I've researched/read a number of threads here regarding CPU upgrades but I don't remember seeing anyone stating they had upgraded their ex47x CPU to AMDs LE-1660.

I like the specs of the LE-1660 in that is is faster than the commonly mentioned LE-1640, available on the web from a number of places and apparently would not require changes to the BIOS - contrary to Dual Core CPUs.

Is upgrading to the LE-1660 out of the question for some technical reason?

Kinda... due to a low likelihood of it resulting in a stable machine.

While I have no personal experience with the single core chips, there's a few threads where users have bumped into trouble trying to upgrade to the LE-1660...

The bios mod required to get an X2 chip working is much easier to do than you'd probably expect.... if you do end up deciding to go the X2 route I recommend the BE-2300... now only $43 bucks at newegg

ymboc,

Thank you for all this info... I've read your excellent BIOS modification instructions and have been tempted to switch to X2 since but been a bit apprehensive/scared... now that I am considering buying an extra 47x/MSS, I was again exploring possibilities... Interesting that the BE-2300 might be more stable/less prone to thermal issues than a LE-16xx CPU.

I have upgraded the RAM (2gb) - but have had to rely on an external fan in front of the MSS at boot time in order to prevent thermal shutdowns with a recently installed LE-1640... It has gotten better over the last 10 days or so; perhaps the Arctic Silver needed some "curing"... might go the BE-2300 route on that MSS and see if I have better results before attempting it on a new MSS.

Thanks again!!!

I wouldn't go so far as to claim improved stability over the entire LE-1600 series of CPUs...

Although it's definitely less issue-prone than the LE-1660 and perhaps the LE-1640 as well.

Though they're not often mentioned, AMD also made an LE-1600 & LE-1620.

Cheers & Good Luck!

The BE-2300 entry at NewEgg seems unavailable for purchase - but at least I now feel a lot more confident about trying this (dual core upgrade)... will probably end up doing it soon... Thanks again!

Bummer! I hope it's just temporary but given the age of the product, (worldwide) supply is probably pretty short...

Join the LE-1640 club NearMadness. I have exactly the same "feature" as you but once the MSS is up and running there isn't much that it won't do. It appears that boot time is critical for this chip and for some its problematic and others its fine.

Things that do upset it afaik are McAfee, Backups and boot ups. I also recently checked to see what my server was doing just before the shutdown and it was the PVConnect database scanning, so I have now reduced that to just scanning my photo's and nothing else. As I don't need streaming I may actually remove that add-in altogether.

I always have a fan at the ready for when it gets tetchy. I lapped my CPU to get a better thermal contact but still get the odd "shutdown was unexpected". Stick with it for a bit longer and see how you get on. I was also considering the X2 route but I feel I would probably get the same unexpected shutdowns but there are always folks willing to help on the boards. The choice is yours and I would be interested to see how you get on with the X2 route if you go that way.

Regards
Rip.

Ripstop,

Could it be that you got a "bad" chip? I've had a 1640 in my EX470 running continuously for a month and there have been no expected shutdowns. I do keep my fans running at 100%, though. Other than using Arctic Silver, I haven't taken any other measures such as lapping.

Perhaps some of the 1640's come off the line able to stay cool enough with the 470's passive cooler but others can't. Based on the fact that the chip comes with a fan, I have to assume that a passive heatsink isn't a supported configuration.

John

Make sure you replace all the case panels before testing with an upgraded processor. This design appears to have a slim thermal margin with the stock processor, application load, and HDDs

I installed a LE-1640 a few months ago and found that the system is much more temperature-stable when all the case plastics are in place. Otherwise the system is prone to temperature reset.

imho this is one sure way to pretty much guarantee stability on this chip. I have my server on my desk in front of me and don't want the fan noise so I use Alex's wonderful fan add-in. The fans range from about 1500 up to 2100 depending on what the server is doing. I see the temp on the chip sensor go up and down quite a bit but I think the chip is fine but you maybe right that some are better at running cooler than others.

In fact recently its been very stable and hasn't had an unexpected shutdown and I haven't had a problematic reboot either. Perhaps I have tamed my LE-1640 at last


I think this is crucial also as the system was designed to guide airflow through the heat sensitive parts. A few trials on airflow show that its pretty critical tbh and you always need a fan blowing on it if you barebones the system for whatever reason.

Cheers
Rip.

I have my internal fans run around 1550rpms and I have no problems. I do have an external fan blowing air on my MSS, port multiplier and USB enclosure, but my equipment is in a closet with no ventilation so temps reach the low 80's in the closet.

REPORT TIME!!... and YES...

IT LOOKS LIKE YMBOC IS RIGHT: The BE-2300 is less prone to thermal shutdown than the LE-1640 (and the LE-1660, which I ended up trying as well) OR some voltage issue is handled more efficiently with the BE-2300 than the LE-1640 and LE-1660.

---

I believe I am one of the few who have exchanged as many CPUs on this unit; I should probably be able to do this drunk/blindfolded

> Stock Sempron to LE-1640 to LE-1660 to BE-2300....

Tonight, I finally had the opportunity to retire the LE-1640 which I had installed/re-installed on the unit a number of times in the last 2 months. I can say that lately, the unit was not shutting down anymore for thermal reasons with the LE-1640 but it did require the aid of an external table fan running in front of the unit for the 1st 6-7 minutes after booting. It seems that the Arctic Silver benefited from "curing"...

Since I had already purchased an LE-1660, I decided to give it a try... it operated very similar to the LE-1640; excellent performance but it would shut after a couple of minutes if an external fan was not in front of the unit. Temperatures were similar to those I remember seeing after the last upgrade to the LE-1640...

Next, I followed YMBOCs EXCELLENT BIOS-updating/flashing instructions, re-booted with the LE-1600 one final time and shut the unit to replace the CPU with a BE-2300.

After booting with the BE-2300, I was a bit apprehensive since it seemed that it was taking a bit longer than with the LE-1660... When I RDPd into the MSS and viewed the temperatures, they were similar to the rest right after a boot/upgrade: At first, in the low 50s then dropping to the high 40s.... I decided to re-boot again, this time without the external fan, and to my surprise, the MSS not only did it not shutdown after the first 6-7 minutes but the temperatures steadily decreased to hover between 38-42 degrees centigrade.

In summary, YMBOC seems to have been completely on the spot/right about this: THE BE-2300 (although it requires BIOS flashing) is MORE STABLE than the LE-1640/LE-1660 - at least that is absolutely obvious in my case. Although, I have another MSS EX-475 and that one has an LE-1640 that has not required an external fan at boot time and typically idles around 37 degrees, I was never able to achieve that with this unit.

YMBOC: THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!

A bit more info...

This time around, I had ArctiCleaner 1 & 2 (Thermal Material Remover and Purifier) which left the heatsink/CPU perfectly cleaned... better than plain rubbing alcohol.

With the new BE-2300, the temperature spiked to 53 degrees two minutes or so after the backup was performed (perhaps the McAfee AV - which I will eventually replace with Avast - ran a scan) but it descended/stabilized in the 39-41 range. Even though CPU temperatures fluctuate quickly/widely (38-53), there has been no thermal shutdown. This is the best I've ever been able to achieve out of this upgraded unit (meaning no need for external ventilation and no unexpected shutdowns) in spite of many efforts in the past.

On the performance side, I ran a Visual FoxPro database procedure for which I had kept records and was pleased with the results:

> Total time with the LE-1640 = 5:36 minutes
> Total time with the BE-2300 = 5:11 minutes

To summarize: in terms of stability, temperature and performance the BE-2300 has proven a better choice than the commonly used LE-1640. YMBOC is the man.