Thinkpads Forum

I have a ThinkPad 600E with a 300mhz PII. It runs well and is very reliable, but I would like to speed it up a bit. Can somebody tell me how much of a processor upgrade I could do on this?

[moved from Official 600 upgrade thread to new thread]

You can put a PII 400MHz MMC-2 CPU in there without any other hardware modifications. If you want something faster, then you should read through the Official 600 upgrade thread to learn about the possibility (and difficulties) of upgrading to a PIII.

Phil.

pkiff wrote:You can put a PII 400MHz MMC-2 CPU in there without any other hardware modifications. If you want something faster, then you should read through the Official 600 upgrade thread to learn about the possibility (and difficulties) of upgrading to a PIII.

Phil.

Yeah, I read through those. I couldn't quite understand what's attainable without risking damage to the computer. I see some 1.0ghz PIII's on ebay for good prices, but I don't know how to tell which ones might work. If I were going to upgrade the CPU, I'd like to get it higher than a PII to make it worth it.

You can only put a MMC-2 CPU in the TP 600E socket. The fastest (I saw) was 850MHz. For more info, please read these fantastic official 600 upgrade thread.

jamiphar wrote:I see some 1.0ghz PIII's on ebay for good prices, but I don't know how to tell which ones might work.

harald612 wrote:You can only put a MMC-2 CPU in the TP 600E socket. The fastest (I saw) was 850MHz.

As harald612 suggests, the fastest PIII that Intel made in the MMC-2 form factor is 850MHz. This is also the fastest CPU you can put in a 600X, 770X, or 770Z. The trick to figuring out what will fit is that you need an "MMC-2" form factor.

You can identify a CPU by the code/markings Intel puts on them. In the 600 Upgrade thread, DNA_DAN provides a list of Intel processor identification codes. A PIII MMC-2 Intel processor will have a number that begins with "PMM...". Some more information about the "MMC-2" module is available from Tom's Hardware Mobile CPU Mania.

MMC-2 PIII 850MHz modules are somewhat rare, and can cost anywhere from around USD$100 to USD$200, and so may not be worth the cost for the upgrade. You can usually get PIII 750MHz or less modules for a reasonable price.

Phil.

All right, I see what you guys are saying. Thanks for the info!

Also, a 850mhz P3 will only run at 700mhz on a 600E due to the 600E being non-speedstep.

A 500mhz P3 can be had for about $20 and will run at the full 500mhz.

bosco wrote:Also, a 850mhz P3 will only run at 700mhz on a 600E due to the 600E being non-speedstep.

A 500mhz P3 can be had for about $20 and will run at the full 500mhz.

Hmm, would a 700mhz PIII run its fastest?

Depends on whether or not it's a SpeedStep CPU. SpeedStep CPUs always run 150mhz slower in the 600E. Non SS (e.g. 450, 500) will run at full speed.

AlphaKilo470 wrote:Depends on whether or not it's a SpeedStep CPU. SpeedStep CPUs always run 150mhz slower in the 600E. Non SS (e.g. 450, 500) will run at full speed.

Is there any workaround for that? Are the only true PIII's the ones with speedstep?

jamiphar wrote:

AlphaKilo470 wrote:Depends on whether or not it's a SpeedStep CPU. SpeedStep CPUs always run 150mhz slower in the 600E. Non SS (e.g. 450, 500) will run at full speed.

Is there any workaround for that? Are the only true PIII's the ones with speedstep?

AlphaKilo470 is right. If you have a PIII that is a non-SpeedStep CPU, then they will run at full speed. These are "true" PIII's as much as a SpeedStep PIII is a "true" PIII. It is just that some PIII's (the ones that are 650MHz or faster) have SpeedStep functions.

The 600E was not designed to use a PIII, nor to use SpeedStep. Installing a PIII in a 600E can therefore be unpredictable, and some people have run into unknown, unsolvable problems. Others install it, modify the BIOS, add the PowerLeap utility, and everything runs tickety-boo.

Just keep in mind that if you install a PIII in a 600E you will have issues with your "L2 cache", and if you install a SpeedStep PIII then you will also have a problem with your CPU running slower than the max, as AlphaKilo470 explains. For some ideas about the workarounds, please carefully re-read the The official 600 Upgrade and general information Topic and follow the links to other sites and threads there.

You may also want to check out:
SpeedStep Issues with 600E upgraded to PIII 650 MHz
SpeedStep and Windows 2000 on a ThinkPad 600E
600E 55U upgrade problems
and
Mod the Pad
and you can also try browsing through
Wim's BIOS - IBM Thinkpad 600E bios mod for processor update

Phil.