Upgrade Dell XPS410

turaniii

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We use this computer for gaming. Old games. It freezes up in when in hibernation. May even freeze up when playing a game. What do I need to do to upgrade it without spending a lot of money, less than $300. Here is some information on it. I put windows 7 32-bit by mistake. Should I put in Windows 7 64 bit and get more RAM Memory?

Desktop Dell XPS 410
Computer: ACPI x86-based PC
Processor: Intel® Core™2 CPU 6700 @2.66GHz
Installed memory (RAM) 4.00 GB (3.00 GB usable)
System type: Windows 7 32-bit Operating System
Pen and Touch: No pen or Touch Input is available for this Display
Display adapters: NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GS
DVD/CD-ROM drives: TSST corp DVD+-RW TS-H653A
Floppy disk drive: Standard floppy disk controller
Keyboard: Logitech Gaming Virtual Keyboard
Mouse: Logitech Gaming Virtual Mouse
Monitors Dell M991
Sound: Creative SB X-Fi
Hard Drive: 322.10 Gigabytes Hard Drive Free Space
Hard Drive: 640.14 Gigabytes Usable Hard Drive Capacity only 319 GB shows


 
Solution


What do you mean?
Regarding finding processors. Q6600 for $85.00 in USA http://starmicroinc.net/intel-core-quad-q6600-24ghz-cache-1066mhz-socket-slacr-sl9um-64bit-desktop-processor-p-270.html
Cheaper only on eBay http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trksid=p5197.m570.l1313&_nkw=q6600&_sacat=0&_from=R40

If you will purchase those, let me know, so I can check for processor cooling upgrade, if necessary.

P.S. Q6700 priced much more, reasonable only on eBay http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw=q6600&_osacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p2045573.m570.l1313&_nkw=q6700&_sacat=0

turaniii

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Would this upgrade let us play games and be compatible with my computer? In addition would it be cost effective?

Display adapters: Galaxy 65IGH8DL7AXX GeForce GTX 650 Ti GC 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card newegg $129 $109 after rebate

Hard Drives: Seagate Barracuda ST2000DM001 2TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive newegg $109

System type: Change to Windows 7 64-bit Operating System already purchased

Installed memory (RAM) install 2 – 2GB Dell replacement memory for 4.00 GB of RAM to upgrade to 8.0 GB of RAM Dell $54.99 total $109.98

Dell PC doctor states my DVD/CD-ROM spindle is out of optimum and needs replaced.

DVD/CD-ROM drives ASUS 24X DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS – OEM newegg $19.99 + $4.99 shipping


Total upgrade cost $352.96
 
What power supply you have? 7900 GS required at least 350 watt, 650 TI requires at least 400 watt? How much you have?

OK. Let me list all officially supported CPUs
PR173 Presler P4 915, 2.80G, 2X2MB, 800FSB, D0
UY273 Presler P4 915, 2.08G, 2X2MB, 800FSB, C1
YW816 Presler P4 925, 3.00G, 2X2MB, 800FSB, D0
XJ848 Presler P4 930, 3.00G, 2X2MB, 800FSB, C1
PU963 Presler PD 935, 3.20G, 2X2MB, 800FSB, D0
DK050 Presler P4 940, 3.20G, 2X2MB, 800FSB, C1
RT922 Presler P4 945, 3.40G, 2X2MB, 800FSB, C1
UJ776 Presler P4 950, 3.40G, 2X2MB, 800FSB, C1
CJ163 Presler P4 960, 3.60G, 2x2MB, 800FSB, B1

DK593 Cedar Mill 631, 3.00G, 2MB, 800FSB, C1
PN407 Cedar Mill 641, 3.20G, 2MB, 800FSB, D0
PY394 Cedar Mill 641, 3.20G, 2MB, 800FSB, C1
KU339 Cedar Mill 651, 3.40G, 2MB, 800FSB, D0
PY395 Cedar Mill 651, 3.40G, 2MB, 800FSB, C1
DK594 Cedar Mill 661, 3.60G, 2MB, 800FSB, C1
DT883 Cedar Mill 661, 3.60G, 2MB, 800FSB, D0

