Dell 0R038D mobo upgrades?

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saas1980

saas1980

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May 23, 2015
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I have the Dell Vostro 420 with Dell 0R038D motherboard. Runs pretty slow but works fine. Besides a 120gb SSD which is in the pipeworks, what would be the best CPU available to upgrade. Any recommendations on RAM and GPU? Purpose of use: Basic tasks, browsing, office, netflix, youtube, etc. Ideally if possible I want to connect this extra PC to our 65" tele to view videos in 1080p.

Current specs:

Intel Core 2 Duo E8300 @ 2.83GHz
256MB ATI Radeon HD 3600 Series
4GB Dual-Channel DDR2 @ 398MHz (6-6-6-18)
465GB Western Digital WDC WD5000AAKX-00ERMA0 (SATA)
 
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william p

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Sep 22, 2010
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Here are some builds. The bigger GPUs need an aftermarket PSU with a PCIe power cable. basically Q9650 and GTX 1050Ti is a good setup that wont cost too much GTX1050 saves about $50 and runs 1080P. You need more RAM for use with a modern 2GB GPU. 6GB, 8GB with 4GB GPU. A Heatsink upgrade might be needed since it was a dual core to start with. Watch the threads on the mounting screws, Dell didin't always follow industry standards there.
http://www.userbenchmark.com/System/Dell-Vostro-420-Series/2002
This will actually produce an entry level gaming machine. Any GPU or PSU purchased can be moved forward to a newer machine later.

An E8600 3.33GHz might be faster than the Quad core for what you're doing. Even older games will run welll with this due to being single thread anyway. Virus scans will run faster with the Quad though.
Be sure and turn off Auto Defragmentation in System Tools when you install your SSD.



 
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saas1980

saas1980

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May 23, 2015
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Thanks - after i keyed in the initial post, i downloaded userbenchmark for the first time and it too confirmed Q9650 being the best CPU upgrade for this machine. Comparing performance and taking advice, i settled with the Q9400 which saves me £12.

For the GPU, since I don't intend on gaming at all (I have a second and third machine more than capable), its just primarily for HD movies, browsing and occasional office work (for family members). Can you recommend something under £50 as our current one is terrible. I don't mind trying used parts from a trusted seller.

Thanks for the heads up with the auto defrag settings and heatsink! For the defrag I had no idea, i'll be checking the settings now.

 
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