CPU upgrade for Dell Dimension E310

The intel line of the newer from around 2004-2008 dell dimensions are acutally quite upgradeable they can usually atleast be upgraded to a dual core or even a quad core if you know how to update the bios propery the my friend upgraded his Dell dimension e520 to a Q700 and added a ssd and poped a radeon 7750 in it now it runs pretty much any game at decent frames if you want to keep that computer I can give you recomendations on compatible parts and adding ram and a compatible gpu/cpu. I have spent alot of time working on dell dimensions almost 3 years If you decide to go with upgradeing this computer I can help.

okay so I've did my research and supriseingly has left me leaning toward get a new computer the very best processor is the 3.8ghz pentium and the most you can put in it is 4GB of ram and a pci e x1 graphics card.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3220 3.0GHz Dual-Core Processor ($56.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock H81M-DGS R2.0 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($48.38 @ Newegg)
Memory: A-Data XPG V2 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.92 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT Gamma Classic (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($14.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($84.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $398.23
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

The A6 is only better on the graphics side. CPU wise, the Pentium would wipe the floor with that A6. That A6 can't even keep up with an old Phenom II. Benchmarks have proven that a 750k, for instance, is clock for clock, slower than a Phenom II X4. The board I picked will allow you to drop in any Haswell or Haswell refresh CPU, i3/i5/i7/ Xeon E3. Not sure where you got your info on it not supporting i7, but you are dead wrong. http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/H81M-DGS%20R2.0/?cat=CPU



Overclocking really isn't worth the cost involved. Intel offers great performance right out of the box, that overclocking is unnecessary. AMD has to overclock to so much as compete, and still can fall short.

There are i7's for 1150 as well. There is more to it than clock speed. I see you are not an expert, that's fine, I will explain as best I can. The pentium is faster because it has a more efficient architecture. It can do more per clock than the A6 can. The Xeon E3 series chips, like the 1230v3, are nothing more than desktop, quad core, i7's without the integrated graphics. The models ending in 5, like the 1245 v3 does have the integrated graphics. For a gaming rig, it isn't necessary. The 1230v3/1231v3, will perform similar to an i7 4770 for about $50 less. The Xeons you are thinking about are the LGA 2011 E5 series. The ones I am talking about are 1150 just like the pentium uses.

Crossfire with an APU is still doesn't work very well, and is best avoided. An A10 would be sufficient for minecraft, but keep in mind that you will bottleneck any GPU beyond an R* 265/270, if you go with a dedicated GPU. Also you need to run faster ram, which can cost more, in order to get optimal performance from an A10's graphics. I would consider a pentium with a dedicated GPU over buying Kaveri, though. For the price of a 7850k, you could have a pentium 3220 and an R7 250x. For games, it would be superior to an APU.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3220 3.0GHz Dual-Core Processor ($59.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R7 250X 1GB Video Card ($84.99 @ TigerDirect)
Total: $144.97
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

I can vouch for logainofhades' build he curated; it's a solid build for the budget in my opinion whilst also including Windows 7. The build is relying on integrated graphics however, if you save up funds you're willing to spend on your system in the future, you can always install a dedicated/discrete GPU; as the motherboard supports the standard PCI-Express x16.

To be honest however, if you're not gaming you don't necessarily need a GPU. Before installing a GPU into my current machine, for 2 years I was able to conduct all my tasks way better than my previous Pentium 4 machine. I mainly used my computer for university work/office, Adobe Photoshop, programming in various languages such as vB.net, Java along with other tasks, even emulating Android Virtual Machine all with integrated graphics. The integrated graphics of my Intel Pentium Dual-Core beats my GeForce 6800 without doubts (although benchmarks seem to state otherwise).

So you may not necessarily need to install a GPU at all if you're not planning to play any games. The motherboard logainofhades includes does indeed also support i3, i5, i7 and Xeon E3 processors. So the upgrade path is open and sure does beat AMD.

For the budget I believe it's a strong build, and if you're willing to exceed your budget you could purchase the Spec-01 case you desire.



Apologies to hear you're on a tight budget, unfortunately we're not all fortunate enough to have funds to splash around.

Intel i7's are no doubt but high-end CPUs, unless it's a mobile i7 it'll usually perform on par with desktop i5's or in certain cases, even weaker. They do leave a hole in your wallet however. In most cases, I believe the performance levels of an i5 would satisfy most users, where the i7 may not provide a major boost in performance for the average user's requirements.

If you're planning to save up and install a dedicated GPU in the future, I would sacrifice on the integrated graphics for now. I wouldn't shop for Intel CPU's considering their integrated graphics, after all I was able to get by with Sandy Bridge Pentium G Intel HD graphics. You may not even notice a difference between the Intel HD graphics anyhow, from opinion.



You're correct. Everything has a lifespan and processors are no exception to that rule. Depending on how long we're talking, even in 2016 when we're on 7th gen, the 4th generation processors would be dated but they won't be "obsolete" in the sense that they're worthless. I bet 4th gen would still have a lot of kick to it, especially the i7's. Processor developments have slowed down if you look back over the past decade, we had Hyper Threading (HT), dual-core, quad-core and even quad-core with HT. Whereas AMD went with six cores.

A 4th gen, heck most likely 2nd and 3rd gen i7's would still be solid in 2016. Sure they may not be the utmost high-end, but again for most consumers, I believe it's more than satisfactory.

All the best.

1) That is why you go pentium and discrete GPU, for about the same price as an A10.
2) You need 1866 at minimum with an APU if you want to game with the IGP
3) clock speed isn't everything, but yes, AMD's GPU is a bit better than Intel's, generally.
4) Extreme Edition i7 doesn't have IGP. Quit looking at LGA 2011 chips and look at the 1150 ones like the i7 4770.

Not all games support CF, and there are issues with microstuttering as well. You are best off getting DDR3 1600, a Pentium G3220 and a 250x. The price would be similar, and the 250x is far superior graphics wise. The 7850k's GPU is roughly equal to a ddr3 equipped R7 240.

The Xeon 1231v3 does not have IGP, so you would have to have a dedicated GPU. It will game really well. Its performance is close to that of the i7 4770.