Dell Motherboard

[BKraengel]

All,

Does anyone know whose motherboard Dell is currently using in their Studio Slim Desktops 540s? The only ID I can find is--you guessed it--"Made in China". It's stuffed with an Intel G45 Chipset, but that only tells me what features are available, not what is implemented on the motherboard.

 

[o1die]

I have worked at Dell. Most of their boards are supplied by Foxconn and don't have any overclocking options in the bios. They also may not have any settings for the cpu fan, which I prefer so I can turn the speed down for quiet running. But most dells are quiet anyway.

 

[BKraengel]

Thanks o1die,

Someone told me it's an OEM Asus, but it's not. I'm not interested in oc, just would like to upgrade memory from stock DDR2-800 to performance-grade DDR2-1066.

 

[o1die]

It's doubtful that the dell has the 1066 memory setting, but I may be wrong. One of the big minuses for dell systems is the lack of a manual. I like some of the newer models as they use a standard micro-atx motherboard, and the dell recovery cd may even work with a different branded board.

 

[BKraengel]

They don't, but I'm hoping they have auto select enabled. My CPU has a 1333MHz FSB so all that has to be changed is the multiplier. I'll try two memory sticks and see if they auto select.

 

[Mongox]

I'd be very surprised if it supports 1066. Dell is still selling Studio Slim models and they come with 800 and make no mention of others. And the manual is the same, discusses lower speed RAM, but not faster.

 

[BKraengel]

Hi Mongox,

The fact that they support lower speed suggests auto-detect is enabled. The chipset supports 1066 and if it detects it, it might set up. Anyway, someone is sending me two sticks to try so I'll know in a few days. It probably won't make any difference anyway because my FSB is still only 1333 and 2 x 800 already exceeds that.