What processors can I put in a Dell 545s?

[stuman74]

I just bought a cheap Dell Inspiron Slim tower 545s. It came with a Dual Core 2.7 GHz chip (E5400).

I have a couple of other computers in the house, one with a E7200 and the other with a quad Q6600. Can those be transplanted into this 545s? Or better yet, is there a way that I can find a list of processors that this 545s can support? Thanks!

 

[mfenn]

I would imagine that the mobo supports pretty much any Core 2. The problem is that a higher TDP quad may not have adequate cooling in the slim case. I would say that the E7200 will work no problem, and that the Q6600 will probably be recognized but not be cooled sufficiently (it's a 105W part IIRC).

 

[stuman74]

I found online the Dell setup guide actually says the 545s can take a Quad-Core processor, but I don't know which models still (page 55/pdf page 57)

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/insp535st/en/setgde/F957NOD.pdf

 

[mfenn]

I found online the Dell setup guide actually says the 545s can take a Quad-Core processor, but I don't know which models still (page 55/pdf page 57)

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/insp535st/en/setgde/F957NOD.pdf

Right, that's what I said.

It's not an issue of whether or not it can physically accept and recognize a quad. The issue is that the cooling solution may not be sufficient for a quad.

 

[RebateMonger]

Wikipedia says the Inspiron 545s came with a Core2 Duo E7400.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dell_Inspiron#Inspiron_545s

Since that's a 45nm Wolfdale, pretty much any Core2 product except for the Extreme Edition is likely to be usable. The most likely to be problematic might be a 65nm 100 Watt Core2 Quad (Q6600). 45nm Quads (Q8xxx or Q9xxx) should run cooler. I have a Q9550 in a tiny (ITX) Intel-provided SFF box and it runs just fine.

 

[stuman74]

Right, so, per the Dell 545s manual, which states only the 250 W power supply AND quad-core processor support, I'm just wondering specifically which quads work. I think you are probably right that my Q6600 requires too much power, but some in the Q8xxx and Q9xxx may work perfectly.

 

[mfenn]

Right, so, per the Dell 545s manual, which states only the 250 W power supply AND quad-core processor support, I'm just wondering specifically which quads work. I think you are probably right that my Q6600 requires too much power, but some in the Q8xxx and Q9xxx may work perfectly.

Yep, I would bet that Q8xxx or Q9xxx (ok not the QX9650) would work fine. The real question is whether or not you can get one for cheap enough. I'm not sure if I would be able to justify putting a $150 CPU into a machine that's only worth $300 or so.

 

[stuman74]

Yep, I would bet that Q8xxx or Q9xxx (ok not the QX9650) would work fine. The real question is whether or not you can get one for cheap enough. I'm not sure if I would be able to justify putting a $150 CPU into a machine that's only worth $300 or so.

The 545s was actually only $212 after coupon at Dell Outlet

Just trying to understand my options. This could become my primary computer, even though it's hooked up to my TV. I don't want to just move my chunky silver 530 down there because the slim tower fits and looks better.

 

[RebateMonger]

Right, so, per the Dell 545s manual, which states only the 250 W power supply AND quad-core processor support, I'm just wondering specifically which quads work. I think you are probably right that my Q6600 requires too much power, but some in the Q8xxx and Q9xxx may work perfectly.

The Intel ITX box that came with my Intel Q9550 had a 160 Watt power supply. It's an In Win BM639:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811108224

Obviously, there was no 150 Watt graphics card added.

I own both a Q6600 and a Q9550, but my Q6600 is installed on a Dell SC440 server, so I have no way to really tell how much heat it's putting out compared to a Q9550. I can say that the Q9550 when iinstalled in that tiny In Win ITX case put out only semi-warm air with its tiny fan.