Upgrading Processor on Dell Precision 390

It wouldn't be much of an upgrade most takes are multi threaded so the core 2 quad would be faster despite the lower clock, your processor should be fine for now.

I don't believe your E4300 processor is a core 2 quad. The only E4300 I know of is a dual core CPU.
http://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/Core_2/Intel-Core%202%20D...

The Pentium G2120 takes a different socket than the E4300, so you won't be able to swap out processors. You need a processor that fits a LGA 755 socket.

Thanks for the help. So pretty much any compatible processor won't make enough difference to switch.

Not necessarily. If your motherboard can accept a Q9xxx quad core, it will make a substantial difference. But upgrading to a later 775 processor usually requires a BIOS update as well.

Can you recommend the best possible upgrade for under $100?

Would something like this be worth it?

http://www.amazon.com/Intel-Core-Q6600-2-40GHz-Processo...

That will improve multi threaded apps due to it's 4 cores, yes. And if you want to game, it will be a bit better with a good gfx card than your dual core. But remember to check to see if your motherboard needs a BIOS update for it to recognize that processor.

More than likely, with an older Dell PC, you will not be able to find an upgrade for the MB BIOS, though. IF that's your case, I would stay with what you have. Do you know the make/model of your MB?

I'm not sure the model of my MB, but when I called Dell they said there was no available update.

I'll probably just stick to what I have.

I don't game or run any intense programs. I just wanted to see if I could improve the speed of browser when I have a lot of tabs open, and also when I play movies. Other than that there's no need for a better processor. I'll probably just increase my RAM from 4GB to either 6 or 8.

Thanks for the help!

The Dell PrecisionTM 390 supports Intel® CoreTM 2 Duo Processor and Intel® CoreTM 2 Extreme quad-core and dual-core processors, and Intel® Pentium® 4 Single Core Processor.

* Quad-Core Intel® CoreTM 2 Extreme QX6700 (2.66GHz, 1066MHz FSB, 8MB L2 Cache)
* Dual-Core Intel® CoreTM 2 Extreme X6800 (2.93GHz, 1066MHz FSB, 4MB L2 Cache)
* Dual-Core Intel® CoreTM 2 Duo E6300 (1.86GHz, 1066MHz FSB, 2MB L2 Cache)
* Dual-Core Intel® CoreTM 2 Duo E6400 (2.13GHz, 1066MHz FSB, 2MB L2 Cache)
* Dual-Core Intel® CoreTM 2 Duo E6600 (2.40GHz, 1066MHz FSB, 2MB L2 Cache)
* Dual-Core Intel® CoreTM 2 Duo E6700 (2.66GHz, 1066MHz FSB, 2MB L2 Cache)