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Dell Dimension 8400
I have a dimension 8400, purchased in 2005. I need to see if you can tell me what I need to do to upgrade hardware/software so I can upgrade to windows 8. Windows XP is longer being supported. The hardware has had no changes since being purchased.
speedstep
8 Wizard
8 Wizard
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47K Posts
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December 31st, 2014 08:00
The upgrade is an Optiplex GX620 or better Tower or Precision 380 and up.
Walmart, Amazon, microcenter etc sell them with Windows 7 and 2 gigs of ram.
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=dell+precision+380
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Dell-Refurbished-755-Desktop-PC
RoHe
10 Elder
10 Elder
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43.5K Posts
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December 31st, 2014 11:00
You should run the free Win 8.1 update assistant from Microsoft to see if your system can support Win 8.1 (or Win 8).
The processor in some D8400 systems -like mine- doesn't support the "NX" function required for Win 8 and 8.1.
So I updated to Win 7 (32-bit). It's a little slow because the 32-bit processor and 32-bit OS don't support more than 4 GB of RAM, but it's usable - for now...
TZXF
3 Posts
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January 2nd, 2015 14:00
Your most reliable source of information regarding the requirements for WIN 8.1 is going to be Microsoft and reputable reviews online. My 8400 came with 512 MB DDR-2 RAM, will take up 4 GB and I suspect you'll need most all of it. CPU of 3 GHz may be a bit too light also. I replaced my 80 GB hard drive with 120 GB. You should consider just how big a program 8.1 is. I really like XP, haven't needed much in the way of support from MS with all the other sources out there. From what I've read of the reviews, 8.1 leaves a bit to be desired, and we have WIN 10 in the wings now. I would consider dropping $500 on a new WIN 10 computer and save a whole lot of hassle. Why weren't you out celebrating New Year's Eve, anyhow?