what is the best CPU i can get in this mobo?

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mjf6866

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Dec 7, 2013
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hello everyone, first post for me here!

i have a Dell Optiplex 780 that was given to me and i figured i'd upgrade it as much as i could and make a little gaming machine. i know that this machine will not be a "game crushing" computer. i just want to be able to play some games from a few years ago that i missed out on like Amnesia: the dark descent and a few others from that era.

here are the specs so far via Speccy:
Summary
Operating System
Windows 7 Professional 64-bit SP1
CPU
Intel Core 2 Duo E7600 @ 3.06GHz 34 °C
Wolfdale 45nm Technology
RAM
6.00GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 532MHz (7-7-7-20)
Motherboard
Dell Inc. 03NVJ6 (CPU)
Graphics
Acer H236HL (1920x1080@60Hz)
256MB NVIDIA GeForce 7300 SE/7200 GS (ZOTAC International) 55 °C
Storage
232GB Seagate ST3250318AS (SATA) 30 °C
Optical Drives
PLDS DVD-ROM DS-8D3SH
Audio
SoundMAX Integrated Digital High Definition Audio

Motherboard:
Manufacturer Dell Inc.
Model 03NVJ6 (CPU)
Chipset Vendor Intel
Chipset Model Q45/Q43
Chipset Revision 03
Southbridge Vendor Intel
Southbridge Model 82801JB (ICH10)
Southbridge Revision 02
BIOS
Brand Dell Inc.
Version A14
Date 8/21/2012
PCI Data
Slot Proprietary
Slot Type Proprietary
Slot Usage In Use
Data lanes x1
Slot Designation SLOT1
Characteristics PME
Slot Number 0
Slot PCI
Slot Type PCI
Slot Usage Available
Bus Width 32 bit
Slot Designation SLOT2
Characteristics 5V, 3.3V, PME
Slot Number 1

i already ordered a Sapphire 100357LP Radeon HD 7750 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express slim low profile card to fit in the form factor tower.

my next questions is what is the quickest CPU that i could drop into the board?

any other pointers would be appreciated! i've been out of the PC gaming loop for a while now, and while i dont expect this to run the newest games on full detail, i would like to experience some of the games from 2 or 3 years ago at a decent level.

thanks!
 
Solution
Tom Tancredi
Realistically you will need a new system, a core Duo 2 is too low end and any change to the Mobo/CPU will nullify the Windows OEM (only sold with that model / maker) license (Yes Windows will refuse to load) forcing you to wipe the drive clean, go buy Windows off the Shelf for $179, then reinstall everything by hand again.

A cheap alternative for low end use is the i3 Cores at Walmart, $249, if you want some gaming go i5 Core for $349. Either case you get 6-8GB RAM, 500GB+ HDD, Bluray or DVD, sometimes with them a FREE LCD in the box, keyboard mouse and Windows preinstalled. For gaming, you would need to swap the PSU (power) for 600W+ at $99+ then spend the rest ($149-$500 depending on what card you get) for the GPU. At that level...
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RevolutionHD

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Mar 28, 2013
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Go to this website, search the MOBO u have, add it to ur partlist and go to "select CPU"-section. Keep the compability filter on and it will pick up the CPUs that are compatible with ur MOBO. Then buy then one u want: http://pcpartpicker.com/
 
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mjf6866

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Dec 7, 2013
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thank you for the link! i am probably missing something on that site, but according to Speccy, the board i have in there is Model: 03NVJ6 made by Dell and i cant find it in their list. what am i doing wrong?

thanks again!
 
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Tom Tancredi

Tom Tancredi

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May 9, 2013
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Realistically you will need a new system, a core Duo 2 is too low end and any change to the Mobo/CPU will nullify the Windows OEM (only sold with that model / maker) license (Yes Windows will refuse to load) forcing you to wipe the drive clean, go buy Windows off the Shelf for $179, then reinstall everything by hand again.

A cheap alternative for low end use is the i3 Cores at Walmart, $249, if you want some gaming go i5 Core for $349. Either case you get 6-8GB RAM, 500GB+ HDD, Bluray or DVD, sometimes with them a FREE LCD in the box, keyboard mouse and Windows preinstalled. For gaming, you would need to swap the PSU (power) for 600W+ at $99+ then spend the rest ($149-$500 depending on what card you get) for the GPU. At that level (say i5 core paired with a Nvidia 670) your looking at HIGH Graphics, 1900x1080 screen for 50FPS on BF4. If your going to stay with old games then stick with i3 Core or a AMD level CPU since they don't require that much
 
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Solution
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mjf6866

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Dec 7, 2013
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thanks for the info Tom,

i just found this link while doing a little digging and if you scroll down to page 8, it looks like i can use any of those processors listed?

http://i.dell.com/sites/content/business/solutions/engineering-docs/en/Documents/optiplex-780-tech-guide.pdf

can someone confirm that for me? would this get me around having windows refuse to load if i were to put another CPU in?

should i just be able to swap any of the two listed? For example, my E7600 Core 2 Duo from my Optiplex 780 with the Core 2 Quad Q9650 from another Optiplex 780? would both machines need any additional changes or would it just be "plug and play"?

i'm not really trying to make this a game crushing machine or spend all kinds of money, but if i can get that quad core processor for free and it wouldnt require all kinds of other changes, i might as well do it, right?

thanks
 
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CarelessGenius

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Dec 20, 2013
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Hi mjf6866,

Just wanted to compare notes as I have a related issue with my pc setup. I am trying to install a Radeon HD6670 graphics card into my Dell 755 Optiplex Small Form Factor and am having problems.

My motherboard data from Speccy is exactly the same as yours and I am concerned that there's no mention of a PCI Express slot, which is what my slot should be. My card isn't being recognised by Windows or the BIOS system, and I'm concerned it's not working properly. Or maybe the card id dead.

Have you managed to get a graphics card working on your system? If so, maybe you could give me some pointers on how you managed to do this?

Would be much appreciated.

Regards,

Paul.
 
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mjf6866

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Dec 7, 2013
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Hi Paul,

I did get the Sapphire Radeon 7750 to work with no problems in my system. its small enough to fit in the SFF case and power consumption is low enough for the stock PSU to manage it. maybe your PSU is going bad? And you did check your bios to see if your video is set to "auto" so that it recognizes add in cards? if the card you are trying was used maybe it is bad, but i would check the power requirements and bios. thats all i can really think of right now! good luck

matt
 
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Tom Tancredi

Tom Tancredi

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PAUL,

That is hijacking a thread. If you have a question about YOUR own problem then start your own thread, don't hijack someone elses. SPECCY doesn't list physical ports you have not used, it lists things installed in the computer.
 
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