HU587 Conroe E4300, 1.80G, 2MB, 800FSB, L2
DX483 Conroe E4400, 2.00G, 2MB, 800FSB, L2
RX522 Conroe E4400, 2.00G, 2MB, 800FSB, M0
DT893 Conroe E6300, 1.86G, 2MB, 1066FSB, B2
DU362 Conroe E6300, 1.86G, 2MB, 1066FSB, L2
DX485 Conroe E6320, 1.86G, 4MB, 1066FSB, B2
DU361 Conroe E6400, 2.13G, 2MB, 1066FSB, L2
KN977 Conroe E6400, 2.13G, 2MB, 1066FSB, B2
DX484 Conroe E6420, 2.13G, 4MB, 1066FSB, B2
KU345 Conroe E6600, 2.40G, 4MB, 1066FSB, B2
PN416 Conroe E6700, 2.66G, 4MB, 1066FSB, B2
WM543 Conroe XE X6800, 2.93G, 4MB, 1066FSB, B2

FG941 Smithfield P4 820, 2.80G, 2MB, 800FSB, Mainstream, B0
UY272 Smithfield P4 805, 2.66G, 2X1MB, 533FSB, B0

HU585 Kentsfield Quad Core Q6600, 2.40G, 8MB, 1066FSB, B30
MP626 Kentsfield Quad Core Q6600, 2.40G, 8MB, 1066FSB, G0


UT713 Prescott P4 531, 3.0G, 800FSB, 1MB, ALT, G1
UT714 Prescott P4 541, 3.2G, 800FSB, 1MB, ALT, G1
UY274 Prescott P4 524, 3.06G, 1MB, 533FSB, G1

I highlighted yours and possible best upgrade. Now more user reported CPU upgrades. Q6700 reported compatible, and this is it.

Now power supply. You can place better video card, but most likely you would have to consider power supply upgrade.
To make your life easier I found YouTube video with instructions http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjIc0BaTAA4

What else I am missing here?
 

turaniii

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Thank you for responding and the video. Very informative.
The power supply is Dell CN-OKN624-71615-71P-1AFB
Model no L375P-00
P/N: PS-6371-1DF2-LF
It states DC output 375W is this enough to run what I am proposing?

HU585 Kentsfield Quad Core Q6600, 2.40G, 8MB, 1066FSB, B30
MP626 Kentsfield Quad Core Q6600, 2.40G, 8MB, 1066FSB, G0

Both of these units are no longer available. Do you know where I could get them at a reasonable price?
Also the rest of the upgrades are they doable?
Thanks

 


What do you mean?
Regarding finding processors. Q6600 for $85.00 in USA http://starmicroinc.net/intel-core-quad-q6600-24ghz-cache-1066mhz-socket-slacr-sl9um-64bit-desktop-processor-p-270.html
Cheaper only on eBay http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trksid=p5197.m570.l1313&_nkw=q6600&_sacat=0&_from=R40

If you will purchase those, let me know, so I can check for processor cooling upgrade, if necessary.

P.S. Q6700 priced much more, reasonable only on eBay http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw=q6600&_osacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p2045573.m570.l1313&_nkw=q6700&_sacat=0

 
Solution

turaniii

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turaniii

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I am purchasing the Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4 GHz Quad-Core Processor BX80562Q6600 SLACR MALAY. Going hopefully the cheaper route on ebay. Thank you very much for pointing me in the right direction on that.

Do you think I need a processor cooling upgrade? If I do, I definitely need your help on that and would appreciate you checking for me.

"Also the rest of the upgrades are they doable?" What I meant was the video card. Galaxy 65IGH8DL7AXX GeForce GTX 650 Ti GC 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card. Will it work in this machine with the upgrade or should I look a something else like MSI R7770-PMD1GD5 Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card. Again thank you very much for helping me.
 
Since the money are tight, I would recommend checking first Toms review Best Graphics Cards For The Money: March 2013, and after this you can choose your approximate next step.
Bear in mind that for all cards above 6670 or 7750 power supply upgrade is a must, which will drain you about $60 for good brand, at least. I would recommend looking into MSI Power requirements for graphics cards, it is generally recommended to add about 100 watt to the minimum from this table to ensure longevity and good performance under extreme loads.

