Bill's AL440LX Slocket 2 Guide

 

The release of Intel's Celeron 2 CPU's has opened up new possibilities in upgrading the AL440LX. Unfortunately, it has also opened up a bunch of new problems or "challenges" if you will. The good news is that you can upgrade to the Celeron 2 processors. But, there are some challenges in this upgrade to be met.

First off, no matter how you slice it, the AL440LX will only support processors running on a 66 MHz FSB, or front side bus. You can put a 100 MHz FSB CPU in your system, but it will only run at 66 MHz. So, if you buy a 800 MHz Celeron 2 processor, it will only run at  533 MHz (the clock multiplier multiplied by the front side bus speed, or 8 times 66 MHz). This applies for any processor that you put in the AL440LX. Unless you overclock, there is no way to run this system with a 100 MHz FSB. 

Most slockets on the market covert PPGA to Slot 1. The new Celeron 2 CPU's are FC-PGA. So, the first challenge was to find a FC-PGA to Slot 1 adapter. There are actually several of these on the market. However, the Celeron 2's also run at a lower voltage than the AL440LX can provide. So, you need an adapter with an onboard voltage regulator to provide the lower voltage required by the new processors. 

 

What not to use.....

Right now, there are only two adapters on the market that meet these requirements -- the Powerleap PL-iP3 and the Evergreen PerformaSE. There are a lot of other slockets on the market, but these are the only two that I have found with the onboard voltage regulator.

Bottom Line: Only use the Powerleap PL-iP3 or the Evergreen PerformaSE.

 

Here's what works!

Before I start, I have to say that the folks at Powerleap have been great and are a pleasure to work with. They've really gone the extra mile with their latest product. Powerleap's PL-iP3 is currently the only FC-PGA to Slot 1 adapter on the market with an onboard voltage regulator that works with the AL440LX.

When Powerleap released the PL-PII slocket, used for PPGA upgrades, one of my biggest beefs was that the slocket was incompatible with just about every set of CPU posts available on the market. There was no easy way to secure the slocket onto the motherboard. Powerleap has corrected this with the PL-iP3; the slocket snaps into the posts just like a normal CPU. Very nice, in my opinion. The only real beef I have with the slocket is the CPU Control Panel Utility that they provide. The software looks like the interface hasn't been updated since before the release of the PL-PII. A little TLC from the software folks could go a long way. The utility isn't required for the slocket or the upgrade to work however, so it's only a minor gripe.

Installation of the PL-iP3 is very straightforward. Powerleap has done an excellent job of clearly illustrating the installation manual. There's really no need for me to write a detailed installation guide, because they've done it already. It is available for download from Powerleap's website, so I encourage you to take a look. 

Revision 1.0 of the PL-iP3 has several blocks of jumpers that you must set in order for your upgrade to work. You must set the jumpers for FSB and voltage. There is also a block for SMP enable, but you shouldn't have to adjust this with the AL440LX. It's not difficult, and the manual is illustrated very well, but it did take me a few minutes to make sure that all of my settings were correct. 

Revision 2.0 of the PL-iP3 includes automatic detection of the required voltage, as well as automatic detection of the FSB. If you like, you can also manually set the FSB using jumpers on the slocket. The removal of the voltage settings may be viewed as a limitation by some of the overclockers, but at this point, I don't think overclocking will make that much a difference in performance. 

Like their other upgrade products, Powerleap includes their "Redundant Overheating Protection Function." This function automatically reduces the CPU speed when the temperature gets too hot, allowing you to save your work and correct the problem. It's a much friendlier way to find out that your CPU fan just died than finding a cooked CPU.

 

The folks at Evergreen have also been good to work with. Their tech support personnel were very persistent with me, so hopefully this is an indication of their normal operations. I have had my share of bad experiences with their products in the past, but the Performa SE upgrades work as advertised. Like the PL-iP3, the PerformaSE slides right into the standard CPU posts included with the AL440LX. 

Since the PerformaSE is sold as a packaged upgrade only, and not as a slocket, the adaptability and upgradability of the slocket are unknown. There are several jumpers on the board, but the documentation only outlines the factory settings. There is a blurb that says "Other jumper settings that these may solve boot problems for you system. Contact Evergreen to obtain these settings." There was a sticker on the slocket saying it was compatible with a 100 MHz FSB, so I imagine that there is some upgrade potential if you decided to later use it in a BX based board. 

