Optiplex 330 CPU Upgrade

Great information.  Thank you.

In order to use the Q6700 and now the E5440, what sort of mods are required to take advantage of the higher clock rates? 

Is there an FAQ thread detailing how to mod the Optiplex 330 for use with the faster processors?

I have an 330 sitting idle and think it would be a good project to breathe some fresh life into it.

Thanks for keeping this alive!

I purchased my LGA 771-to-775 adapters on eBay: enter item (291050349141) in the "Shop by category" box to bring up the ad with detailed instructions on how to install a Xeon CPU in a LGA 775 motherboard. While I can't find a "FAQ thread" that specifically describes how to mod an Optiplex 330--perhaps no one else has tried this relatively new mod before?--this eBay seller mentions how some of his customers have found success installing Xeon E5440 CPUs in Intel G-31 motherboards, which the Optiplex 330 [G-31 (ICH7R)] chassis houses.

So I took a leap of faith and attempted to install an E5400 in two of my Dell Optiplex 330 computers. I did not do any BIOS modding to the microcode/BIOS. All I did was flash the BIOS with version A11 and these computers now run faster and smoother than they ever have--in comparison to previous use with Core 2 Quad 6700/6600 CPUs.

Whether or not my Dell Optiplex rigs are making full use of the Xeon's 12M L2 cache and 1333 MHz FSB--all I can say for sure is that this computer can reencode and compress high definition video over 5 times faster than a 3.4 GHz Pentium D--and nearly 25 percent faster than a Core 2 Quad Q6600--which is pretty much in line with CPU benchmark testing.

Yet the thing that surprised me the most was that one of my Dell Optiplex 330 computers recognized the Xeon in BIOS version A00. It's almost as if this CPU was designed for this computer even though there exists no official recommendation by a Dell representative confirming this. For me, I was willing to take the risk to install a used Xeon E5440 CPU which I purchased for $25--which is the equivalent to a Core 2 Quad Q9550 which retails for much more.

Correction: In the 2nd paragraph of my previous post I mentioned E5400, when I instead meant E5440.

WOW Thanks guys I got 2 Optiplex 330's me and my brother and Mine is running with 4gbs ram and 3 SATA drives and DVDRW sata and a host of USB devices and the power supply keeps up but recently I lost Sata 1 port and had to move everything to other ports and with this mod using Xeon chips and cutting the cpu alignment tabs off and the special tape. I'm going to be upgrading this here in a couple of weeks. Thanks to the ones with detailed HOW-TOs and I've got A7 BIOS I heard it's ok to leave it or should I flash to A11 just to be sure?

Thanks to all in this forum it's the best thing Dell can do is link us Modders and Tweakers together for a common goal. Love y'all work and I'll post my CPU Info soon to show it works too. Now I can move to Windows 8???? maybe LOL

And thanks to everyone who keeps this post going it's nice to chat with Optiplex 330 users

Jami Dillon

Tulsa

Like I mentioned previously, I successfully installed two Xeon E5440 CPUs in two different Optiplex 330 rigs and am currently in the process of attempting to install one in an Optiplex 360--just waiting on the shipment from an eBay seller. While I never ran a Xeon in an Optiplex 330 with BIOS version A07, I'm pretty sure that the computer will recognize the CPU since the 330's BIOS recognizes it in version A00. However, if the CPU fan is revving too fast, this could be an indication that you may need to flash the BIOS to version A11.

Since you appear to be serious about attempting this swap, here are a few tips that may come in handy:

1)Use a magnifying glass to assist you in all phases of this process. The first time around, I did everything without using a magnifying glass, and must admit that I did a sloppy job installing a Xeon in my first attempt and in hindsight I feel a bit fortunate that I did not cause irreversible damage to the motherboard socket and/or rendering the adapter useless.

2)Make sure the plastic 775 socket tabs are cut properly so that the CPU can fit perfectly inside. This is one phase of the process that you do not want to rush, as you must be careful not to damage any socket pins. I used a thin box cutter to cut my tabs off--although an X-Acto knife or its equivalent, would be a better alternative in my opinion. After cutting the tabs, make sure you remove all the plastic residue that you cut off--compressed air probably works the best in my experience.

3)Using adapters with adhesive already applied makes the job much easier. There are at least two sellers on eBay who sell LGA 771-to-775 adapters with double stick tape applied. While applying the adapter stickers, again make sure you use a magnifying glass to assist you in aligning the adapter stickers properly.

4)And finally, align the arrow on the Xeon CPU with the arrow located on the 775 socket in order not to put the CPU in backwards.

