Dell Inspiron one 2305

[CRV]

My brother is looking to change the CPU of his computer to a much better one. What CPU would be best? It's a Dell Inspiron one 2305 touch screen pc.
Will any CPU work with any motherboard?
I'm new to this, but I guess there's CPUs for desktops and CPUs for laptops?
Plus do I need to delete any software etc, when installing the new CPU?

 

[ElFenix]

for all computers, the processor and motherboard need to be compatible with each other. for prebuilt computers they often can't take a processor it wasn't originally offered with. even a processor that might be physically and electrically compatible might not work at proper speeds (or at all) because the BIOS doesn't recognize it. and especially with an all in one like the inspiron one, you are limited by the cooling capability of the system.

these computers used various low power athlon ii parts. unless you can find another inspiron one 2305 that you can salvage a faster processor from (and potentially the cooling system as well), i say move on. they won't take anything modern.

 

[JWade]

all the 2305's use the same cpu cooler.

you would need to use the lower wattage processors, here is a list of them approved by dell.

◦AMD Athlon X4, 610E, 2.4G
◦AMD Athlon X4, 600E, 2.2G
◦AMD Athlon X4, 605E, 2.3G
◦AMD Athlon X3, 405E, 2.3G
◦AMD Athlon X3, 400E, 2.2G
◦AMD Athlon X3, 415E, 2.5G
◦AMD Athlon X2, 240E, 2.8G
◦AMD Athlon X2, 250E, 3.0G
◦AMD Athlon X2, 235E, 2.7G
◦AMD Athlon X2, 260U, 1.8G
◦AMD Athlon X2, 250U, 1.6G
◦AMD Athlon X2, 245E, 2.9G

I would expect the 615e and 620e to work as well though. they are both 45w and that's the maximum wattage dell suggests for the computer. I would suggest a ssd for an upgrade first before the processor. SSD = reinstall, cpu upgrade = no need to reinstall anything

edit: the benefit of upgrading the processor would also be applying better thermal paste which would help keep it cooler too.

 

[sm625]

Update the bios to the latest version you can find. Check the cpu support list in the release notes. Do a compare of the current cpu to the other cpus on that list.

In some cases an upgrade could be worthwhile. For example you may be able to use a quad core. If you can find it for cheap it could be worth it. But I wouldnt sacrifice too many MHz for more cores.

 

[DrMrLordX]

Depending on the usage pattern for the computer and based on the list of compatible processors so kindly posted by JWade, I'd recommend either the 245e (highest clock speed) or the 610e (most cores, still a respectable clockspeed). Whether or not these upgrades would amount to a "much better" CPU is really a matter of opinion.

So, what does your brother normally do with the computer? The answer to that question could help you narrow down which CPU he should get (if any) as an upgrade.

 

[CRV]

Thanks for the suggestions. We wanted to upgrade the CPU, so that it will stream videos better. I was looking at the AMD X4 610e. It seems like there's not a lot of places that carries them. Found mostly used ones on Ebay and only one seller with brand new ones, but we will have to get it ship from overseas. It's $119 for it (excluding shipping). NewEgg is out of stock.

 

[CRV]

Depending on the usage pattern for the computer and based on the list of compatible processors so kindly posted by JWade, I'd recommend either the 245e (highest clock speed) or the 610e (most cores, still a respectable clockspeed). Whether or not these upgrades would amount to a "much better" CPU is really a matter of opinion.

So, what does your brother normally do with the computer? The answer to that question could help you narrow down which CPU he should get (if any) as an upgrade.

He wants to upgrade the CPU, so that he can stream videos better (like movies etc). We are looking for a passmark over 2300 and at least a quad core processor.

 

[Denithor]

By a used one, I see one [edit: X4 610e] on eBay today for $67. It is very, very difficult to kill a CPU, as long as the seller states it is fully functional (and has good feedback to back up the claim) you should be good to go.

Before you do this though, have you ever torn into the inside of one of these machines? These integrated all-in-one computers are like laptops inside, very tight spaces, hard to work on. If you don't have experience working inside computers in general and laptops specifically I would seriously think twice before attempting this kind of upgrade.

 

[CRV]

By a used one, I see one [edit: X4 610e] on eBay today for $67. It is very, very difficult to kill a CPU, as long as the seller states it is fully functional (and has good feedback to back up the claim) you should be good to go.

Before you do this though, have you ever torn into the inside of one of these machines? These integrated all-in-one computers are like laptops inside, very tight spaces, hard to work on. If you don't have experience working inside computers in general and laptops specifically I would seriously think twice before attempting this kind of upgrade.

No we never torn into one of these before. Seen some videos on it though. It will be my brother's call, to see if he still wants to do it.

 

[DrMrLordX]

If you're looking for a quad, the 610e is on the compatibility list, and it should add some punch to the machine's performance. Ditto on tearing down an AiO box being problematic. It's not as bad as a laptop, but you will want to poke around and find instructions for assembly/disassembly of the unit in question.

If you and your brother are feeling particularly patient, you may get some help from the service manual.

 

[sm625]

Keep in mind that you can buy whole E8600 systems off ebay for not much more. An E8600 has a single thread passmark score of 1374. That is 50% faster than a 610e, and 30% faster than the fastest chip on that list. It may only have 2 cores but for streaming you are being held back by single thread performance. The E8600 has 6MB of shared cache vs only 512KB per core on the AMD propus quad core. It is very difficult to recommend any upgrade to a chip with such a small cache.

 

[DrMrLordX]

What, you mean like this one?

It's a good deal for someone looking to pick up a whole machine, but I'd much rather get the Propus for less money when there's a good machine waiting for an upgrade.