Upgrading Dell Optiplex 745

[Shockz2506]

I have the dell optiplex 745 and want to upgrade it. I would just build a new computer but i am 16 and don't have a job. My price range is about $180 to about $250. Also I don't know much about computer specs that's why im asking...
my hard drive got corrupt and and no longer starts windows so i need a new hard drive.
I have 8GB of ram already so i don't think i need an upgrade on that. I also have a 3.4ghz intel core 2 duo processor... I don't know if i would need to upgrade that??
I want to be able to play minecraft on high settings and decrease render time, i also use adobe programs such as Photoshop, illustrator and after effects. on top of that i also use cinema 4D.
normally i have a couple of these programs up at once but it gets kind of slow...
basically i need a new hard drive and i was thinking a graphics card, and anything else you can think of that would enhance my computers performance. The only preference i have is a 1TB hard drive other than that i don't know enough to have any others. I live in the United States
p.s. my monitor resolution is 1280x1024 but might be getting a 1080p one

thanks

 

[Shockz2506]

Something i forgot to say is that it is the dell optiplex 745 mini tower and it is 64 bit!

 

[Kisianik]

Where do you live, USA or Europe?

Video card, HDD will come from retailer, but CPU upgrade only from eBay, is it OK?

And lastly, $250, is it including taxes and shipping, or you have local big computer parts store like Best Buy, Fry's or Microcenter (if you live in USA)?

You turn.

 

[Shockz2506]

Where do you live, USA or Europe?

Video card, HDD will come from retailer, but CPU upgrade only from eBay, is it OK?

And lastly, $250, is it including taxes and shipping, or you have local big computer parts store like Best Buy, Fry's or Microcenter (if you live in USA)?

You turn.

I live in the U.S. and have a best buy near.
if bought online the 250 would be incuding tax and shipping.. If it is in store pick up or something then still a total of 250 at the highest.
and from retailer, ebay and in store pickup is fine

 

[Kisianik]

Last question, do you prefer NVIDIA or AMD video cards? So total to spend including shipping and excluding taxes is about $225 (10% for taxes).

And I will proceed.

Just one more thing. Open you side panel and check CPU cooler heatsink, is it Aluminum or Copper, Copper is better.

Aluminum on the left and Copper on the right, which one you have?

Your last reply before final solution.

 

[Shockz2506]

Last question, do you prefer NVIDIA or AMD video cards? So total to spend including shipping and excluding taxes is about $225 (10% for taxes).

And I will proceed.

Just one more thing. Open you side panel and check CPU cooler heatsink, is it Aluminum or Copper, Copper is better.

Aluminum on the left and Copper on the right, which one you have?

Your last reply before final solution.

I have a copper heat sink... And honestly i dont know much about the two i looked into it a little and i think i would go for a nvidia card
thanks for the help by the way!

 

[Kisianik]

I also have a 3.4ghz intel core 2 duo processor.

That what you said in the beginning - which one you have exactly E8600? I am trying to see if Q6600 can be squeezed into your budget, and if it will be beneficial vs cost.

Also, there is something to consider regarding video card

THIS POST APPLICABLE TO MT (MINI TOWER) FORM FACTOR ONLY.

Unfortunately no card that is more than 7.5 inches long or 2 slots wide will PHYSICALLY FIT inside the case - it was found that only single bracket video card can fit due to BTX MOBO, where card internals facing upward towards PC internals, not ATX, where dual card design is blocking another PCI slot by facing downward.
If you prefer the card with beefier fan, then the length of the card must not exceed 7.5 inches, otherwise only "skinny" single bracket, single slot cards can physically fit.

Pictures below will prove my point.

View shows no room for dual bracket

Single bracket only, or you have to cut dual bracket in half

This is the other way to show my point

Here you can clearly see only single place for the bracket

Visual explanation

7.5 inches explained, also shown "obstacles"

This is the picture of actual "skinny" single slot video card (not sure which model)- perfect, "glove" fit.

