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80197
January 22nd, 2016 13:00
c521 maximum upgrade success - RAM, CPU overclock, GPU, card reader
As a system builder I took on as a personal challenge to see what I could get working in the Small form factor C521.
Summary: As of January 2016 - So far I have a new 5600+ Athlon cpu overclocked with clock gen to 3.0ghz; a low profile NVidia 750 ti GPU running hdmi to display, and 10gb [yes 10gb RAM is possible, likely 16gb is too] by going to 64 bit Windows 10 pro on a SSD. I have the original DVD player and added a multi card reader for SD chips [if i hadn't put in an ssd I would use a 16 or 32gb sdhc class 10 card to leverage ready boost on a 7200 rpm hdd]. I have not upgraded the original psu but there are ones out there to get you to 400w, maybe even 450 gold. even with the upgrade the old psu works-Primarily due to the power sipping GPU tdp rating. lastly, I installed a 3 antenna pci port, wlan card to get 480mps for the wireless. I use a USB Bluetooth dongle and a usb hub on the front for accessory charging.
some would just say buy a new pc but my cost so far have been reasonable. RAM $24, GPU $100, 5600+ CPU $25, card reader $14. a PSU would run about $60-90 so we are talking about $160 to $250 in parts. The OS product key for windows 8 pro was $70. For now I have about $250 in it and have a very quick, updated HTPC that sits by my big screen and can stream anything at 1080p and play steam games fine.
yet to come - a psu upgrade to SilverStone Technology 450W SFX Form Factor 80 PLUS GOLD Full Modular Power Supply with +12V single rail, Active PFC (ST45SF-G). It is small enough to fit and and allow sata connections from dvd but I am not sure about the back mounting holes. there is a company that makes a plate with a 400w psu for $60 as an alternate solution. I am considering eliminating the dvd and just use an USB one when needed. This would free one of the precious 2 SATA connectors on the mobo to run another larger HDD that could store movies, games, pics and music. I considered adding a case fan but it would have to be a 80mm one attacked to back grate but i think it would do little good in lowering temps. it still has the original CPU cooler so changing it to a better low profile one could eliminate the CPU black shroud and allow me to use the 92mm fan that is there to change to a better and more quiet one for case ventilation. I have a copper fin southbridge chip heat dissipater that would fit but so far the temp don't call for it.
OS: i went from XP Pro 32 bit sp3 to win 8 pro [clean install], then to 8.1 free through a MS store update, and then to win 10 pro free using the free upgrade option. I wrote down the product key using magicjellybean and then did a clean install of win 10 pro from the 'create media option' that allows you to burn a full OS iso that I burned to a dvd. Now i have a clean win 10 pro 64 bit os.
Trickiest was the RAM, i found off ebay 16gb of pc2-4200 [4x4gb] ddr2 ram for $25 so I gave it a try. all 4 installed wouldn't post so after trying a few combos i installed as you see in speccy report. I know this is choking my frequency of the 1gb cards in the other 2 slots but it give me a stable total of 10gb. Getting it stable with all 4x4gb installed I think is possible with a OS reset using win 10. I know the 64bit OS will take 16gb. All specs say 4gb is the max but they are old and wrong. The right RAM is 16GB KIT (4 x 4GB) Intel Motherboard DG43GT DG45ID. DIMM DDR2 NON-ECC PC2-6400 800MHz RAM Memory. Genuine A-Tech Brand, but they are all over $300 since they are server RAM so ultimately it's not cost effective. there is also something special about the AMD chip and the memory. i got this http://www.ebay.com/itm/351397763184?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT and the high density matters.
If there is interest, I can elaborate on part upgrades further as responses dictate. cheers
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jgill21
3 Posts
0
February 11th, 2016 17:00
How did you overclock the CPU? Also, let me know how the aftermarket cooler goes. Good luck and thanks!
spedasso
6 Posts
0
February 11th, 2016 20:00
i used clock gen 1.0.5.3 which is free to download - google it. once installed open pll control and click ignore gsb/pci then set the pll in the drop down to the one that works for your cpu. try each one until you see your current known readings for your cpu speed when you click clocks to get a reading. my pll for the 5600+ cpu was ics 950403. once you have the right pll value, just slide the bar up to 3 ghz on cpu and 240mhz on the fsb. click apply. if it doesnt crash immediately, then the oc works. go to options and click apply at startup. it will oc each time at boot.
for the cooler i will stick with the oem since my temps are all good coretemp min 41 celcius to 56 under 100%load
btw...never alone is a great game off steam that runs ideally on this setup for testing
spedasso
6 Posts
0
February 11th, 2016 20:00
for the RAM up to 16gb i thought of playing with different slot loads. does anyone know the options? i was thinking of loading 1-3 with the 2x2gb at 533mhz and 2-4 with the the 6400 8gb sticks. this is common in more modern mobos to not run them as the tech manual suggests of 1-2 same sticks and 3-4 same sticks [which is what i have now]
jgill21
3 Posts
0
February 13th, 2016 12:00
Clock Gen must have had something done to it, because GSB/PCI is not in the PLL control menu, and there is no place for me to put in the ics either. Our specs should be the same because i switched out my old 3500+ to the 5600+.
skaendo
11 Posts
0
June 2nd, 2016 12:00
Nice write-up. Very informative indeed.
I have a E521 (0UW457) that I am upgrading.
Currently what I have upgraded (from/to):
BIOS to 1.1.11
CPU:
AMD Athlon 64 3200+ 2.0 GHz 59W
to
AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ 3.0 GHz 125W ($30)
RAM:
Samsung M378T6553CZ3-CD5 (512MB PC2-4200 533MHz)
to
Kingston KTD-DM8400C6/2G (2GB PC2-6400 800MHz) x4 - 8GB total ($32)
HDD:
Samsung HD080HJ/P 80GB 7200 RPM
to
WD Blue WD2500AAKS 250GB 7200 RPM ($20)
Heatsink:
(In the mail)
Stock Dell aluminum KN277 heatsink
to
Dell D9729 copper/aluminum heatsink ($5 + $8 shipping)
So I have literally brought this thing up to date for under $100.
I am waiting to see if I can overclock the CPU until I get the "new" heatsink since I am currently running in the yellow with my temps with the stock heatsink.
My next purchase will be a PSU to compensate for the 125W CPU, and finally a AGP graphics card. Then MAYBE a new SSD or more likely a larger HDD. (No data is stored on the internal HDD really, the important stuff goes to external USB HDDs.)
This thing is running Windows 7 extremely quick now. Before I was getting choppy streaming video and programs loaded a little slow. Now everything is normal.
This is not my daily driver, but it is used everyday all day by other members of my family. If and when this PC gets retired I will likely put Slackware Linux on it or convert it into a hardware firewall. Which as of now it seems will not happen for quite a while.
Not bad for an '07 PC!
Thanks for sharing your experience with your C521, it has got me to thinking about testing different setups with my RAM to see exactly what I can squeeze in there!