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Dell Dimension 3000
I need more memory in my Dimension 3000. Can I swap the motherboard for a Dimension 4600 motherboard?
This post is more than 5 years old
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I need more memory in my Dimension 3000. Can I swap the motherboard for a Dimension 4600 motherboard?
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speedstep
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9 Legend
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47K Posts
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October 17th, 2017 12:00
The answer is YES you can with Caveats. You must remove the 3000 rear panel plate.
The rear panel on the 4600 is not the same as the 3000 so you would need a 4600 motherboard AND the rear plate. The other connections are likely working as I recall doing this as an upgrade before. The 4600 and 3000 motherboard are interchangeable as far as the connectors and power supply. The rear panel cutout is the only difference.the difference between the 4600 865PE and the 3000 865G is that the former does not have integrated graphics. They share common features, though, and use the same ICH5 controller hub, which means the existing XP install will boot with the 4600 motherboard. The plate pops out.
RoHe
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October 17th, 2017 12:00
Dell typically uses a custom connector between front panels and motherboards. So unless the 2 boards use exactly the same connector or someone can map the connectors, probably not. And that's assuming the 4600 board will actually fit in the 3000 case.
A 32-bit version of Windows can only use up to 4 GB of RAM, so if that's what you have on the 3000 board, you're already be maxed out because the 4600 board only supports up to 4GB. And you'd also need a 64-bit version of Windows to support more than 4 GB. I don't believe either board can run 64-bit Windows, at least not without a CPU upgrade and a new Microsoft license for 64-bit Windows.
Sounds like it's time for a new system...?