So this takes time to put things together.

Please provide info regarding your exact CPU if you know, if you don't, was CPU originally installed by Dell (if it was, Core 2 Duo e8600 was not on the Dell list, e6700 was, maybe you cave Pentium D 3.4GHz, which called Dual Core).
If you have Pentium D, CPU upgrade is necessary, if you have e8600, CPU can stay.

Mean time I would look for video card. So far, to be within your budget, R7 250 and GT 640 are the highest GPUs you can afford, R7 is better a bit.
For HDD I am looking into WD 1 TB, Black is better, but more expensive and so on.

So, I need you most accurate CPU information.

EDIT: I am looking into http://www.minecraftsystemrequirements.com/ for your best possible setup

 

[Kisianik]

This particular post is work in progress
This is list of all video cards for following up current pricing information http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/video-card/#c=106,150&sort=a7&f=1&r=2048,1024

Those are the cards which will fit, GT 640 and R7 250 I used newegg for search
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500308
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814103242
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202053
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161447
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121771
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121800

Basically, final card most likely will be choosen from above, if you can do so yourself, be my guest. Remember R7 250 is stronger.

HDD is easy to locate, waiting for CPU information.

 

[Kisianik]

Those are most likely choices for Q6600 from eBay, no bidding links provided, only "buy now"
both options are $45 + free shipping
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Intel-Core-2-Quad-Q6600-2-4GHZ-8M-1066-Quad-Core-CPU-SLACR-/191139848814?pt=CPUs&hash=item2c80d2a26e
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Intel-Core-2-Quad-Q6600-2-4GHZ-8M-1066-Quad-Core-CPU-SLACR-/371043982619?pt=CPUs&hash=item5663f1dd1b

For best results, if budget allows, use Arctic Silver 5 paste with cleaning solution
$9 and free shipping http://www.amazon.com/Arctic-Silver-Thermal-Compound-ArctiClean/dp/B001FVI91U/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1397627218&sr=8-2&keywords=arctic+silver+5

So CPU upgrade would cost you $54.

$225 - $54 = $171 for GPU and HDD, not much.

Maybe HDD 1 TB would have to be slower to fit the budget.

Anyway, need CPU info as asked previously.

 

[Shockz2506]

Those are most likely choices for Q6600 from eBay, no bidding links provided, only "buy now"
both options are $45 + free shipping
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Intel-Core-2-Quad-Q6600-2-4GHZ-8M-1066-Quad-Core-CPU-SLACR-/191139848814?pt=CPUs&hash=item2c80d2a26e
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Intel-Core-2-Quad-Q6600-2-4GHZ-8M-1066-Quad-Core-CPU-SLACR-/371043982619?pt=CPUs&hash=item5663f1dd1b

For best results, if budget allows, use Arctic Silver 5 paste with cleaning solution
$9 and free shipping http://www.amazon.com/Arctic-Silver-Thermal-Compound-ArctiClean/dp/B001FVI91U/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1397627218&sr=8-2&keywords=arctic+silver+5

So CPU upgrade would cost you $54.

$225 - $54 = $171 for GPU and HDD, not much.

Maybe HDD 1 TB would have to be slower to fit the budget.

Anyway, need CPU info as asked previously.

How exactly can i find out what processor i have? on the front of the case it has a sticker that says intel core 2 duo... can i find out by taking off the case?

 

[Kisianik]

You said that you can not get into Windows, when you start PC, did the screen at least flashing, if yes, you can get into BIOS, I think by pressing F2 during first a few seconds of the boot.
If you can get in BIOS, I think on the main page you can see some processor information, anything is better then nothing.

I really don't want you to pull out CPU heatsink prior to final surgery, maybe you don't need this. Once you remove heatsink, you would have to clean very well both surfaces, heatsink and CPU, and then, apply new thermal paste prior to connecting. Not a good way to check for the processor.