I will look into CPU cooler next, might take me a while.
 

turaniii

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turaniii

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It looks like any video card I get I am going to have to upgrade the power supply. After looking through Toms best for 2013 I found this on ebay New OEM Dell 512MB AMD VisionTek Radeon HD 5670 DVI/VGA/HDMI Video Card TKRH5 for $39. Would this be a good upgrade over my present card NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GS? Or should I go with Radeon HD 6670 DDR3 or the Radeon HD 7750 or somethng else? The review stated that "the HD 7750 is the fastest graphics card you can get right now that doesn't require an auxiliary power input; it draws all that it needs from a 16-lane." Is this something I should worry about? Also does this affect my upgrade? If I have to get another power supply, what size would you recommend and what brand? I read that Antec, Corsair, Sea Sonic or Silverstone are all very good and that you should go at least 100 watt over the card, is that correct? If that was the case I would be looking for at least a 500 watt, correct? Thanks again.
 
According to reviews 7750 will make you play all modern games on low to medium settings (I think Crysis 3 would be the lowest setting) and this is all (6670 is inferior to 7750). 7750 is the only card from entry level gaming ones, which doesn't require power supply upgrade (manufacturer would not tell you this, hence the wattage guide I provided is asking about 400 watt).
So first decide approximately your target card, don't go with yesterday cards if you want to play today games, you will same probaly some money, but loose a lot of performance, and remember, some older cards have old DX.
Say for an example, I have originally purchased MSI 550 TI OC about 14 months ago, and is (actually was) looking for upgrade, my preference is NVIDIA, so I was about to buy 560 TI used, but the difference in price was vs difference in performance was so drastic that I stop at MSI 660, especially when I saw how badly it destroyed 560 TI in one review (almost 100% performance increase) so I just purchased one, money is tight as well, but I decided to do last attempt to actually enjoy the graphics in my games, not only FPS.

So, see first on how your possible video card choice is reported playing your favorite games, best place for this is youtube.
After you decided about the video card, we will look into power supply.

Also, CPU cooler would cost you somewhere under or around $30.
 

turaniii

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turaniii

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You make a lot of sense with your comments on the video cards. Buying a card to save a little will cost me and I would not be happy with the results. I guess I am back up to MSI R7770-PMD1GD5 Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card or the Galaxy 65IGH8DL7AXX GeForce GTX 650 Ti GC 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card. Let me look into the cards a little more and give a definite. However, these two seem to be very good and at the top of my list, without breaking the bank.

I saved a little on the CPU. I just purchased a Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4 GHz Quad-Core Processor - 2.40Ghz/8M/1066 - SLACR for $58 on ebay. It is suppose to come with the original Intel Heat Sink. So this will give me some extra money for the power supply.
 
Regarding CPU cooler, look at this picture, Dell placed proprietary cooler shroud here, so you would not be able to use just any cooler, note new power supply in the same picture.

img2529pn4.jpg


Do you have to upgrade the cooler? I don't know this yet, still looking into this situation.
You are on the right track.

Edit. I found picture with original everything with main view on CPU cooler.

IMG00038.JPG
 

turaniii

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turaniii

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Yes, that is my machine. It is going to be tight. I am not to familiar with modifing PC's. Can the proprietary cooler shroud that Dell placed there be removed with any major problems or is this a no go?

After some research I am taking your advice and going with a better video card. The card I decide on is Asus GeForce GTX 650 Ti GTX650TI-1GD5 Video Card - 1GB GDDR5, PCI-Express 3.0(x16), 2x Dual-Link DVI-D, 1x D-Sub (VGA), 1x HDMI, DirectX 11, Dual-Slot, Fan at tiger direct for $147.45. The reviewers gave real good reviews. More expensive cards seem to have a few more problems. I do not think I will have a problem fitting it in. Looks like enough space unlike the CPU and cooling fan. Do you think this video card will be OK with this machine once the CPU is upgraded?

Of course I need a new power supply. This card is rated at 20A and 400w per the MSI power requirements. Do you think I should go for a 500w power supply?

Again thanks. I am really indebited to all your help on this.

 
I really don't want to drain your money, but I would not recommend anything below those

If you can find Seasonic, XFX, OCZ, Corsair, Antec or Thermaltake cheaper elsewhere - those brands are guaranteed to last for long time, above provided list is just an example.

