Upgrade processor or motherboard on Dell Vostro 230 Mini Tower

Blueteeth95

Prior to installing the processor, check that the latest BIOS version 1.4.0 is installed, when added support for processors was added.

Bev.

Bev, do all versions of the 230 support quad-core CPUs?

Hi  rdunnill,

I believe so, there seems to be only one G41 Express Chipset motherboard listed for it.

Bev

I have a Dell Vostro 230 w/ the 1.4.0 Bios update w/ the factory installed Intel E7500.

Can you tell me if the Intel Xeon X3370, Yorkfield, 12MB Cache, 3.00 Ghz, 1333Mhz FSB can be used in place of the Intel Q9650? The specs are virtually identical as far as I can tell from what I read except that it seems to have a higher temperature threshold.

Thanks,

-Calvin

Well, for anyone curious - despite receiving no answer on this matter - I went ahead with purchasing a used Intel Xeon x3370 proccessor since I have a Dell PowerEdge T110 that could use it just in case it didn't work in the Vostro 230.

The Xeon x3370 works very well in my Vostro 230 with core temperatures running between 39C to 48C depending on load. Peak load so far was 55% while the average range seems to run between 1% to 15%.

For a little comparison, I have since upgraded my PowerEdge T110 with the same x3370 cpu. The core temps run just a little cooler in my server at around 37C to 41C versus the older Xeon x3440 which ran around 32c-37c.

So I will consider upgrading the Vostro 230's case fan as well. Awaiting that part. I do not expect it to make a significant difference; moreover, the core temps are still way below threshold.

I am running the system with the OEM 300watt power supply with no noticeable problems so far. I tried a 400 watt power supply and it didn't seem to make a difference in performance with the diagnostic tools I have/had. So I decided to leave the PC in oem format as much as possible. Besides, my 400 watt power supply was a tad larger than the silly oem power supply making it not fit too well in the case.

-Calvin

For anyone interested, I was interested in a Xeon upgrade, but didn't want to spend too much on my old Vostro. I just tried the guide over at http://www.delidded.com/lga-771-to-775-adapter/ with a slight motherboard modification. I guess that would have invalidated the warranty if i still had one.

I'm now running an X5450 Quad core Xeon with 12 MB cache - effectively a Q9650 with a 135w TDP, I think.

The PSU failed in my Vostro a few years ago so it's running a Crucial 500 Modular one. Anyway, with a £3 adapter and about five minutes careful penknife work (see the linked guide), I've now got a Vostro 230 running a fantastic quad core CPU for £28. It's a little bit of an upgrade from the Pentium E6700 I had before :emotion-4:

However, I think I'll need to spend a little more - using the stock fan the temperature is regularly hitting 65C, so I might need to get a beefier heatsink/fan for it!

Hello Calvin, when you upgraded the Vostro 230 to the Xeon X3370 did you use an adapter? Did any issues ever come up with it?

Thanks!

No adapter required. The Dell Vostro 230 motherboard should be a Foxconn G33M02 or G33M03 model using the Intel Socket 775 specifications.

No issues whatsoever. Although as a preventative, I did install some additional case cooling fans in a way to optimize internal airflow as best as a dell case could allow to prevent potential heat issues. I ran temperature utilities to keep track as well as Intel's own diagnostic CPU utility - although that was more manual operation - and everything ran nominally. Also, I had replaced the OEM power supply at the same time. Actually, the reason I upgraded the CPU as well as other components was due to the failure of the power supply. So keep these in consideration. However, I have since replaced the x3370 series cpu with the intel Q9550S (emphasis on "S" because the Q9550 consumes more power). Yeah some of my benchmarks run a tad slower but it's like milliseconds.

My current Vostro 230 upgraded specs are:

• Startech 300watt replacement power supply,
• OEM Foxconn G33M02 motherboard,
• Intel Q9550S CPU (65watt TDP),
• MSI - ATI Radeon HD5670 video card,
• OCZ Vertex 3 240gb SSD,
• Western Digital 3TB Green HDD,
• Western Digital 1TB Blue HDD,
• Asus DVD-RW E-Green optical drive,
• Slot/Case fan (a fan that takes up a PCI slot - but runs off the PS directly)

I use the SSD as my OS drive running Windows 10.This is currently the computer I am typing this message from in fact as I have another Vostro 230 with similar specs but with a 400 watt power-supply, different video card and SSD/HDD configuration. I ran the x3370 on both of these computers with both types of Power supply with no issues. I hope this information helps.

-Calvin

Calvin, thanks a lot for the quick reply. Yes this is very helpful.

I have a Dell Vostro 230 mini tower it came with the 2.7GHz Pentium dual core and the chart said it would take in the LGA775 socket a Q8400 Intel Core 2 Quad 2.66GHz it is beeping and the power button is yellow why is it not working?

Yes I updated to 1.4.0 from 1.0.0 and it worked perfectly thank you for your response!

hohoey7

That's great, glad to hear flashing the BIOS was the answer. 

Bev.