Will I need a new motherboard to upgrade from a Pentium to a Pentium II?

Question

I HAVE A GATEWAY 2000 200MHZ COMPUTER AND,I BOUGHT A 350MHZ PENTIUM 2 PROCESSOR, BUT I DONT KNOW HOW TO PUT IT IN. DOES THE BLACK COVER ON THE PROCESSOR SNAP OFF OR DO I JUST LEAVE IT. I TOOK OUT MY 200MHZ PROCESSOR BUT I CAN BUT THIS ONE IN BECAUSE THERE IS NO PINS ON THE NEW PROCESSOR. DO I NEED A NEW MOTHERBOARD,I GOT MY COMPUTER ON JAN 98 ,IF I DO NEED A NEW MOTHERBOARD WHAT ONE SHOULD I GET

THANKS SIMON(IRELAND)

Answer

This question was answered on June 23, 1999. Much of the information contained herein may have changed since posting.

Yes you will need a new motherboard! The Pentium II uses "slot 1" (looks more like a AGP or PCI slot) and a Pentium uses "Socket 7" (a square socket). Check your local computer hardware store for a new Pentium II motherboard. You most likey will need to change the memory modules and the Case/Power supply as well in order to use the new motherboard. In these cases, it is often more cost effective to sell you old computer and start over with all new components.

Author

Posted by Ken of Data Doctors on June 23, 1999