OPTIPLEX 790 DT, just to be clear.

Thank you.

Please, Dell, answer this question. In the other thread about this subject they say it`s possible to do upgrade but people have tried with no success. I`m waiting for a concrete answer in order to buy the i7-2600.

Cris from Dell said that these are the compatible cpus:

706FY -

i7-2600,3.40GHz,4C,SandyBridge,D2 (Optiplex 790/990, Vostro 460/470, Alienware X51-R1, XPS 8300/8500)

605FF -

i7-2600S,2.80GHz,4C,SandyBridge,D2 (Optiplex 790/990, Inspiron One 2320, Vostro 360)

The question is:

CAN I BUY A INTEL I7-2600 CPU (a Intel aftermarket used one, not from DELL) AND USE IT ON THE OPTIPLEX 790 IN ORDER TO UPGRADE FROM THE i3-2120?

Is there some setting that needs to change in the bios (A18) menu?

Dell, there are a lot of questions like this one about the OPTIPLEX 790 upgrade with no clear answer!

Please, I`m asking this because my workflow NEEDS this upgrade.

Reports seem to show that no 3rd generation core parts are supported, only 2nd generation (Sandy Bridge) processors.  Also, within 2nd gen you can only use parts with HD 2000 graphics it won't support processor models with HD 3000 graphics.

Hi, just to say I just successfully upgraded my Dell OptiPlex 790 from an Intel i3-2120 to an Intel i5-2500 procured on eBay, without checking OEM parts etc.

For those wanting an i7-2600, the symptoms sound like an onboard graphics failure (system boots, but no video). I have seen images of OptiPlex 790 devices which have the VGA port blocked off (Google search for them) - I wonder if this is supported with the i7? It would be worth trying setting up with the DisplayPort instead. Or upgrading the graphics so that the onboard is bypassed - might get it working? Please post success/failure here so we all know!

Hi, just to say I just successfully upgraded my Dell OptiPlex 790 from an Intel i3-2120 to an Intel i5-2500 procured on eBay, without checking OEM parts etc.

For those wanting an i7-2600, the symptoms sound like an onboard graphics failure (system boots, but no video). I have seen OptiPlex 790 devices which have the VGA port blocked off - I wonder if this is supported with the i7? It would be worth trying setting up with the DisplayPort instead. Or upgrading the graphics so that the onboard is bypassed - might get it working? Please post success/failure here so we all know!