Upgrading CPU - Does stepping matter?

[ButtonPuncher]

Hi,
I want to upgrade my 1.3GHz Celeron to either a 1.8 or 2.0GHz Pentium M. Does it matter which stepping I get? It seems like most 745's out there are either SL8QZ or SL7EN.

It's a HP nx5000 laptop running the 855GM Chipset. 400MHz FSB. Socket 478.

I know that stepping doesn't really matter in desktop CPU's except for overclocking ability. I just wanted to make sure that the BIOS wouldn't freak out by being locked to a certain stepping somehow.

I did find out the hard way that HP has the BOIS locked to certain WiFi cards. I tried to drop an Intel A/B/G card in there and it wouldn't boot. Gave me a message about unauthorized hardware. I don't want to pay $100+ for a CPU and get burned.

TIA,
Ben

 

[ButtonPuncher]

Huh. I guess I'll have to buy one and find out.

 

[SILVR 6]

Since its very rare to actually be able to overclock a cpu in a laptop (There are a few expcetions) and that is really only when stepping would matter. For stock performance all steppings will be fine.

 

[JediFonger]

hi OP,

you're in luck. i have more/less the same laptop you have (dv1207us w/855 chipset). first make sure you have the latest+greatest BIOS update.

my pav. came with cel m 1.3 like yours. i bought a pentium m 745 (1.8) and i can OC it to 2ghz without any issues. 2+ you start running into loss of sounds and possibly data. the max CPU is the 765 (2.1ghz). i'm eyeing a few on ebay... but they're $250+. very expensive. my advice to you is... buy the best you can afford if you plan to keep the laptop... because swapping the CPU requires you to pretty much disassemble everything (at least in my case, i dunno about yours). it was a bear on mine. try to buy the 765 if you can afford it. do the CPU upgrade only once. i can't imagine doing it again now that i can OC... but i might be crazy enough =).

SILVR6, you can OC using clockgen, the same buys behind cpuz.com. you can goto http://www.cpuid.com/clockgen.php and find clockgen.

they used to offer diff. versions of the app for each chipset... but not anymore. no matter. search google for the same IC# and you'll get the zip file. it's not that hard. i used the 865 chipset. it works.