesn't mean it wont fry your equipment in 7 months. You also need to know the amperage coming on the +12V rail you're connecting to your GPU. The GPU should list the required amount, and a quality PSU will list the total output on the +12V rail. The problem with "budget" PSU's, is they usually don't provide enough to safely run the card, at it's max potential.