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Hardware Upgrades to an Optiplex GX270
I am looking for some direction on upgrading the performance of my Optiplex GX270 small mini-tower. It is mainly going to be used for internet and home office but would like to do some light gaming. I basically got it for free so I don't mind spending a few hundred bucks upgrading. Here are the basics on what it curremtly has:
Microprocessor: Intel Pentium 4, 2.6GHZ
Chipset: Intel 865G
System Clock: 800-MHZ quad-data rate
RAM: 512MB (2-256MB chips) DDR SDRAM (I think only PC2700 speed)
DC Power Supply: 250W, 910 BTU/hr heat dissipation
My first thought is to put 2GB (2-1GB RAM chips) of DDR SDRAM PC3200 speed into slots 1 and 2. There are four slots for RAM. Would it be worth moving the existing 512MB of RAM into slots 3 and 4 if they are only PC2700 speed or is that going to slow down the new RAM I put into slots 1 and 2? The new RAM would only be $50-$100. Any recommendations on where to buy RAM beside Kingston and Crucial or paying a premium and getting it from Dell?
Upgrading the video card is a bit more complicated. Any recommendations on a good video card with decent memory that won't break the bank. To futher complicate things, I planned to use an LCD 1080P HDTV as a monitor, so the card needs to have digital capabilities. I am currently shopping around for the TV. Another problem would seem to be my 250W power supply. It seems that upgrading the video card would also require upgrading the power supply. Am I wrong in assuming this?
Thanks in advance for any direction you can give. Let me know of any other information you may need in order to answer these questions.
Thereal-dbk4297
3.4K Posts
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December 13th, 2008 15:00
Hello,
I will just reply to your memory question, as I don't do video.
First off, More memory at a slower speed is much better that less memory at a faster speed. You are correct to go with two more 'matched' 1GB memory chips and also keep the two 512MB chips. No, no other recommendations for another brand of memory since Crucial has the lowest prices and 100% compatibility for your system model number.
If the search function still worked here, I could point you to hundreds of failed memory upgrade posts on this site. They all go something like this, 'I bought this 'no name' or 'value' memory and saved a couple bucks. Can anyone tell me why it will not work in my Dell model xxx? The specs look just like what mine is now but ...." :emotion-52:
I suggest Crucial. But any quality brand memory that sells it's RAM based on system model numbers will work the same, even if it cost you more. If you would like to read 'why' Dell and other OEM systems are picky with RAM, you can read the memory pages at my web site. :emotion-15:
bordopab
2 Posts
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December 13th, 2008 15:00
Thanks for the advice on the RAM. I figured it would be worth it to put the existing RAM in slots 3 and 4 to gain the extra memory capacity but just wanted to make sure it wouldn't cause any problems.
I'll probably go with Crucial. They have 2GB of memory for about $65. I didn't know if there was anyone else out there that I should investigate.