If worst come the worst, we can proceed with HDD installation first, check what you have an go for the rest. How about this idea (attempt to check BIOS first anyway).?

 

[Shockz2506]

You said that you can not get into Windows, when you start PC, did the screen at least flashing, if yes, you can get into BIOS, I think by pressing F2 during first a few seconds of the boot.
If you can get in BIOS, I think on the main page you can see some processor information, anything is better then nothing.

I really don't want you to pull out CPU heatsink prior to final surgery, maybe you don't need this. Once you remove heatsink, you would have to clean very well both surfaces, heatsink and CPU, and then, apply new thermal paste prior to connecting. Not a good way to check for the processor.

If worst come the worst, we can proceed with HDD installation first, check what you have an go for the rest. How about this idea (attempt to check BIOS first anyway).?

i was able to get into BIOS it is the intel pentium 4 3.4ghz

 

[Shockz2506]

You said that you can not get into Windows, when you start PC, did the screen at least flashing, if yes, you can get into BIOS, I think by pressing F2 during first a few seconds of the boot.
If you can get in BIOS, I think on the main page you can see some processor information, anything is better then nothing.

I really don't want you to pull out CPU heatsink prior to final surgery, maybe you don't need this. Once you remove heatsink, you would have to clean very well both surfaces, heatsink and CPU, and then, apply new thermal paste prior to connecting. Not a good way to check for the processor.

If worst come the worst, we can proceed with HDD installation first, check what you have an go for the rest. How about this idea (attempt to check BIOS first anyway).?

Also is that processor that you gave better than the one i have now? the one on ebay is 2.4 ghz and the one i have now is 3.4ghz?

 

[Kisianik]

You can have 6 CPU choices installed on your PC, 4 from Dell officially and 2 are proven to work by users.

Placed in order from the slowest to the fastest (and most expensive), I will put in Bold yours:

1. Intel Celeron D Up to 346 (3.06GHz,256K, 533MHz FSB)
2. Intel Pentium 4 with HT Technology Up to 531 (3GHz,1M,800MHz FSB) (this is not what you have)
3. Intel Pentium D with Dual Core Technology up to 960 [model name] (3.6GHz,2X2MB,800MHz FSB) this is the beginning of multiple core processors - this is what you have, that is 3.4 GHz you could see
4. Intel Core 2 Duo Dual Core Technology Up to 6700 (2.66GHz,4MB,1066MHz FSB) - this is true 2 core CPU, if you had this one, we could think upgrade or not.

And those are not officially supported by Dell, users were experimenting and found out that those are working
5. Intel Core 2 Quad - Q6600 and Q6700
6. Intel Core 2 Quad Extreme - QX6700

I have confirmations for #5 and #6. So, I am planning for you is Q6600 as the cheapest of those 3. It is Quad, so Adobe will utilize all 4 cores, and the rest of OS will work better, you might not see OS speed increase, but individual, CPU heavy programs will work faster.
Example from me, a simple one, WinRAR, I used Pentium 4 With HT (I still have it) and AMD 4 Core CPU, AMD is much faster to open huge files, and so on.

So let me think (I am going to work now), so final answer comes during the weekend or right after.

If you have any other ideas, please share.

 

[Kisianik]

I am back after difficult weekend. Lets finish this.

First of all you need instructions for Arctic Silver 5 use, Q6600 is Core™2 Quad Processors choice http://www.arcticsilver.com/intel_application_method.html, or direct link to pdf file http://www.arcticsilver.com/pdf/appmeth/int/hl/intel_app_method_horizontal_line_v1.1.pdf

Now let see what we have, remember that total before taxes is $225 to make with taxes (if 10%) $250.

