AMD Athlon II X2 235e and 605e interchangeability?

[trekker44]

Hi have an HP Touchsmart 300 with the AMD Athlon X2 235e. HP also offers the 3 core and Quad Core 605e as options. I purchased a 605e and while the PC boots up OK and can run system diagnostics in the start up mode, it will lock up under Windows 7. There is only one motherboard used for the 3 diferent processor speeds/cores. Any ideas?

 

[repoman0]

Might need a different bios?

 

[Harvey]

Does your machine work if you go back to the original CPU? If so, you could have a defective 605e.

Check the CPU temp in the CMOS. If it seems high, did you use the thinnest possible coating of heatsink compound? Heatsink compound is intended to fill microscopic gaps and pits between the chip and the HS/F. More is not better and can acutally impede heat transfer from the chip to the HS/F.

Check HP's site to see if a BIOS update is needed to use the 605e. If your machine is still under warranty, you can call their toll free phone support line. If it's out of warranty, you may still be able to get help from HP's tech support online chat system.

Good luck.

 

[DrMrLordX]

Looks like Harvey is on the right track here. They're both C2 chips with a 45W TDP UNLESS you got one of the newer 605es (AD605EHDGMBOX/AD605EHDK42GM) which means a C3 chip. Unless you're in one of those bizarre circumstances where a C3 chip won't work in a system while a C2 would, I don't think you've got a compatibility or thermals issue.

Even if you did have a board that wouldn't handle a C3 chip properly, I wouldn't think it would boot or run as far as it has for you (diagnostics, etc).

 

[trekker44]

I used the thinnest possible coating of thermal compound and it is running the same temp as the 235e. The machine works fine with the 235e as I'm writing my response on the computer now. My computer is currently in warranty (with the 235e) and I don't want to bug HP until my warranty expires next month If the 605e was bad, it seems like I couldn't even start the computer up and have it pass HP's HW diagnostics.

 

[Jovec]

If it is thermal it more likely has to do with the mobo overvolting the CPU than with a sloppy HSF mount on a 45w CPU.

I imagine your mobo BIOS is very limited, but look for the voltage readings on the (called different things) Hardware Monitor bios screen. You might need to enable advanced options with a CTRL+F1 or similar (again, varies by mobo, may not exist at all).

 

[Harvey]

My computer is currently in warranty (with the 235e) and I don't want to bug HP until my warranty expires next month

You're better off "bugging" them, now, while they'll still help you through their toll free phone support. After that, they'll still help you, but it will be through their online chat system. It works well enough, and they've helped me on several occasions, but it's not as fast as a direct phone conversation.

Without telling them you had already done it, you could ask them for any info they have about making the change to another of the CPU's they offer as an option for this machine.

If the 605e was bad, it seems like I couldn't even start the computer up and have it pass HP's HW diagnostics.

It's very possible. I've seen CPU failures where some small function or instruction set failed. All it takes is one bad transistor or other component, and it could have failed even after final test when it was assembled. The same is true with RAM that doesn't show any problems until you address the specific memory cell that isn't working.

It would be nice if you can test your 605e in another machine because it would support your claim when you tried to return it to the vendor. If you can't test it, and the terms of the sale allow it, just send it back. If they allow a full refund, take it, but they may not bug you as much or charge a restocking fee if you asked for an exchange.

If another chip works, you win. If not, you're no worse off than you are, now.

 

[DrMrLordX]

If it is thermal it more likely has to do with the mobo overvolting the CPU than with a sloppy HSF mount on a 45w CPU.

This is possible, though I'd have to wonder about any board/BIOS that would do that.

The C2 quad I last owned (x4 635) had a vid of 1.3v, while my Sempron 140 (also a C2 chip) had a vid of 1.35v. I've heard of Athlon II x2s having a vid as high as 1.4v.

If his board is set up for a high vid, his CPU could be putting out a lot more heat than it should be, which could be the cause of his instability. The possibility of the 605e being a bum CPU seems more probable, though.

 

[trekker44]

After all of this, do you guys think that I would notice any performance gains by going to the quad chip over the exisiting dual core or am I just wasting time/money?

 

[DrMrLordX]

Depends on what you're doing. If you're encoding video or something along those lines, then yes. If it's just using it for webbrowsing, office apps, and other light-duty computing, then the x2 235e would probably be faster just due to the extra 500 mhz of clockspeed and extra l2 cache per core.