Confused on which processor I can use with one of my computers

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Matt McCauley

Matt McCauley

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I have a really cheap Dell Optiplex 380 I bought a long time ago. I'll post specs bellow. I went ahead and upped the RAM to 8 gigs. I'd like to upgrade to something better. Even if it's just a small upgrade. I know this is a stupid question but I'm used to ASUS ROG products where I never needed to do anything to them. I'm just trying to mess around with this computer. I'm just not knowledgeable on what processors I could use.

Processor: Pentium Dual - Core CPU
E5400 @ 2.70GHz
64 bit
 
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IInuyasha74
No need to worry, a lot of people get attached to things. I have a few older PCs I keep around for other uses I am quite fond of myself.

Couldn't find a page on the board, Dell is really bad about that cause they don't want you to upgrade. Why let customers upgrade the computer later when they can sell a full system?
http://www.ascendtech.us/dell-1tkcc-optiplex-380-sff-motherboard_i_mbdel1tkccop380.aspx

It is still possible though, this page says it should work with up to a Core2Quad, which has 4 CPU cores instead of just two, and likely faster ones. It should perform pretty well for multitasking. It won't give the added power for video rendering that a modern PC would have, but it still won't do bad with photoshop, web browsing, and...
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IInuyasha74

IInuyasha74

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This type of confusion is very common.

Unfortunately to know for sure what processor you can use, you need to check the model number on the motherboard, which is the biggest one everything else is plugged into. It looks like you currently have a processor in the Core 2 Duo series, so you might be able to use up to a Core 2 Quad which would be a pretty fast system for many tasks.
 
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Matt McCauley

Matt McCauley

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dell motherboard az0422

That is the motherboard

I'm a graphic designer so I just want to be able to run a few programs at once without my system having issues. I know it's not going to be perfect but I LOVE my old Optiplex. I'm not sure why but it's kind of like a old car that you can fix up.
 
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IInuyasha74

IInuyasha74

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No need to worry, a lot of people get attached to things. I have a few older PCs I keep around for other uses I am quite fond of myself.

Couldn't find a page on the board, Dell is really bad about that cause they don't want you to upgrade. Why let customers upgrade the computer later when they can sell a full system?
http://www.ascendtech.us/dell-1tkcc-optiplex-380-sff-motherboard_i_mbdel1tkccop380.aspx

It is still possible though, this page says it should work with up to a Core2Quad, which has 4 CPU cores instead of just two, and likely faster ones. It should perform pretty well for multitasking. It won't give the added power for video rendering that a modern PC would have, but it still won't do bad with photoshop, web browsing, and a lot of uses.

Just go to Ebay, search Core2quad, buy one you can afford. There are a lot of them so price is probably going to effect your decision most. If you aren't sure which is better between two that say "Core2quad" then look at the "GHz" rating, and the highest number is best. Should be easy enough.
 
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Aspiring techie

Aspiring techie

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Your best bet is to get the Core 2 Duo E8600. The Core 2 Quads have a higher TDP, so it's a risk to upgrade to a Quad. Your motherboard might not support a CPU with a higher TDP. Plus, you would have to get a better CPU cooler.
 
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IInuyasha74

IInuyasha74

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He is right that it might be safer to go with that processor he mentioned, but the performance improvements may not be enough to justify the cost and time put into it. Like I said earlier I can't find anything from Dell itself saying you can use a Core 2 Quad to know 100% certain you can use it, but going by the page and what I saw when searching I am reasonably sure that you can.

Heat might be a minor factor, but you can test it to see what temperatures you get when it arrives. If needed you can get a better cooling solution, and it maximizes the amount of performance you will be able to get out of that system without needing to buy a new computer.
 
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Matt McCauley

Matt McCauley

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Feb 28, 2014
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I had another computer laying and I opened it up. it's an Intel. The processor is at

INTEL
PENTIUM 4
3GHZ/512/888
SL6WU MALAY
L3468231

M3518875
1230

Is that something that will be a little better but not cause damage?

Thanks for the help.

It's also funny how much better the computer runs with the 8gig of ram I put it lol
 
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Matt McCauley

Matt McCauley

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Thank you. I will keep what I have and enjoy it and then I'll just put together another one with used parts that's a better performing computer. I just enjoy messing around with computers.
 
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