Regarding video Card. I used MSI 550 TI OC, which is inferior to your choice and was able to play all games except Crysis 3 (don't have it yet, money tight), including Far Cry 3 and Battlefield 3 on tolerable settings, so you will be fine. If you want more quality, you have to pay above $200, so can not advise here really. I just bite the bullet recently and got MSI 660 ($240), Battlefiled 3 on ULTRA with ease, what a difference, now I am ready for Crysis 3.
 

turaniii

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turaniii

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I just purchased everything to do the upgrade. I went with:

Video Card - Asus GeForce GTX 650 Ti GTX650TI-1GD5 Video Card - 1GB GDDR5, PCI-Express 3.0(x16), 2x Dual-Link DVI-D, 1x D-Sub (VGA), 1x HDMI, DirectX 11, Dual-Slot, Fan
Hard drive - Toshiba HDKPC03 DT01ACA100 1TB Hard Drive - 1TB, 7200 RPM, SATA, 3.5"
CD DVD Burner - Asus DRW-24B1ST 24X Internal DVD Burner - DVD±R 24X, DVD+RW 8X, DVD-RW 6X, DVD±R (DL) 12X, DVD-RAM 12X, CD-R 48X, CD-RW 32X, SATA, 2MB, Black, OEM
Power Supply - OCZ ModXStream Pro Power Supply - 600-Watt, Modular, Dual +12V Rails, SATA, 80Plus
CPU - Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4 GHz Quad-Core Processor - 2.40Ghz/8M/1066 – SLACR
Memory (RAM) – 2GB Dell replacement memory for 4.00 GB of RAM to upgrade to 8.0 GB of RAM
Upgrading to 64 bit Windows 7
Also got a Monitor - ASUS VS228H-P 22" Class Widescreen LED Backlit Monitor - 1920 x 1080, 16:9, 50000000:1 Dynamic, 5ms, HDMI, DVI, VGA, Energy Star

I went with the modular power supply, did not want the extra wires taken up valuable space. It is a brand you recommended. I will take pictures. Not sure how to download them on this site. I had a old dell monitor and I figure with everything else I will just upgrade that too. I will let you know how it goes.
 
Everything looks good, just use Arctic Silver 5 or similar quality thermal paste, also little question (if you did not finished yet), would you even consider trying to overclock? Theoretically you might be able to go to 3-3.4GHz range. Not easy, but very possible.
 

turaniii

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Yes, I would consider that. I do not know much about it. I will have to read up on it. I thought you could not oveclock a Dell because they locked their Bios. The thermal paste I got was sscool STARS-700 Silver Color Thermal Grease. Is this OK. I can get another if this is not a good quality product. Thanks
 
Have you put you computer back together already, there are 2 ways to overclock Dell locked BIOS models with Q6600 processor. First, tape mod, this is when small tape covers specific pins on processor, making it run at maximum speed (or something sounding similar), if you google this like Q6600 tape mod, you will find plenty entries (I am on iPhone now typing, so cannot provide any links). Second way, you have to find PLL number, I would have to get to computer for this, however there are 2 ways to find PLL - by software (not always work), and checking your MOBO with flash light and magnifiing glass - that is why I am typing this now - if you put computer components together already and MOBO is crowded it is very difficult to find.
So where are you now, are done or not started yet?
 

turaniii

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turaniii

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No I have not put anything together yet. Have not started. Waiting for all the parts to come I did google overclocking Dell BIOS models with Q6600. You know your stuff. I kind of like the tape method. Researching it a little more. Thanks for messaging me so quickly so I could do this. This will help me out alot.
 
This is new for me, I did not try this way, but it is promising to take a look, I would just provide bunch of links, read them, this is the only way - using PLL approach, pinmode is the other one, just google this one with Q6600, you will get a lot answers.
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/284144-29-intel-software-overclocking-intel-unlocked-cpus
http://forum.notebookreview.com/hardware-components-aftermarket-upgrades/429383-how-find-clock-generator-pll-your-notebook-desktop.html
http://forum.notebookreview.com/hardware-components-aftermarket-upgrades/393027-pll-pinmod-overclocking-methods-examples.html
http://forum.notebookreview.com/windows-os-software/231007-finding-your-pll-clockgen.html
And this one is very close to your case
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?177696-XPS-Owners-Rejoice!!
http://forums.rampantspeculation.com/showthread.php?s=a7939092b1ae6295a1c59724f5f4c2ed&t=618

Those links will show you the way, not an easy one, but very much possible!
I can not advice you more here in this direction, sorry.