Dell XPS Upgrade Picture Guide

Please note you are on your own with this upgrade. I can not provide technical assistance. Please visit the Dell Talk hardware upgrade forum if you have questions.

The information contained in this web page was gained from reading posts in the Dell Talk hardware upgrade forum. This forum is a great place to learn more about this upgrade and get help from others who have completed it. Another great resource is Robert Hancock's Dell Dimension Processor Upgrade FAQ. Robert is the originator of this upgrade. My contribution is this picture guide.

Before beginning this upgrade you should update your BIOS to a newer version. This is so that the computer will recognize the Pentium III processor. I used the A12 version without problems. According to posts on the Dell Talk forum the A13 version causes Windows to rediscover many hardware devices in your computer. If you have the software drivers this should not be a problem. This link will enable you to download the latest version, as of December 2000, of the BIOS for your computer. XPSR A13 Bios. You can also search for Downloads for your Dell.

Turn the power off to your computer before starting to upgrade your processor. A good way to do is to plug it into a power strip and switch the power off.

Once inside your computer you will see the Pentium II chip. It's the largest chip in the system held in place by a blue plastic retaining bar. Pinch together the left and right ends and pull it away from the processor.

With the blue retaining bar gone you will be able to see the white fan connector on the right, between the processor and the power supply.

Before removing the Pentium II processor, move the locking clips to the inside position as shown below. Dell has an instructional page on how to do this.

To remove the Pentium II processor, grab it by the heat sink and pull straight up. This may take a fair amount of force to pull the processor from its socket. When you have pulled it free your computer should look similar to this.

Now that the older processor is gone, plug the CPU fan on to the motherboard connector.

Next carefully align the new processor up with the socket and press firmly into place. It should seat snuggly into place.

After powering up your system to ensure that all is well. Place the PIII sticker on the front of your machine.

I've upgraded my machine to a PIII 750 from a PII 450. In less than five minutes I had the upgrade completed. This was perhaps the easiest upgrade I've ever done.