5)This site guides you through the entire process: www.delidded.com/lga-771-to-775-adapter/

@paulstevens

Here's the CPU-Z Validation for my Optiplex 360 which I submitted a half hour ago : http://valid.canardpc.com/c2b100

If you notice, the FSB is rated near normal while multiplier is rated  8.5X.  So it appears that my Optiplex is making full use of the Xeon E5440 CPU's processing power.

And here's the CPU-Z Validation for my Optiplex 330 which I also submitted 15 minutes ago: http://valid.canardpc.com/7b6xt4

Notice here that the FSB is rated near normal while the multiplier is rated at 6X out of a max 8.5. So by the looks of it, my Optiplex 330 isn't making full use of the Xeon's processing power--although in my opinion it's still faster than a Core 2 Quad Q6600. Unfortunately, the stock BIOS does not allow for overclocking--so the Optiplex 360 would be the better choice if one wants better stock performance. Even though the Optiplex 330 underperforms--I still have no regrets installing it since used Xeon E5440 CPUs go for roughly half the price of a Core 2 Quad Q6600 CPUs on eBay and Amazon.

It appears that the CPU-Z Validation for my Optiplex 330 didn't go clicky--so I'll try entering it again: http://valid.canardpc.com/7b6xt4

Correction: When I stated that my Optiplex 330 was running at a reduced multiplier rate of X 6.0--that was in idle. While under load, the multiplier  automatically increases to a core speed of 2826.28 GHz--which is pretty much in line with the E5440's rating @2.83 GHz.

Apologies for misstating this info--obviously I'm pretty new to monitoring exactly how fast my Xeon and Core 2 Quad CPUs are running.

In the interest of keeping this thread going, I too, have a Dell Optiplex 330 that I am trying to modify... I tried the Xeon 5440 with the adapter and could not get it to work... This could be because I damaged the adapter, have a bad Xeon, or did not fully remove the tabs on the socket... I have been messaging back and forth with the guy on EBay who sells the adapter and he is very supportive and informed on this... I have ordered a magnifying lamp to help my old eyes out to get this going... I also found a cheap (relatively) Q9650 Core 2 Quad that I want to try as well... I am currently running a 3.33ghz Core 2 duo and 8mb ddr2 ram with Bios A11...

You would be amazed what some of these old business model Dell's are capable of, but there is very little supported info on these upgrades... These threads sometimes are the only way to provide information to others looking at a cheap alternative to building rigs...

Thanks to those who have participated and I look forward to posting my results...

@JRIDGE

Just yesterday, I realized that all Xeon E5440 CPUs are NOT created equally. I say this because I was successful in getting two Optiplex 330s to work with Xeon E5440 SLANS models. However, when I attempted to install SLBBJ versions of the E5440 the other day, the BIOS warning message, "System does not support the installed processor" appeared. While pressing the F1 key as instructed to continue will allow the computer to boot to BIOS, load the operating system, and run the computer--the CPU fan is constantly running on full blast. The same thing happened when I attempted to install a SLBBJ E5440 in an Optiplex 360--however in the case of the 360, the CPU fan slows to normal operating speed after pressing the F1 Key.

So I'm hoping you have the SLANS version of the E5440. I'm guessing that the incompatibility may have something to do with the difference in either the S-Spec numbers (e.g., SLBBJ does not support EU80574KJ073N, SLANS does not support AT80574KJ073N) or the Core Stepping (i.e., SLBBJ, CO Core Stepping/ SLANS, EO Core Stepping).

I now got three Optiplex 330s and one Optiplex 360 to run on Quad Core LGA 771 Xeon E5440 and E5450 CPUs and have the CPU-Z validations to prove it. Please keep us posted with your results or if you have any other questions.

Yes, Munchie808, I could not get the Xeon to work... I have the SLBBJ version of the 5440... Maybe someone could produce the correct microcode for the Bios ? I have a $40-  3.33GHZ dual core in it now and it's running fine... I'll probably just sell the Xeon when I get a chance...

Thanks

@munchie

can u please tell me what version of the q6600 u had working with your optiplex 330? slacr or sl9um?   also which e5450 version can u confirm working with the optiplex 330.  I would like to get a q6600 for my machine but don't know if the g0 stepping will work or if I got to get a b3.  im very interested in the xeon mod and I like the e5450.  can you please let me kno.  thanks 

the q8400 is completely different cpu.  the q8400 has a L2 cache of 4mb and the q6600 has a 8mb L2 cache.  I read that the optiplex 330 has a 6mb L2 cache limit.  if the q6600 does work then I want to try a 333 bsel mod on the q6600 to get it running at 3.0ghz. the difference in models is that the slacr has a max tdp of 95w as opposed to the sl9um with a 105w max tdp. please let me know munchie or anyone that has tried the q6600 in a optiplex 330