Template:Alternative Spec Determination - Revision history

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Aradan: Created page with "==Alternative methods for Determining Laptop Specifications== If for some reason the '''CPU Lookup''' function is unavailable or fails to find a match, there are alternative met…"

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Created page with "==Alternative methods for Determining Laptop Specifications== If for some reason the '''CPU Lookup''' function is unavailable or fails to find a match, there are alternative met…"

New page

==Alternative methods for Determining Laptop Specifications==

If for some reason the '''CPU Lookup''' function is unavailable or fails to find a match, there are alternative methods for determining appropriate laptop spec levels.

===Identifying the CPU===

The first thing we need to know is what kind of processor, or CPU, the laptop has. We may this information in either the BIOS or the Hardware Detection Tool from the Laptop Network Boot menu.

====BIOS====

* '''Enter the BIOS.''' The most common shortcut keys are F2, F10, or Delete.
** Look for references to the CPU. These will often contain the manufacturer (''Intel'' or ''AMD''), the brand (e.g. ''Pentium'', ''Core 2 Duo'', ''Turion 64'', etc.), the clock speed, and sometimes the actual model number of the CPU (e.g. ''T5600'', ''i7-640LM'', ''TL-54'', etc.).
** Write down any CPU information you find, and proceed to '''CPU Charts'''.
** If there is no CPU info on the main BIOS screen, look for a page or tab called "Advanced" or "Hardware" or something along those lines. If you are still unable to find information about the CPU, try the Hardware Detection Tool.
<br>
====Hardware Detection Tool====

* '''Access the Network Boot menu:'''
** Make sure you have a working network cable plugged into the laptop.
** Power on the laptop.
** Use the Network Boot shortcut key (usually F12) or Boot Device Menu (F9, F10, or F12) if available. If these are unavailable, enter the BIOS and make sure ''Network/PXE/LAN'' boot is enabled, then save and exit. After it restarts and POSTs, the system should now boot from the network.
** Select '''Laptop Build''' from the menu.
** Select '''Hardware Detection Tool'''. You can use the up and down arrow keys to scroll through the hardware list; use the right arrow key or Enter to make a selection, use the left arrow key or Escape to back up a level.
** Select '''Processor''' from the hardware list. You should now see rows of information about the CPU, including a line that contains the manufacture, brand, model number, and clock speed. Sometimes information is cut off by the edge of the screen. If so, press the right arrow key and you will be able to scroll through the rows of CPU information, and the full contents of the highlighted line with display at the bottom of the screen. Usually the line also contains characters like (R) or (TM) after the words; these are only meant to denote that a brand name is copyrighted or trademarked, and should be ignored.
** Write down any CPU information you find, and proceed to '''CPU Charts'''.
<br>
===CPU Charts===

The charts on the next two pages organize laptop CPUs by manufacturer, processor micro-architecture, and brand name, with the model number ranges for a given generation of CPU listed under their brand name.
There are basically only two manufacturers of laptop processors: Intel and AMD. They each have different micro-architectures and sell CPUs under different brands.

:: '''Intel brands include:''' ''Pentium'', ''Celeron'', ''Core'', ''Core 2'', ''Core i3'', ''Core i5'', ''Core i7'', and many derivatives of these brands.
:: '''AMD brands include:''' ''Athlon'', ''Sempron'', ''Turion'', ''Phenom'', ''Fusion'', and their many derivatives.

Both Intel and AMD reuse the same brand names for several years at a time, often applying them to CPUs that are actually quite different from one another.

There is a chart for laptop CPUs manufactured by Intel and by AMD, so make sure you use the chart that corresponds to the CPU of the laptop in front of you.
Once we've gotten the general information about the CPU, we can locate it on the included '''CPU Charts''' to find out more about it, including which processor family it belongs to, what year it was released, and its '''Spec Level'''.

