Best current (available) CPU for a Dell 960 and/or 990?

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baldbobc

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.I have both a Dell OptiPlex 960 and 990 MT. The 960 currently has the dual 2 core and the 990 quad with 8gb RAM each. Both have lower end Radeon video cards.

My question is: What is the fastest proc. for multi tasking? Both PC"s are being used for voice to text and text to voice along with video and images by individuals who have lost the use of their limbs through a stroke. This is something of a "proof of concept" on my end and since the Dell's are currently inexpensive, I'd like to maximize the capacity to whatever degree I can. I know a new power supply will be required in both. Also using aftermarket HDMI cards in both. 1 SFF other MT. Any help greatly appreciated. Sorry for being verbose but trying to avoid misunderstanding.

Which is a better box for what I'm doing? 990 or 960?

Regards, Bob
 
Solution
geofelt
Both use the Q67 chipset and a lga 1155 motherboard.

The strongest spu that you can buy for that would be a I7-4790K.
It will run at 4.0/4.4 stock.
The Q67 chipset will not allow cpu overclocking, but the 4790K at stock is near enough anyway.

Check to see if there might be a bios update necessary to support a 4790K.

It is not likely that a psu upgrade would be necessary unless you wanted to run a discrete graphics card stronger than a GTX750ti.
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geofelt

geofelt

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Both use the Q67 chipset and a lga 1155 motherboard.

The strongest spu that you can buy for that would be a I7-4790K.
It will run at 4.0/4.4 stock.
The Q67 chipset will not allow cpu overclocking, but the 4790K at stock is near enough anyway.

Check to see if there might be a bios update necessary to support a 4790K.

It is not likely that a psu upgrade would be necessary unless you wanted to run a discrete graphics card stronger than a GTX750ti.
 
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navalweaponsofficer

navalweaponsofficer

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I am pretty sure they are LGA 775
http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/review/dell/optiplex_960/277558/specs/
 
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baldbobc

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331-1564 : Core i5 vPro Sticker DPN


Manufacturer

Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-2400 CPU @ 3.10GHz


Clock Speed

3.1Ghz


L2 Cache Size

1024


311-9532 : OptiPlex 960, Core 2 Duo E8500 with VT/3.16GHz,6M,1333FSB























































311-9532 : OptiPlex 960, Core 2 Duo E8500 with VT/3.16

 
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navalweaponsofficer

navalweaponsofficer

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The 990: The Quad Core in there Is the second fastest Quad Core for that platform you should be able to upgrade to i7 2600, 4 Core 8 Threads that is likely the max for that computer.

The 960 should be able to be upgraded to a Quad Core. Q8400, Q9500, and Q9650 should all be supported.

If you want the computers to be as close as possible speed wise leave the 990 as is and only upgrade the 960. However be advised the 990 will still be faster than the 960 even after upgrade, but the upgrade will make the 960 much faster than it is with the E8500.

Ensure you double check CPU support with Dell.
 
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baldbobc

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Thank you...I just placed an order based in part on your recommendations. (.the part where I can't say you made me do it...) I appreciate your expertise. Having been (I'm retired) a senior DBA in enterprise environments I know that the time, innate ability, cost and willingness to master these things can be tremendous. But then, for those of us who enjoy it, outside of family there isn't much more that I'd rather be doing than writing code. The motorcycle restoration is creeping up on that though. Anyway, thank you sir!
 
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geofelt

geofelt

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Whoa!!!

My search for 990 and 990MT showed units with Q67 chipsets.
Apparently, there are a number of versions that have the same name.

Those with other chipsets are going to have different options.

If you have one of the units, run cpu-Z to explicitly identify the motherboard and chipset.
Otherwise, can you post a link to the specs for the actual models you are interested in.

Older lga775 motherboards will not support very strong processors.
Do you have a budget?
What is your requirements for hdmi connections?

 
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baldbobc

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