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Optiplex GX620 upgrade to dual core
Hi,
I read many posts about the opportunity to upgrade an Optiplex GX620 from a Pentium 4 to a pentium D. upgrading up to a D 930 or a D 960 seems good (according to the feedbacks).
Intel developed a lot of Dual Core processors. For example Pentium E 5500
When we look at the specs we can see that the socket is the same (LGA 775), and the FSB (800 mhz required) also. The voltage of the E5500 seems to match with the voltage of the D or 4 . I understand that E5500 has a smaller TDP (65 W) than a pentium D and should not give problem with heat..
My question is : can we upgrade an optiplex GX 620 from a Pentium 4 to a pentium E 5500 ? and, if it is, does it worth it?
Thanks,
NgtFlyer
14 Posts
0
February 2nd, 2016 13:00
Please forgive me for dusting up an old thread, but I too have one of these old GX620s. Mine is the minitower and it's in good working condition. I have a Pentium D 925 SL9KA processor. The BIOS was just upgraded to A11.
Would this processor also require the copper heatsink, as my machine has the standard aluminum heatsink.
The plan for this machine is for bench/utility use and the extra speed would be nice.
Thanks in advance.
-Brian
NgtFlyer
14 Posts
0
February 2nd, 2016 13:00
It looks like the processor I have is 95W TPD, not 130, so logic says the standard heatsink should be Okay. This being a 10 year old machine, I'd like to avoid spending money on it if I can - it works fine and I am sure, like many old Dell Optiplex, it will work for some years to come. I saved this one from the landfill.
ThainD
12 Posts
0
February 2nd, 2016 13:00
Still using the DX 620 as my main desktop and its working great. Upgraded the processor to 3.4Ghz and increased memory to 4G. Did not change the CPU heat exchanger and have not had any problems.
ThainD
12 Posts
0
February 2nd, 2016 15:00
It fun to keep these old workhorses going!
speedstep
8 Wizard
8 Wizard
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47K Posts
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February 2nd, 2016 18:00
works fine from windows 3.1 msdos all the way to windows 10.
If you have earlier Pentium D 800 series you need 32 bit windows 8.1 or 10.
JoeLouie3
1 Message
0
July 15th, 2016 12:00
I have an OptiPlex GX620, upgraded with a Pentium D 915 (2.8GHz), but Windows doesn't seem to want to use any more than 3.25GB of the 4GB I have installed. The bios and Windows 10 correctly see the 4GB, but Windows 10 says that only 3.25GB is usable.
I'm also planning on upgrading the processor to a Pentium D 950 or 960 soon, which should give it a bit of extra zip!
ThainD
12 Posts
0
July 16th, 2016 12:00
Joe, sounds like you have the 32 bit version installed. 32 Bit operating systems on read up to that amount. To read higher that 4gb you will need to install a 64 bit operating system.
speedstep
8 Wizard
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47K Posts
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July 17th, 2016 14:00
This is wrong. And its not 3.25 gigs its 3.50 gigs max REGARDLESS of 64 bit CPU or OS.
This is a limitation of the CHIPSET and cannot be overcome. 64 bit os makes no difference whatsoever on a GX320, GX520, GX620.
Updating Bios to A11 allows 2 gig modules to be used and if you put 4 in it will show 8 gigs in bios but it will crash on boot with 64 bit os.
3.50 gigs is max because of the chipset and onboard intel graphics.
You do not get the shared system ram video buffer ram back even when you install a PCI-E card.
retroscience
2 Posts
0
February 27th, 2017 14:00
Alright,
This is an old thread but I have taken the time to research and experiment with this topic extensively. Because of a build I am doing with an old GX620 I have laying around I was able to come up with a few points that I hope help future information seekers. Before these upgrades I installed the latest A11 bios and chip-set updates from Dell. Also note I have the tower version not the sff (300w psu)
1. I installed a E5300 Pentium dual core processor clocked at 2.6ghz. This chip by all accounts should work with the motherboard, but it does not! In fact, NO processor from the E, Q, or X series will work even thought the chipset technically supports a few of them. On paper, this upgrade should work, but unfortunately it will not and that is basically due to the stock foxconn motherboard not being optimized.
2. The cpu in mine was the Pentium D 820 and I ordered a Pentium D 945. This chip should work with no issues (maybe beef up the cooler) and give a 30% - 60% increase in performance depending on core step/revision of the chip. The max upgrade available for the PC is the Pentium D 960 and yes it is worth it! I will also be trying to overclock this chip...follow the link below to see if it worked.
3. There were 2GBs of PC2-4200 (533mhz). AFTER THE BIOS/CHIPSET UPDATE I was able to install 4GBs of PC2-5300 (667ghz). This did not work prior to the update and I got an error tone. The system recognizes the 4GBs but I am unsure if it is running at the true 667ghz yet. Original Dell documentation says the GX620 will accept upto 4GBs or 533ghz. However, the bios update may have allowed the system to recognize AND use the 667ghz speed.
4. Windows 10 is usable on this system but windows 7 is the better choice for compatibility. There is one more HDD bay and sata power connector (2 total) So, you can add another 3.5in HDD or SSD (with tray spacer) for more storage or better speeds. You should have no compatibility issues here.
5. The last thing I am going to do is install a Nvidia 9600 GSO. When you install a gpu into the system keep in mind the max power consumption. With the cpu upgrade and the 300w psu the max TDP under load for the gpu should be around 100-130w or less. Also, there is a P4 6pin molex connector and a 4pin molex connector from the psu. There is no pci 6 or 8 pin connector, so a gpu that runs off of the pcie slot is best like a 750ti. Going any newer then the GTX 750 ti will result in a very noticeable bottleneck and even with the 750ti your system will more than likely be cpu bound.
I really hope that this helps everyone with their questions in this matter and maybe we can put the topic to rest. The only way you can upgrade this pc past the Pentium D series cpu is with a motherboard upgrade. Fortunately there are plenty of LGA775 ATX motherboards capable of running E, X, Q, and above processors.
If you would like to see my completed build I will be posting a video at the channel link below. It should be really fun and interesting. I will also benchmark the system!
www.youtube.com/retroadventure
Thanks!