===Further Information===

← Older revision		Revision as of 03:47, 7 November 2013
Line 1:		Line 1:
−	~~__NOTOC__~~	+	[[Category:Delete]]
−
−	~~==Determining Laptop Specifications==~~
−
−	~~For determining system specs, Free Geek now has a CPU Lookup tool accessible from the~~ [[~~Laptop Network Boot]] menu.~~
−
−	* Access the Network Boot menu:
−	** Make sure you have a working network cable plugged into the laptop.
−	** Power on the laptop.
−	** Use the Network Boot key (usually F12) or Boot Device Menu (F9, F10, or F12) if available. If these are unavailable, enter the BIOS and make sure Network/PXE/LAN boot is enabled, then save and exit. The system should now boot from the network.
−	** Select '''Laptop Build''' from the menu.
−	** Select '''CPU Lookup'''. The CPU Lookup tool will now try to match the CPU detected in the system with information in our database. If it finds a match, it will display information about that CPU, including which '''Spec Level''' it falls under. Write this information down.
−	** See the '''CPU Charts''' for other ways to determine a laptop's specs.
−
−	~~If for some reason the '''CPU Lookup''' function is unavailable or fails to find a match, there are alternative methods for determining appropriate laptop spec levels.~~
−
−	~~===Identifying the CPU===~~
−
−	~~The first thing we need to know is what kind of processor, or CPU, the laptop has. We may find this information in either the BIOS or the Hardware Detection Tool from the Laptop Network Boot menu.~~
−
−	~~====BIOS====~~
−
−	* '''Enter the BIOS.''' The most common shortcut keys are F2, F10, or Delete.
−	** Look for references to the CPU. These will often contain the manufacturer (''Intel'' or ''AMD''), the brand (e.g. ''Pentium'', ''Core 2 Duo'', ''Turion 64'', etc.), the clock speed, and sometimes the actual model number of the CPU (e.g. ''T5600'', ''i7-640LM'', ''TL-54'', etc.).
−	** Write down any CPU information you find, and proceed to '''CPU Charts'''.
−	** If there is no CPU info on the main BIOS screen, look for a page or tab called "Advanced" or "Hardware" or something along those lines. If you are still unable to find information about the CPU, try the Hardware Detection Tool.
−
−	~~====Hardware Detection Tool====~~
−
−	* '''Access the Network Boot menu:'''
−	** Make sure you have a working network cable plugged into the laptop.
−	** Power on the laptop.
−	** Use the Network Boot shortcut key (usually F12) or Boot Device Menu (F9, F10, or F12) if available. If these are unavailable, enter the BIOS and make sure ''Network/PXE/LAN'' boot is enabled, then save and exit. After it restarts and POSTs, the system should now boot from the network.
−	** Select '''Laptop Build''' from the menu.
−	** Select '''Hardware Detection Tool'''. You can use the up and down arrow keys to scroll through the hardware list; use the right arrow key or Enter to make a selection, use the left arrow key or Escape to back up a level.
−	** Select '''Processor''' from the hardware list. You should now see rows of information about the CPU, including a line that contains the manufacture, brand, model number, and clock speed. Sometimes information is cut off by the edge of the screen. If so, press the right arrow key and you will be able to scroll through the rows of CPU information, and the full contents of the highlighted line with display at the bottom of the screen. Usually the line also contains characters like (R) or (TM) after the words; these are only meant to denote that a brand name is copyrighted or trademarked, and should be ignored.
−	** Write down the CPU information, and proceed to '''CPU Charts'''.
−
−	~~====CPU Charts====~~
−
−	Once we've gotten the general information about the CPU, we can locate it on the included '''CPU Charts''' to find out more about it, including its '''Spec Level'''. The charts on the next two pages organize laptop CPUs by manufacturer, generation of processor, and brand name, with the model number ranges for a given generation of CPU listed under their brand name. The color of the chart area a type of CPU falls on corresponds to the spec level of that type of CPU. There is a chart for both manufacturers of laptop CPUs (''Intel'' and ''AMD''), so make sure you use the chart that corresponds to the CPU of the laptop in front of you.
−
−	* '''Locate CPU on Chart:'''
−	** Flip to the chart for the manufacturer of the CPU of the laptop in front of you ('''Intel''' or '''AMD''').
−	** Find the '''Brand Name''' of the CPU on the chart
−	** Match the '''Model Number''' of the CPU to one of the model number ranges listed under the correct brand name
−	** '''Note:''' There could be more than one generation of a given brand name, but different generations will have different ranges of model numbers.
−	** Once you have found the Brand/Generation that your CPU falls under, match the color of the chart area the CPU falls on to the color key along the top edge of the chart to find the '''Spec Level'''.
−	** Refer to the key or the whiteboard to determine appropriate RAM and Hard Drive amounts for the laptop.
−
−	~~Congratulations! You should now have determined the spec level of the laptop! If you have any further questions or issues, discuss with your friendly neighborhood Laptops Instructor.~~
−
−	~~[[Category:Laptops~~]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:17, 19 September 2013
Line 2:		Line 2:

