Mobile Athlon CPU Micro ATX Motherboard Questions

[redbeard1]

I recently acquired a dissected laptop (it came to me in as parts in a box). I'm not going to try and put it back together as there already was something wrong with it before they tore it apart. It has a Athlon XP mobile 1400 cpu in it. I was wondering if this CPU would work in a desktop board? I have a micro ATX case that I could use to install the setup, with the thought that the lower power consumption would be easier to keep cool in a small case. My searching so far has not turned up a manufacturer that lists mobile cpu support explicitly.

Part of my searching lead me to some pages discussing undervoltage capable boards. In that they said that some boards cannot go to low enough voltage for some of the mobile chips.

I was told that these chips can run at high voltages with no problems. It was also mentioned that these are not multiplier locked, so they can be used fairly easily for overclocking.

Anyone know of such things? Or know of a good mobo to use?

 

[superkdogg]

I don't have a solid answer, but maybe this will help. To my knowledge, AMD doesn't usually use a different architecture for mobiles a la Intel. I have never known this to be the case, although I may be mistaken. That CPU is most likely a Palomino core (more square shaped) or Thoroughbred A (distictly rectangle). I would guess that the CPU will work on a desktop Socket A board. In theory, it's the same reason that people still buy mobile Barton-core XP's. They are cheap, easy to overclock and run cool at stock voltages. The only drawback that I see in your plan is that if the motherboard doesn't support undervolting, you lose out on some of the cooling advantages. I'd feel pretty confident throwing it in the motherboard and giving it a try, but obviously that's up to you.

Good luck.

 

[Fern]

I don't do Micro-ATX, but this topic pops-up from time-to-time.

Aside from the vcore adj, or lack thereof, the other problem in these micro atx mobo's seems to be a lack of multi adj's. Although the mobile chips handle higher desktop vcore's well, the lack of multi adj's is a real deal-killer. Seems to me the mobo's default to a multi of 6, leaving one with 600mhz cpu.

To-date, all of the m-atx mobo's peeps have posted here (at elast that I have seen) suffered from the lack of a multi adj in the BIOS. If you can find an m-atx mobo with both vcore and multi adj's in the BIOS, I think you'd be fine.

FErn

 

[redbeard1]

Anyone know of a MATX that has the various adjustments available?

 

[rogue1979]

The Biostar micro-atx Nforce2 has all multiplier and voltage adjustements, I forgot the actual model number.

I was running a mobile Barton on one at a 215MHz fsb.

 

[TStep]

Google:

CPUMSR
Speedfan
CPUFSB

all are windows overclocking utilites that may give you some guidance. Biostar M7NCG 400, I believe, is the only oc friendly nforce2 matx board available.

 

[rogue1979]

Originally posted by: TStep
Google:

CPUMSR
Speedfan
CPUFSB

all are windows overclocking utilites that may give you some guidance. Biostar M7NCG 400, I believe, is the only oc friendly nforce2 matx board available.

That's the one!

 

[Zap]

As long as the CPU uses the standard socket A and the BIOS supports that type of core (for instance, newer mobiles are Bartons), should run okay even with improper settings. "Proper" settings may have to be done using wires.