Installation was also very straight forward, and their documentation is pretty clear. I did have a lot of problems getting the PerformaSE seated properly on my motherboard however. I had to pull it out and re-insert it several times before my machine would boot. The tabs on the slocket for releasing the mounting lock from the posts are flimsy; I managed to break off one in the process. I've received reports from other users saying they've had similar experiences with the posts. 

My only real gripe with the PerformaSE is the cabling for the fan and power supply. The PerformaSE takes power from your power supply using a standard 4-pin connector, like the ones your hard drive uses. They made a pass through connector, with female and male ends, so that you don't have to occupy an entire lead with the upgrade. All of these are good things, and great design. However, the lead coming off the fan has a fan connector for the motherboard on it, and is also wired into the main power lead. The documentation goes to great length to tell you not to connect this fan connector to your motherboard (because it will send lots power from your power supply surging into the wrong place on your motherboard!). It just seems to me like it would be easier (and a better design practice) not to include that connector at all.

Above is a picture of the PerformaSE. Take a look at the wiring, and you can see that if connector X was connected to your motherboard, you'd have a bad day. Rather than taking great lengths to tell you not to use the connector, I think they should remove it all together, or put some kind of plastic cap on it just to make it idiot proof.

The installation guide for the PerformaSE is also available for download from Evergreen's site.

Performance wise, the PerformaSE is identical to the Powerleap PL-iP3. If you're looking for upgradability, or want to buy or have your own CPU, I recommend the Powerleap slocket. Otherwise, I'd buy whichever one is going for the best price. 

 

How fast can I go?

Using the PL-iP3, you can upgrade to any of the 66 MHz FSB Celeron 2 processors. This means that you can use the 533, 566, 600, 633, 667, 700, 733, and 766 MHz Celeron 2 CPUs. From the looks of it, 766 MHz is going to be the end of the line. The Celeron 2 800 MHz CPU is the first to use the 100 MHz bus, which the AL440LX doesn't support. Still, an upgrade from a Pentium II 266 to a Celeron 2 766 is a pretty healthy upgrade.

The Evergreen PerformaSE is available in 766, 700, and 533 MHz flavors. I have only tested the 766 MHz version. The 700 MHz version should work just fine as well, since they are both based on the Celeron 2 CPU. The 533 MHz version is based on a CyrixIII CPU, which typically does not work in the AL440LX. I haven't tested the Evergreen one, but if I were you I'd lean towards the 700 or 766. Just like drinking and driving, Cyrix and Intel don't mix.

 

Are there any limitations?

There are some limitations when using the Celeron 2 processors. While you get a big boost in speed, some problems have developed:

The exact reason for why this does not work has yet to be determined. I believe the problem lies in the AL440LX BIOS. The AL440LX BIOS does not fully support the new Celeron 2 processors, and Intel is not going to update the BIOS to include this support. Once the processor been reported as "Pentium-Pro" or "Unknown?" by CPUID in the BIOS, Windows-2000 and XP will hang at their launching sequence.

Powerleap says that they have been able to get the AL440LX to work with Windows 2000 and a Celeron 2 in the lab, and are working on getting me a patch so that I can evaluate it. However, to date, no patch has ever evolved, and so I pretty much consider this a dead issue.

There are no conflicts however with Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 98 SE, Windows ME, or Windows NT. You can use the Celeron 2 766 MHz processors with these operating systems. 

Bottom Line: The fastest processor you can use at this point with Windows 2000 or XP is the Celeron 533 MHz. Celeron 2's will not work.

There are problems with certain video cards, including those based on the GeForce and Radeon chipsets. Certain cards using the TNT and TNT2 chipsets have also been problematic, but for the most part, these cards work. A notable exception is cards based on the VooDoo chipsets, including the VooDoo 5 5500. Voodoo cards have not exhibited any problems at all. 

There are two potential problems here. Many GeForce and Radeon cards meet the AGP 2.0 spec. The AL440LX meets the AGP 1.0 spec. Some cards will still work with the AL440LX, but not all, and they aren't designed to. This is where most of the TNT/TNT2 problems occur as well.

Powerleap also speculates that some video drivers are making SSE calls through BIOS extensions; since the AL440LX BIOS doesn't support SSE, problems occur. These problems only exist with Celeron 2 processors, and not with vanilla Celeron processors. 

 

Slocket 2 upgrades are probably the hottest item with the AL440LX these days. Look to this page for more updates as things progress with Powerleap and Evergreen.

 

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