	==Determining Laptop Specifications==		==Determining Laptop Specifications==
		+
		+	For determining system specs, Free Geek now has a CPU Lookup tool accessible from the [[Laptop Network Boot]] menu.
		+
		+	* Access the Network Boot menu:
		+	** Make sure you have a working network cable plugged into the laptop.
		+	** Power on the laptop.
		+	** Use the Network Boot key (usually F12) or Boot Device Menu (F9, F10, or F12) if available. If these are unavailable, enter the BIOS and make sure Network/PXE/LAN boot is enabled, then save and exit. The system should now boot from the network.
		+	** Select '''Laptop Build''' from the menu.
		+	** Select '''CPU Lookup'''. The CPU Lookup tool will now try to match the CPU detected in the system with information in our database. If it finds a match, it will display information about that CPU, including which '''Spec Level''' it falls under. Write this information down.
		+	** See the '''CPU Charts''' for other ways to determine a laptop's specs.

	If for some reason the '''CPU Lookup''' function is unavailable or fails to find a match, there are alternative methods for determining appropriate laptop spec levels.		If for some reason the '''CPU Lookup''' function is unavailable or fails to find a match, there are alternative methods for determining appropriate laptop spec levels.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 __NOTOC__
-==Alternative methods for Determining Laptop Specifications==
+==Determining Laptop Specifications==
 If for some reason the '''CPU Lookup''' function is unavailable or fails to find a match, there are alternative methods for determining appropriate laptop spec levels.

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:45, 14 May 2013
Line 40:		Line 40:

	Congratulations! You should now have determined the spec level of the laptop! If you have any further questions or issues, discuss with your friendly neighborhood Laptops Instructor.		Congratulations! You should now have determined the spec level of the laptop! If you have any further questions or issues, discuss with your friendly neighborhood Laptops Instructor.
		+
		+	[[Category:Laptops]]

@@ Line 37: / Line 37: @@
 ** '''Note:''' There could be more than one generation of a given brand name, but different generations will have different ranges of model numbers.
 ** Once you have found the Brand/Generation that your CPU falls under, match the color of the chart area the CPU falls on to the color key along the top edge of the chart to find the '''Spec Level'''.
-** Refer to the key or the whiteboard to determine appropriate RAM and Hard Drive amounts for the laptop
+** Refer to the key or the whiteboard to determine appropriate RAM and Hard Drive amounts for the laptop.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 ==Alternative methods for Determining Laptop Specifications==
@@ Line 13: / Line 15: @@
 ** Write down any CPU information you find, and proceed to '''CPU Charts'''.
 ** If there is no CPU info on the main BIOS screen, look for a page or tab called "Advanced" or "Hardware" or something along those lines. If you are still unable to find information about the CPU, try the Hardware Detection Tool.
 ====Hardware Detection Tool====
@@ Line 25: / Line 26: @@
 ** Select '''Processor''' from the hardware list. You should now see rows of information about the CPU, including a line that contains the manufacture, brand, model number, and clock speed. Sometimes information is cut off by the edge of the screen. If so, press the right arrow key and you will be able to scroll through the rows of CPU information, and the full contents of the highlighted line with display at the bottom of the screen. Usually the line also contains characters like (R) or (TM) after the words; these are only meant to denote that a brand name is copyrighted or trademarked, and should be ignored.
 ** Write down the CPU information, and proceed to '''CPU Charts'''.
 ====CPU Charts====

@@ Line 31: / Line 31: @@
 Once we've gotten the general information about the CPU, we can locate it on the included '''CPU Charts''' to find out more about it, including its '''Spec Level'''. The charts on the next two pages organize laptop CPUs by manufacturer, generation of processor, and brand name, with the model number ranges for a given generation of CPU listed under their brand name. The color of the chart area a type of CPU falls on corresponds to the spec level of that type of CPU. There is a chart for both manufacturers of laptop CPUs (''Intel'' and ''AMD''), so make sure you use the chart that corresponds to the CPU of the laptop in front of you.
-* Locate CPU on Chart:
+* '''Locate CPU on Chart:'''
 ** Flip to the chart for the manufacturer of the CPU of the laptop in front of you ('''Intel''' or '''AMD''').
 ** Find the '''Brand Name''' of the CPU on the chart

@@ Line 5: / Line 5: @@
 ===Identifying the CPU===
-The first thing we need to know is what kind of processor, or CPU, the laptop has. We may this information in either the BIOS or the Hardware Detection Tool from the Laptop Network Boot menu.
+The first thing we need to know is what kind of processor, or CPU, the laptop has. We may find this information in either the BIOS or the Hardware Detection Tool from the Laptop Network Boot menu.
 ====BIOS====