Fun with CPU upgrade choices
Fun with CPU upgrade choices
Right now I own a complete HP Pavilion Wave 600 setup. The motherboard is from the Lyon line, which HP claims works with 35-watt Skylake processors. The chipset is H170, supporting CPUs like the Core i7-6700T. There are two DDR4 memory slots available, and the LGA 1151 socket allows a maximum supported CPU of a Core i7-6700T (my system currently runs a Core i3-6100T). The chipset also lists compatibility with the Kaby Lake series due to pin matching and power requirements. HP has released other Pavilion Wave 600 models with a Lyon-K board, which seem to support the i7-7700T as well. So, if you ignore brand reputation and consider the specs, would you trust the Lyon-K or chipset listings for upgrading to a Kaby Lake CPU? Also, keep in mind it includes integrated graphics, and I’m curious about the performance boost from switching to an i7-7700T compared to the i7-6700T. As for running Steam, it might be possible with casual games, but I’d need to confirm both the CPU and graphics card are up to the job. What do you think, fellow tech enthusiasts?
You could replace the motherboard with one of a comparable dimension, which would mean you're not restricted to the T-series processors.
this kind of motherboard doesn't need to back every CPU from the chipset. However, many boards include CPUs that work perfectly and aren't officially supported. Likely not, based on the 5% speed gap, same architecture, very similar configuration, identical GPU. But what's the value you're getting for an i7? I'd probably save up for a better setup unless you can find it at a lower cost.
You can locate a 6700T at affordable prices worldwide. Regarding compatibility, the H170 chipset works with only 6th and 7th generation CPUs when the motherboard includes the required microcode in its BIOS. If the manufacturer only advertises 6th generation support, it probably means they don’t offer it at all.
Absolutely, it's HP. You can be sure they don’t back it up properly. There was a buy it now offer on eBay around $100. It’s a custom size for the unit, and the new motherboard won’t fit in that AIO case. That saves you some money, thanks!
It really depends on the timing with eBay. The two Xeon CPUs I purchased for my system cost a lot more initially—about $100 total—but then dropped to $200 each just a few months later. I've got to be patient on eBay, which is one of my strengths.