CPU - $45 + free shipping - Q6600 links
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Intel-Core-2-Quad-Q6600-2-4GHZ-8M-1066-Quad-Core-CPU-SLACR-/191139848814?pt=CPUs&hash=item2c80d2a26e
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Intel-Core-2-Quad-Q6600-2-4GHZ-8M-1066-Quad-Core-CPU-SLACR-/371043982619?pt=CPUs&hash=item5663f1dd1b

Thermal Paste - $9 and free shipping - Arctic Silver 5 and cleaning solution (for best cooling results, I was using it and like this very much) http://www.amazon.com/Arctic-Silver-Thermal-Compound-ArctiClean/dp/B001FVI91U/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1397627218&sr=8-2&keywords=arctic+silver+5

GPU (video card) - $85 and free shipping, also 1 free participating game - R7250 ASUS R7250-1GD5 Radeon R7 250 1GB 128-Bit GDDR5 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121800

HDD (hard drive) - $85 and free shipping - WD BLACK SERIES WD1003FZEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s - this is bare drive, no cables, no disc, just bare drive, you already have cables, you need just to change hard drive, make sure that you register HDD for warranty right away, you might needed. Black Series is fastest and most reliable WD 7200 RPM HDD http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822236625

So, Grand Total is $45+$9+$85+$85=$224

All Drivers and manuals page http://www.dell.com/support/home/us/EN/19/product-support/product/optiplex-745#optiplex-745/drivers?&_suid=139813901589001097851767828063

Anything else I can help you with?

P.S. If you finding any answers particularly helpful to you, please mark it as Pick A Solution, to solve the thread - it will benefit others, searching for the same question.

 

[Shockz2506]

I am back after difficult weekend. Lets finish this.

First of all you need instructions for Arctic Silver 5 use, Q6600 is Core™2 Quad Processors choice http://www.arcticsilver.com/intel_application_method.html, or direct link to pdf file http://www.arcticsilver.com/pdf/appmeth/int/hl/intel_app_method_horizontal_line_v1.1.pdf

Now let see what we have, remember that total before taxes is $225 to make with taxes (if 10%) $250.

CPU - $45 + free shipping - Q6600 links
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Intel-Core-2-Quad-Q6600-2-4GHZ-8M-1066-Quad-Core-CPU-SLACR-/191139848814?pt=CPUs&hash=item2c80d2a26e
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Intel-Core-2-Quad-Q6600-2-4GHZ-8M-1066-Quad-Core-CPU-SLACR-/371043982619?pt=CPUs&hash=item5663f1dd1b

Thermal Paste - $9 and free shipping - Arctic Silver 5 and cleaning solution (for best cooling results, I was using it and like this very much) http://www.amazon.com/Arctic-Silver-Thermal-Compound-ArctiClean/dp/B001FVI91U/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1397627218&sr=8-2&keywords=arctic+silver+5

GPU (video card) - $85 and free shipping, also 1 free participating game - R7250 ASUS R7250-1GD5 Radeon R7 250 1GB 128-Bit GDDR5 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121800

HDD (hard drive) - $85 and free shipping - WD BLACK SERIES WD1003FZEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s - this is bare drive, no cables, no disc, just bare drive, you already have cables, you need just to change hard drive, make sure that you register HDD for warranty right away, you might needed. Black Series is fastest and most reliable WD 7200 RPM HDD http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822236625

So, Grand Total is $45+$9+$85+$85=$224

All Drivers and manuals page http://www.dell.com/support/home/us/EN/19/product-support/product/optiplex-745#optiplex-745/drivers?&_suid=139813901589001097851767828063

Anything else I can help you with?

P.S. If you finding any answers particularly helpful to you, please mark it as Pick A Solution, to solve the thread - it will benefit others, searching for the same question.

thanks a lot for all your help! one last thing... how do i make the thread solved?? this is the first time i've used this site...

 

[Kisianik]

Do you see green button on any of my posts? This is an example of solved thread http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2115857/optiplex-755-gpu.html

If not, click on black triangle in the button right corner of my particular post you liked, don't worry about "abuse", what ever you type in this prompt will be read by moderators very quickly, they can change all thread so green button will appear or do their other magic.

Thanks for your support and good luck.