Processor upgrade system for a personal computer

An upgradable computer system, comprising:

• a motherboard having a first central processing unit (CPU), an oscillator for providing clock pulses to said central processing unit and a predetermined expansion socket electrically connected and mounted on said motherboard for receiving a second CPU, said second CPU selected from a predetermined group of CPUs of different predetermined types, said predetermined types including CPU from predetermined different families, wherein one of said predetermined types and families includes one or more predetermined signals disposed at different predetermined pin locations relative to another one of said different predetermined types;
• means carried by said motherboard for automatically sensing the presence of an upgrade CPU in said expansion socket;
• means carried by said motherboard for automatically determining the type of said first CPU under predetermined conditions and for automatically determining the type and family of said second CPU installed in said expansion socket;
• means carried by said motherboard for enabling said second CPU installed in said expansion socket and disabling said first CPU when said second CPU is sensed in said expansion socket, said disabling means including means for preventing said oscillator clock pulses from driving said first CPU;
• means carried by said motherboard for automatically rerouting said predetermined signals to predetermined pin locations on said CPU expansion socket depending on the type of upgrade CPU installed in said expansion socket:
• and
• means carried by said motherboard for initializing hardware in the computer system for specifically functioning in accordance with the type and family of said second CPU installed in the computer system.

An upgradable computer system, comprising:

• a motherboard having a first CPU, a clock oscillator for providing timing signals to said CPU and an electrically connected and mounted predetermined expansion socket adapted to receive a second CPU to upgrade the computer systems said second CPU selected from a predetermined group of CPUs of different predetermined types, said predetermined types including CPUs from predetermined different families, wherein one of said predetermined types and families includes one or more, predetermined signals disposed at different predetermined pin locations relative to another one of said different predetermined types;
• means carried by said motherboard for automatically sensing the presence of a CPU in said expansion docket;
• means carried by said motherboard for automatically determining the type of said first CPU and for determining the type and family of any CPU installed in said expansion socket for upgrading the computer system;
• means carried by said motherboard for automatically disabling said first CPU when a second CPU is installed in said expansion socket and enabling said second CPU, said disabling means including means for preventing timing signals from said oscillator from driving said first CPU;
• means carried by said motherboard for automatically rerouting said predetermined signals to predetermined pin locations on said CPU expansion socket depending on the type of upgrade CPU installed in said expansion socket;
• and
• means carried by said motherboard for initializing hardware in the computer system for specifically functioning in accordance with the type and family of said second CPU installed in the a computer system.