Upgrade on a Dell Dimensions PC?

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TrojanAaron

Senior member
Sep 19, 2002
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Hey guys, just wondering if its possible to upgrade the CPU on a Dell Dimensions PC.

I just jumped in on that ATI X800XT PE deal and I'm pretty sure my P4 2.66ghz is going to bottleneck the performance on games like Battlefield 2 of F.E.A.R.

I'm already running 1 gig of HyperX PC2700 RAM. Not sure what my mobo supports, but I'm running an Dimensions 4550

Appreciate any input you guys have.
 
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Cheesetogo

Diamond Member
Jan 26, 2005
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Originally posted by: AmberClad
First of all, I don't think your 250W PSU is going to cut it with a X800XT PE...
Click to expand...


Actually, it should, seeing as the dell 8300 used a 250watt and it had the option of the x800xt when you customized it.
 
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TrojanAaron

Senior member
Sep 19, 2002
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Yea... I was worried about that too. I'm currently running a GeForce 6800 without any problem, but I imagine that the X800XT PE is going to kill it. Some other forum members in the HOT DEALS sections say that they're currently running 9800 Pros on the 250w supplies and they don't have a problem... supposedly power consumption on the 9800 and the X800XTs are pretty close.

Which leads to another question, can you upgrade the power supply on Dells?

 
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AmberClad

Diamond Member
Jul 23, 2005
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Originally posted by: Cheesetogo
Originally posted by: AmberClad
First of all, I don't think your 250W PSU is going to cut it with a X800XT PE...
Click to expand...


Actually, it should, seeing as the dell 8300 used a 250watt and it had the option of the x800xt when you customized it.
Click to expand...

You could be right. Unfortunately, Dell refuses to disclose the max rating for their PSUs :frown:. The numbers you see (the 250 watts for example) is the average PSU rating..
 
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TrojanAaron

Senior member
Sep 19, 2002
293
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HOT DAYAM...3.4 w/ 800 fsb? I think currently my mobo is at 533 fsb. Would there be a significant difference in a 2.6 @ 533 vs. a 3.4 @ 800?... or is it even replaceable with a 800 FSB?
 
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TrojanAaron

Senior member
Sep 19, 2002
293
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I dont' even know what my mobo specs are... granted that it sfrom Dell... its probably some POS
 
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AmberClad

Diamond Member
Jul 23, 2005
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The best socket 478 533 FSB proc might be the 2.8 Prescott...that's not much improvement is it :(.
 
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FlyingPenguin

Golden Member
Nov 1, 2000
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I wouldn't bother trying to upgrade the CPU in an OEM system. Lots of reasons you might run into problems. They're just not designed for it. And anyway, you 2.6 P4 is no slouch. Any modern game should run adequately on it. Heck I can play HL2 and the F.E.A.R. demo just fine on an Athlon 2200+ with a Radeon 9800.

You actually don't need as big a PSU as you think, and you might get away with the existing PSU as long as you don't have any extra drives installed. Even the high end 8400 and XPS system don't have all THAT big a PSU on them and they can handle high-end cards.

I'm no fan of Intel put a properly designed OEM system like a Dell has fairly low power consumption. Custom built Athlon systems tend to be a bit more power hungry, and as custom builders we tend to go with a bigger PSU just to avoid possible problems. I've actually built several MediaPC nForce2 systems with 9800 Pros using a 300 watt PSU (because the HTPC case uses a proprietary PSU and that's the only option) and they work fine, even for gaming.

Most Dell's built in the last 3 years use a standard ATX2.0 PSU. Earlier Dells use a proprietary connector although the PSU is standard. You can buy an adapter cable.

I'm willing to bet that as long as you've only got one hard drive on that system you'll be fine with the original PSU. If you get random lockups or reboots during gameplay then your first suspect should be the PSU.

Hope this helps...
 
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BOLt

Diamond Member
Dec 11, 2004
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good comments and suggestions. i was also curious as to whether or not dell psus were proprietary... this certainly cleared it all up. thx a bunch!
 
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TrojanAaron

Senior member
Sep 19, 2002
293
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Good input... thanks a bunch. I'm actually running dual hard drives, dual opticals drives, SB live and using up every single USB port. Looks like I might need more power.
 
happy medium

happy medium

Lifer
Jun 8, 2003
14,387
480
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Dell says it will handle a x800xtpe but not a 6800 ultra without upgrading the power supply.

from dell forums:

Dimension 8300, XPS Gen 1, Gen 2 (AGP video cards) =
GeForce FX 6800 Ultra Extreme Edition (you must upgrade the power supply from the 250w)
GeForce FX 6800 Ultra (you must upgrade the power supply from the 250w)
Radeon X800 XT Platinum Edition (Excalibur X800XT PE)
GeForce FX 6800 GT (you might need to move the hard disk drive cage due to the card length)
Radeon X800 XT
Radeon X800 Pro
GeForce FX 6800

 
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TrojanAaron

Senior member
Sep 19, 2002
293
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SWEEET... I hope my Dimensions 4550 has the same power supply as the higher end systems

Would you happen to have a link to that forum?
 
happy medium

happy medium

Lifer
Jun 8, 2003
14,387
480
126
Originally posted by: TrojanAaron
SWEEET... I hope my Dimensions 4550 has the same power supply as a 6800GT.

Would you happen to have a link to that forum?
Click to expand...


yes 1 sec...


 
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