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Upgrade DELL Inspiron 3470 3471 Intel Core i5 Desktop
Afternoon! I’m wondering if anyone could give me some advice... I have a Dell Inspiron 3470, Intel Core i5 (8GB RAM), however I’m wanting to upgrade what I have and add a decent graphics card (nothing high end or state of the art) instead I currently have the bog standard integrated graphics card. My case is obviously too small to fit a graphics card inside of it (I’d rather not settle for a low profile one). What I’m wondering is this - Would it be possible to switch the components over from the current Dell inspiron case which is quite a small case to a larger case so that I can make room for graphics card?
Also, which graphics card would be recommended? I’m willing to spend £200-£300 on one.
I’m slowly getting my head around computers through an apprenticeship... but it’s safe to say I’m far from an expert!
Any advice would be appreciated to keep me right
redxps630
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December 1st, 2020 08:00
3470 motherboard is highly proprietary: it does not follow standard ATX form factor, it has a 6 pin ATX power header instead of 24 pin.
It might be easier if you just use the pc with lid open and install a full height card. If the card is double slot width you would need to move psu outside case. not elegant for sure.
The only components you may move to new case would be cpu and memory and ssd. It will be too much work or impossible to fit the proprietary board in standard case.
Jcrutch101
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December 1st, 2020 09:00
Thanks for the reply!
I’m guessing it might be better to start from scratch then if I’m wishing to put together a medium range budget gaming PC? Being able to salvage my HDD, RAM and CPU would be fine as long as I get a compatible motherboard, graphics card and PSU?
RoHe
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December 1st, 2020 11:00
@Jcrutch101 - What do you have against low profile cards? Dell offered this PC model with an NVIDIA GT710 LP GPU.
Keep in mind that this PC model only has a 200W PSU, which is going to seriously limit your choices for add-in video cards, even if you buy a full-height card and keep the case open.
You'll have to add a new Win 10 license into your budget too, if you DIY a new PC. Your existing Win 10 license is tied to the Dell motherboard and it can't be activated on a new board without a new license.
And you'll likely have to reinstall Win 10 on the HDD because what's on that drive now probably won't boot the new motherboard hardware.
redxps630
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December 1st, 2020 13:00
Re: Being able to salvage my HDD, RAM and CPU would be fine as long as I get a compatible motherboard, graphics card and PSU?
Yes.
carlosnyc1
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May 11th, 2021 07:00
Can i increase Ram? mine currently has 8GB 2x4 sticks, could i put 2 8 sticks? I do not have a lot of knowledge with computers and do not want to mess it up.
RoHe
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May 11th, 2021 11:00
The Inspiron 3470 has 2 slots for RAM and supports 4 GB, 8 GB, or 16 GB per slot. So you can go as high as 2x 16 GB (32 GB), total.
You need two identical UDIMM modules of DDR4 RAM with a speed of either 2400 MHz or 2666 MHz, but go for the faster 2666 MHz RAM.
Just make sure the RAM is compatible with this PC model. Many users around here buy RAM for Dell PCs from Crucial because they guarantee it will work, if they recommended it for that PC, or they take it back.
See their site for RAM compatible with the Inspiron 3470. And read the Service Manual for instructions to remove/install RAM in this PC.