Foxconn H-I41-uATX, CPU recommendations.

[Draconian]

Hello

I have an older system that has been working well for me, but i'd now like to get the most out of what I have.

My original desktop is HP G5326uk
However the PSU has been upgraded and a graphics card has been installed some years ago.

The motherboard installed in this is a Foxconn H-I41-uATX.

Currently has a Pentium E5800 installed
I've been comparing CPUs and realise i'm fairly constrained by the 775 processor socket.

• Front side bus speeds: 1333/1066/800 MHz
• Processor socket: 775

It seems like the Core2 quad Q9650 is an improvement and i also briefly read about a Q9700 extreme but despite finding leaked specs I can't seem to find this for sale anywhere. Also the Q9650 that seemed to be on the compatible list for my motherboard didn't have Q "X" 9000/8000 is the "X" relevant when buying.
I've also come across the Xeon X5460 which apparently out performs the above but requires an adapter to get it from the 771 socket form. These appear to be allot more affordable and can be bought with the adapter setup ready to go.... Is this a good idea?

I then came across a further constraint that threw me BIOS... what will my current motherboard handle will i need to update the BIOS version to support a Xeon... it was at this point I felt i really needed help as my minds going in circles.
Currently SM BIOS version 2.6
I have no issues updating the BIOS or the hardware as required but would like to know what the best I can get out of the motherboard is.

Any recommendations or tips are greatly appreciated.

As an added extra HP indicates 4GB Ram is the maximum for the board however http://www.findlaptopdriver.com/h-i41-uatx-eton-motherboard-specs-005h715/ indicates it's actually 8GB at 1333Mhz, Can I upgrade from my current 2x 2GB setup

 

[Pedro Ferreira]

Hi Draconian,

I have the exact same mobo from Foxcon in one of my oldest desktop, and i did some testing with it.
This are my results:

- CPU E5300 and 2x2GB DDR3 1060Mhz (From label, memory brand Hynix). This is the original setup.
- CPU E5300 and 2x4GB DDR3 1600Mhz (generic Brand, from Ballistix): It works, Windows 10 PRO installed (i've upgrade from Windows 7 PRO back in 2015), noticeable improvement for general application.
- CPU Q8400 and 2x2GB DDR3 1060Mhz (original mem setup) : It works with the same OS as above, some improvement for certain applications.
- CPU Q8400 and 2x4GB DDR3 1600 - Does not boot, intermitente "bip" as expected for a memory error

In my opinion the Q8400 (although faster than the E5300) as a different way to address the memory (we are talking about a 9yr old CPU) - And the mobo does not support it.
With the lower spec CPU, it allows the 8GB. Obviously HP will indicate 4GB as the maximum memory to allow you to select any support CPU (Quad series included).

Just a foot note:
I don't really use CPU intensive app's, so i left the E5300 setup, the 8GB of Ram and added a Samsung 840 series SSD for the OS. It works just fine with no lags and surprisingly good performance for web browsing, media, office tasks, photo editing, and some games (i also have a "modern" low end PCI-EX card from Nvidia on it). But for something like video editing, even on a low res like 720p it crawls like hell.
Bottom line, its a fine spare desktop for general use that is topped out max.

Hope this helps

Regards