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68994
September 7th, 2015 13:00
Optiplex GX520 CPU upgrade question
I recently saved an Optiplex GX520 that was headed for the dump. I'm thinking about upgrading the CPU as I see lots of Pentium D processors for a few bucks on Ebay. It currently has a 3.0 GHz P4 installed. I'm thinking about upgrading it to the Pentium D 915 (thought about getting the 925 but want to be on the safe side.) Will the stock aluminum heatsink suffice? I did upgrade the BIOS to A11 over the weekend.
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speedstep
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September 7th, 2015 17:00
Higher wattage cpus need the copper heatsink. If you dont have a tower with 305w power supply it will not allow much past the 915.
130W Cpus are not supported in the 520 but work in the 620 TOWER.
nickll
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September 7th, 2015 18:00
Thanks for the response. Sounds like the best choice is the 915 without having to upgrade the power supply and/or heatsink, and for under $10 why not upgrade? The GX520 appears to have a standard PSU. I do have a spare 400W PSU laying around in a box if I need it.
EDIT: Didn't realize that the stock CPU is 84W so that would certainly mean a significant increase in heat dissipation. It does appear to run extremely cool right now so I might pick up a 915 and see how it goes, worst thing that could happen is that shuts down from overheating. If that happens I can replace it with the stock CPU.
I do wish that it had a functional pci-e x16 slot as I have an ATI HD 5570 card collecting dust. It appears that the board may have an unpopulated spot for a pci-e x16 connector.