E521 cpu upgrade

What processor should i upgrade to? I want a dual core.

The short answer is no.  Long answer is some have gotten it to work either by flashing BIOS with an earlier version or it simply ran, but at a lower clock rate (BIOS thinks it's a 5600+ 2.8Ghz Windsor).  Others have claimed it works fine, while others had no luck at all.  The reality is a 5600+ 2.9Ghz Brisbane came out after Dell stopped supporting BIOS updates for the E521.

If you really want a dual core then you need to find one of these:

• ADA5600IAA6Z - Athlon 64 X2 5600+ 2.8Ghz 89W Windsor
• ADA6000IAA6Z - Athlon 64 X2 6000+ 3.0Ghz 89W Windsor

I afraid you missed the boat on these since neither of these are made anymore so you'll have to look on sites like eBay.  Just so you know they are very hard to find.  Best to start saving up for a new PC.

I found some 125 watt, will the factory heatsink be able to cool it?

No it will not and without making modifications to your motherboard, you can't install an aftermarket heatsink/fan either.

One last question. Can i use any AM2 singlecore cpu? or is it like the dual core it, it wont work right unless its a windsor?

*Edit* I found this - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103769. Its a 89w windsor, so it will work, right?

Yes that 5400+ will work.  As for single core you shouldn't have any problems with either Athlon 64 or Sempron.

hello,

I just happened to notice that you have an Inspiron 531 with a 6400+ cpu.  Did you have to do any other mods before you installed the 6400+?   The reason I'm asking is because I also have a 531 with a 5000+ brisbane with stock 300w power supply, and I want to upgrade my cpu.  Will a 125watt athlon 6000+ or 6400+ work on my machine without any other mods?  The 89watt 6000+ 2mb L2 cache is hard to find, but if the 125watt cpu will work without any further mods, then im in luck.

thanks

What you see in my sig is the limit for the 300w PSU.  Anything more and your system will not start.  The 6400+ works very well, but I do not game and do not recommend it if you do.  It gets very hot and will shut down.  I use the heatsink/fan that came with the processor.

Finally upgraded to 430earthwatts psu and 6400+ 125 watt cpu with AMD retail heatsink.  Ran it under max load for about 15 minutes (antivirus + spybot + youtube streaming movie + 5 more apps running simultaneously), and the temp maxed out at 68C.  Not too bad considering the thermal paste hasnt set yet. from one of your posts, you mentioned that youve used a Zalman 9700 heatsink to no avail.  Just wondering what your max temp was using the Zalman?  Specs on the 6400+ say that max temp is 65C. 

I also have a 6000+ windsor 2MB L2  89 watt cpu and when I ran the pc with it, i didnt notice too much of a difference temp wise compared to the 6400+.  But I did notice a much faster response rate with the 6400+.  For now I'm debating whether to go with the 6400+ and faster response or 6000+ and its power efficiency & slightly less heat.  Any advice from your past experience?

The Zalman 9700NT performed very well for me except when I was creating movies from my photos.  It didn't shut down, but would hang for a brief moment and in turn ruin the DVD I was making.  It's very big and just fits, but wasn't able to orientate it in the optimum direction because of the power supply.  I then settled on the heatsink/fan that came with the 6400+ (one of the better ones) and it's been running very well.  Idle around 29C and load around 52C, but I do not game and haven't done any movies lately either.

will a decent graphics card lighten the load on the cpu when youre making movies?  enough to keep the cpu from overheating and acting erratically?

I was using Microsoft Movie Maker and DVD Maker and they appeared to be CPU intensive.  I log temps and monitored usage and both climbed when using those programs.   To actually get through my movie making project I installed a 6000+ 3.1Ghz Brisbane.  Once I was finished I reinstalled the 6400+.  Haven't had any problems since.