Changing to hyperthreaded CPU

[steingra]

Hello

I am helping a friend setup a home recording studio. I have all of his gear and software up and running now. But the last thing I really want to do, is to get a faster CPU for it. The most affordable CPU (for this slightly older Gateway PC) is a hyperthreaded type of Intel CPU.

But what I have never done is to try to insert a hyperthreaded CPU into an already installed Windows XP Home edition based OS. I am *assuming* that when I do it, XP Home SP2 will pick up on it, and not give me any flack about it. Or try to make me re-register the OS, etc

I have used duo core, and Pentium D dual core CPU's with Windows XP Home and Pro. But I have never tried to replace a single core CPU with a hyperthreaded one, with the OS already installed.

Just wondered if anyone has done this successfully without problems from Windoze XP.

Thanks

[korben_dallas]

I have switched back and forth turning Hyperthreading off and on in XP Pro and Home without an issue. I don't think I ever even saw New Hardware Detected message. The most you may have to do is turning on HT support in the Bios and then maybe (very doubtfully) need the XP disc to install the Microsoft drivers for the new CPU.

[Crazedz]

Well i haven't done this before on an Intel CPU but have on an AMD system and XP SP2 has on both systems I had upgraded from single core installs to dual core installs XP saw the CPU's and installed the Multi Core Kernel ETC. with nothing more than a restart after it auto installed the kernel.

But I can't guarrentee it will work the same under an intel system however it should in a fair universe work that way.

But this is not a fair universe so i can't say for certain so unless somebody who has a intel duo core can confirm it.

Or you can just try it worst case it won't see the extra core and you should just need to reinstall XP with the dual core in the system to get the multi core kernel.

But that shouldn't be required as if it works with AMD it should with Intel. This was more of a problem under Win2k which wouldn't setup a dual cpu system without issues and other problems unless it was setup from the start. But even then unless you totally messed everything up you wouldn't loose anything other than your OS install. Though to be safe if you decide to do this you should backup your important files just in case.

But then you should do that regularly anyway to keep your files safe from any and all disasters that can and do happen.

[Knuckleheadtim]

Windows XP has no problem with going to a hyper-threaded processor. Make sure that your motherboard will run it and that the BIOS is a new enough version, if applicable.

Windows 2000 does not work properly with HT processors and misidentifies them as two separate processors.

[Crazedz]

Originally Posted by Knuckleheadtim

Windows XP has no problem with going to a hyper-threaded processor. Make sure that your motherboard will run it and that the BIOS is a new enough version, if applicable.

Windows 2000 does not work properly with HT processors and misidentifies them as two separate processors.

That's because 2k is pre HT. But not pre dual cpu which back then was done via seperate cpu's. It does however setup with a multi cpu kernel which is why i brought it up as kind of an analogy in my post. Mostly to compare how difficult it used to be to how easy it is now not to say that 2k would work well or work at all with HT cpu's or anything like that. I have also never tried 2k on a HT or a dual core system just on an old Abit BP6 system with a couple celery sticks LOL.

Anyway multi proccessing has come along way since then and so has OS recongition of thoughs multiple proccessors. And i hadn't tried setting up an intel dual core in XP which i was pretty sure would work but didn't want to commit myself to saying it would without having tried it.