Are the dual core pentium D 830 chips interchangable with the 940 series?

As far as I know. It probably depends on the BIOS and nothing physical.

I built a friend a 9xx series machine recently, using the same motherboard and memory that I'm using in my 8xx series.

My hero! Thanks Sanchek.

Going to be buying a Dell but they are rather dumb and wont let me pay with the credit I have with them + my own money. So I either have to pay it all out of pocket or make some concessions. I dont mind getting the middle of the road processor option if it can be upgraded later.

If you're not in a big hurry, you might want to wait on the Conroe to be released later this year. The promise of that single chip is why Dell has stuck with Intel exclusivity for the past few years. It's likely to be a big shift in what's what.

That one likely won't be compatible with the same boards.

http://techreport.com/etc/2006q1/conroe/fear.gif

http://techreport.com/etc/2006q1/conroe/index.x?pg=1

Hrmm im not in a big hurry, I still have my AMD 64 3200 from last year, with 2 gigs of ram and a 6800GT.

I think i'll wait...but the price of this chip scares me :P Any idea what it will cost?

Be careful though, sometimes with the Brand named computers they limit the motherboard to only take that one CPU. Make sure you have the option with that motherboard before you buy it.