CPU upgrade question

[elreece]

hi
I currently have a HP pavilion m8085a that i use for gaming/work and want to upgrade the cpu.
current specs are:
intel core 2 duo E6400 @ 2.14Ghz
2x1Gb OCZ ddr2 ram
8800 gt 512mb
Windows vista

So my question is: i want to upgrade my cpu to something that can run newer games coming out e.g. crisis, Becasue my computer is a HP can the CPU be upgraded? or will the mobo (model LEONITE, if that helps) need to be replaced as well?
If teh cpu can be upgraded can one be recommended?
thanks

[Atomic Rooster]

You're about at the limits for that board as it is. You could get a Core 2 Duo E6600, but at $155, it's way to expensive for the small increase in performance you'll see.

You should think about buying or assembling a new rig.

You could upgrade the video card and power supply to keep up with the newer games.

[elreece]

wouldnt feel overly confident assembling a new rig from scratch just yet, would like to squeeze a little more life out of my current rig if possible.

So for the current mobo that cpu recommended would be at the top of its compatablity/performance possible?

[Atomic Rooster]

Yea, that motherboard only supports up to a Core 2 Duo E6000 series CPU. The E6600 is about the fastest I could find as they have been phased out due to the newer E7000 series.


I was thinking a BIOS update may be available, but the one they have doesn't say a thing about enabling the use of faster CPUs.

[elreece]

was randomly surfing the egg jsut then and found this:
Intel Pentium E6300 Wolfdale 2.8GHz 2MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor
Excuse my ignorance, but would this fit my mobo as it is a E6x00 series or is the fact that its a dual-core not duo core affect its compatablity?

[Atomic Rooster]

I'm not sure if your motherboard will support that chip. It's entirely possible. I also don't know how that compares in performance to your current Core 2 Duo E6400.

Motherboard Specifications, P5LP-LE (Leonite)