Posts by Jack James65

Looks like you've piled up a ton of junk... maybe there's even a virus in there somewhere. Have you thought about running a scan with Norton or Malwarebytes?

It’ll prompt you right when the computer boots up—you just gotta hit Press F10 to kick off the recovery process, just like what Jack James65 mentioned.
Once that screen pops up, you just tap F10 (or whatever key your specific machine uses, I guess) and that should be that.

cosmicangler37 said:....that pretty much means everything is totally trashed... screen and battery are absolutely pulverized.... the only thing that looks remotely okay is the motherboard.... is there anything actually worth salvaging from it? I'm a total amateur here, so I don't want to waste my time dragging this to a repair shop just for them to charge me a ridiculous amount for 🙂

Just go for it. If the motherboard isn't fried, there's probably a chance it can be saved, I guess.

Kevin Moore28 said:I haven't actually opened up the laptop yet, but CPU-Z shows this for the processor socket:
Package (platform ID) Socket 1168 BGA (0x6)

Does that mean it's in a socket instead of being soldered on?

Nah. BGA sockets are actually soldered directly to the motherboard. I guess unless you're rocking some $1,000 professional rework station, you aren't having a good time—and even then, there's still a pretty decent chance you won't pull it off successfully.

Well, I guess you’ll just have to drop it off at a mechanic to get a real look, since we can't really tell how much damage there actually is.
Just snap a photo and post it here.

Kevin Moore28 said:Does "Embedded Options" mean I can swap out the processor, or is it soldered directly to the motherboard?

No, that's not what that means. Have you actually opened up the laptop yet to check if the CPU is even removable? If you haven't, maybe just run CPU-Z to check the socket type and let me know what you find.

It says this:
The Intel Atom N270 is a BGA437 CPU, based on the Intel Diamondville core. There were also three other Intel Diamondville chips that fit in the same socket. Here are some quick specs and stepping details for those processors.

Intel Atom series 230
Intel Atom 330
Intel Atom series N280

So, I guess I can upgrade using any of those three? Maybe I'll just go with the Intel Atom 330.

Yeah, I guess you could just use the recovery partition to install Windows onto that empty space you cleared out earlier.

Delete the partition where Windows is sitting, but leave that recovery partition alone.
Then just install Windows onto the space you just cleared out.

I mean, I see the N280 might be an option, but that's basically just a tiny 6 MHz bump, isn't it?

Could I actually pull off an Intel Atom 330? It’s the same socket, but I think the specs say it's meant for a nettop...

Hey everyone,

I've got a Dell Inspiron 10 here.
I'm thinking about swapping out the Intel Atom N270.
From what I can tell, the processor isn't soldered onto the motherboard. According to Speccy,
it shows up as a socket 437 fcbga8..
So, I guess... is it actually possible to swap the CPU in a laptop like this?
And if it is, what's the absolute strongest chip I could throw in there?
It would be pretty awesome if I could somehow land a Dual core atom :P

Kimberly Gomez34 said:Which games are we talking about here?

BTW, even an A10 isn't exactly a heavy-duty CPU by today's standards—would you really stick with integrated graphics on that too? It would probably make more sense down the road to just upgrade to an 860K (or whatever successor is out there). Basically, go for an Intel LGA 1150 quad-core without integrated graphics and pair it with a dedicated GPU like a GTX 750 Ti.

GTA San Andreas, Minecraft, Transformice, CS:GO, stuff like that.
basically, I'm rolling with AMD :P

Kimberly Gomez34 said:The AMD Athlon gives you a much stronger CPU and leaves the door wide open for serious upgrades down the line.
The A4 has better integrated graphics, which means you'll see better gaming performance right out of the box.

So, it's really up to you what you want to prioritize.

Look, I'm not exactly some hardcore gamer or anything. Maybe in a few years I'll move up to an A10, but for now...

Larry Ortiz5 said:In that case, you might as well just go with Intel...

I'd probably stick with AMD,
If I recall correctly, it hits between 3.8GHz and 4GHz, which usually beats out Intel, and
the integrated graphics are way better...
Meanwhile, Intel only has 1MB of L3 cache and 2MB of L2 cache.

Anyway, AMD :/

crimsonstag84 said:Well, almost every Intel processor released after 2011 comes with integrated graphics built-in, except for those specific i5 models ending in -P. If you're just looking to play something light, I guess AMD might offer a bit more performance, though it's still pretty underwhelming.

I mean, I mostly just play those low-end games, but mostly I'm just browsing or watching movies.

crimsonstag84 said:1 x Intel Celeron (3.8GHz,1MB,65W,LGA 1150) box
1 x Asrock LGA 1150 Socket A78 Chipset MB

$221 AMD

Or maybe:

1 x AMD Athlon (2.70GHz,512KB,2MB,54 W,1150) Box
1 x Asrock H81M-DGS - Intel B85, ATX, dual Channel DDR4 - 1600

$196 AMD

Thanks. I guess I'll keep looking to see if anyone posts something better, otherwise I might just go with that APU.
I’d honestly prefer Intel, but I probably need an APU because of the integrated graphics.

🐔 lol what 😳

Anyway, let's get to it.

What's the cheapest combo I can find for an ATX motherboard and a dual core APU for a small case?

I don't mind checking Craigslist, as long as the seller is in the New York City area.🙂

My budget is currently $233...

It should be listed on your graphics card..
Sometimes it's on the front, but usually, there's a sticker on the back with all the technical specs
On my old rig, for instance, it says:
GTX 275 876mb and so on and so forth...

Quick question here,
I'm about to sign up for a 100/100 Mbps fiber connection...
is there any chance Windows XP will actually handle those speeds?
My motherboard is a 960GC-GS FX

Look, I already told you, I don't really care about the noise 😳