Hi Stormrail,

What form factor do you have now?

I believe I have the tower currently......

The 745 is still a pretty good machine and you still have some upgrades available for either RAM or the CPU. My Dad has one with a quad core processor running XP. So my suggestion would be simply to replace the motherboard and leave it at that. If you're running XP, the bumping the RAM up and going to Windows 7 would give you a nice boost.

The 755s are slightly better but I'm not sure the effort would pay off.

Umm I am finding it a bit hard to get either the 745 or 755 so im considering the 330.....

What would you say about it?

The 330 has a newer chipset and can run a faster FSB speed. But you should check the Intel site for CPU compatibility.

The 330 has a Smaller Power Supply and only 2 Ram Slots also I don't think it supports 1333mhz FSB PC2 8500.

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/op330/en/ug/mtspecs.htm

Processor type

Intel® Core™ 2 Duo

Intel® Pentium® Dual Core

Intel® Celeron®

Internal cache up to 6 MB

Front Side Bus frequency 800 MHz and 1066 MHz

***************************************************************************************************************

The 755 Tower is MUCH better Due to Better support for Quad Core, 1333mhz FSB and Bigger Power Supply.  

Amazon has them as well as used computer shops.

I have a local vendor that carry's them from time to time as they come off lease.   http://www.pcretro.com

Optiplex 755 MT

http://www.dell.com/downloads/global/products/optix/en/opti_755_techspecs.pdf

High-end Configuration INTEL E6850 Memory 2GB DDRII 800MHz  (Expandable to 8 Gig with 64 bit OS and Processor)

DDR2 PC2-8500
HDD 2 x 160GB 7200 RPM SATA
DVD/DVD+/-R
Graphics Adapter ATI 2400 Pro

The 330 has 2 Ram Slots.  4 Gigs Max.

Yeah I know about the support for core2quad in the 755, but I don't really want to get a core2quad further down the line, because if I have the money, I'll be getting an i3 or i5. I just want this one to get me a couple of years in so that I can save enough to get a completely new PC. I believe the most I am going to do is get an E8400 and 4 gigs of  ram into the optiplex that I get. For which the 330 is more than adequate. Also, the 330 I am having has the same 305W PSU like the 755.

I found a post here which says that people have been able to put in a Q8400 into the 330. Now like i said i won't be getting a quad core, but since the Q8400 does have a 1333 FSB frequency, I think it's safe to assume that a core2 with 1333 FSB would work wouldn't it?

en.community.dell.com/.../19256200.aspx

The 330 Spec says

- intel® Core™ 2 Duo - 1066MHz FSB, 4MB l2 cache, enhanced intel SpeedStep® technology (Up to e6700 series)

- intel® Core™ 2 Duo - 800MHz FSB, 2MB l2 cache, enhanced intel SpeedStep® technology (e4000 series)

- intel® pentium® - 800MHz FSB, 1MB l2 cache, enhanced intel SpeedStep® technology (e2000 series)

- intel® Celeron® - 800MHz FSB, 512MB l2 cache    

1333mhz FSB is NOT on the menu.

 9/25/2007  7:39 AM       754644 O330-A00.EXE
12/23/2007 12:14 AM       761188 O330-A01.EXE
 2/21/2008  7:32 PM       764206 O330-A03.EXE
 9/17/2008 11:19 PM       777714 O330-A06.EXE
 4/25/2010 10:19 PM       779276 O330-A07.exe
  4/6/2011 12:17 AM       779286 O330-A08.EXE
 6/27/2011  7:56 PM       779730 O330-A09.exe

BIOS May Report Error with Certain Processor

When powering on an Optiplex 330 or an Optiplex 755, the following error message may appear: 

System does not support the installed Processor. Please consult your computer documentation for more information.

This error message only occurs during the Power-On-Self-Test (POST) sequence

and may not be noticeable since the computer will automatically go to next screen within 1 second.

The message is displayed because the code to check Central Processing Unit (CPU) platform ID in the BIOS is incorrect.

Dell may have released an updated BIOS with the correct code to fix the error.

Download and Install the Latest BIOS

1. Browse to the Drivers and Downloads page.

2. Click Enter a Tag to use your Service Tag to find the BIOS update.
   
   

   	Note:
   	If the Service Tag is not available, click Select Model, and then select the appropriate Product Type and Product Model.

3. Click Submit.

4. Select the Operating System, Driver Language, and Importance settings you want from the drop-down boxes (Figure 1). The Category drop-down box should be set to BIOS.
   
   

   Operating System:       Windows XP Driver Language:       English Category:       BIOS Importance:       All

   Figure 1: Drivers and Downloads Drop-Down Selections

5. Select the BIOS update package you want to download from the column labeled File Title to display the download page.

   	Note:
   	If you have the information provided by the online System Information utility or your invoice, please refer to this for what drivers to download.

6. Review the information on the page.

7. Click Download Now. You may receive a warning and an option to run or save the file.

8. Click Save.

9. When the Save As window appears, designate a folder to save the file that is being downloaded, and then click Save.

10. When the download is complete, follow the instructions provided in the Installation Instructions.
    
    To learn more about where to find installation instructions, refer to Dell Knowledgebase article: "Where To Find Driver Download And Installation Instructions" Article ID: 353782.

Yes I have already seen the specs, so obviously the 1333 FSB is not supported. What I am trying to say is that people have been able to put the Q8400 into their 330s, which has a 1333 FSB. SO I should be able to put in something like say an E8400 yes?