[moobear]

I want to replace my Pentium D 830 CPU with a Pentium D 960 sSpec# SL9AP. Can I just swap them out or do I need to make any modification to my system?

Intel® Pentium® D Processor
http://processorfinder.intel.com/Lis...2112&SearchKey=

sSpec#CPU SpeedProcessor #Cores Bus Speed Mfg Tech Stepping Cache Size Package PCG
SL9AP 960 3.60 GHz 2 800 MHz 65 nm C1 4 MB (2x2) LGA775 05B
SL88S 830 3.00 GHz 2 800 MHz 90 nm A0 2 MB LGA775 05B
SL8CN 830 3.00 GHz 2 800 MHz 90 nm B0 2 MB LGA775 05B

[BG-0]

It might work. I can't find a CPU support list for your motherboard, here's a spec site: http://support.gateway.com/s/MOTHERB...GBIG1sp2.shtml Does your mobo look like this: http://support.gateway.com/s/MOTHERB...45GBIG1/nv.jpg or is there an actual cooler for the CPU, not only a heatsink? I don't know why I asked that, anyways.
After checking Intel's site, Pentium D 960 uses the newer 65 nm structure instead of 90 nm that D 830 uses, so I'd say it won't work... (considering the fact that the mobo doesn't support C2Ds either...)

[win2kpro]

Check with Gateway. A lot of the boards with the 945 series chipsets that supported the Smithfield Cored Processors (90nm) 8xx series would also support the Presler Cored Processors Processors (65nm) 9xx series.

If the board will support the 960 processor you would most likely have to update the chipset driver and the BIOS.

[moobear]

Originally Posted by BG-0

It might work. I can't find a CPU support list for your motherboard, here's a spec site: http://support.gateway.com/s/MOTHERB...GBIG1sp2.shtml Does your mobo look like this: http://support.gateway.com/s/MOTHERB...45GBIG1/nv.jpg or is there an actual cooler for the CPU, not only a heatsink? I don't know why I asked that, anyways.
After checking Intel's site, Pentium D 960 uses the newer 65 nm structure instead of 90 nm that D 830 uses, so I'd say it won't work... (considering the fact that the mobo doesn't support C2Ds either...)

The motherboard link in your reply is my motherboard. By the way, what is a C2D?

[BG-0]

Intel Core 2 Duo, the better-than-pentium dual series of dual-core CPUs.
Now then, you should check the compatibility from Gateway like win2kpro said, but the problem is they don't offer a CPU compatibility list. You would propably need to call them, but I don't know if any of them on the line would know either. The reason why I suspect that the board won't support the 960 is that the board is a "Big Lake", revision 1. A revision 2 version does support 65 nm C2Ds, so I assume that the revision makes 65 nm Pentium Duals compatible too. Don't know for sure, of course....

[win2kpro]

I looked at the Gateway site and I didn't see a BIOS update that would leave me to believe you could change the PD 830 to a PD 960, but then again Gateway does not say what attributes their BIOS updates encompass.

Your machine has an Intel 945G chipset. The 945G chipset does support a PD 960 processor, however it takes a BIOS update to be able to read the various processor microcodes.

For example you can take an Intel board such as the D945GNT which uses a 945G chipset and supports both the PD 830 and the PD 960, however it takes a later BIOS version to support the PD 960. In this case the PD 830 is supported by a BIOS version of 2706 or greater whereas the PD 960 requires a BIOS version of 3992 or greater.

http://www.intel.com/support/motherb.../CS-026630.htm

Unfortunately you CANNOT use an Intel BIOS update on a Gateway board because Gateway (as do all other OEM manufacturers) use a manufacturer proprietary BIOS. Unless one of the Gateway BIOS updates includes support for the PD 960 you would not be able to upgrade your board.

OEM manufacturers such as Gateway limit their upgradeability deliberately so that you will be required to purchase new machines rather than update older machines.