Dimension E521 CPU upgrade to Athlon 64 x2, Windsor vs Brisbane

 Stupidenator

Check out the discussions HERE and HERE about using Brisbanes in the e521.

Bev.

Thank you for your prompt reply, however those two threads are about people with low to mid end x2's looking to upgrade to a high end x2.

I am wondering about upgrading to a 5000 or so, and whether or not the mid-end Brisbanes will work.

The problem with Brisbanes and E521 computers is the BIOS.  Brisbanes came out long after the last BIOS update for an E521 and therefore not programmed correctly.  Some E521 owners have gotten them to work, but find that the processor settings like speed is incorrect.  For others their computer wouldn't even boot.  It just boils down to the E521 just wasn't designed to run Brisbane processors.

I am currently using a single core (Athlon 64 3200+ at 2.0 GHz), I believe this upgrade should bring noticeable improvement.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you, but some of the Brisbanes

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_AMD_Athlon_64_microprocessors#.22Brisbane.22_.28energy-efficient_65W.2C_G1_.26_G2.2C_65_nm.29)

were actually released prior to the latest BIOS, such as the first revisions of the 4000+, 4400+, 4800+, and 5000+. Coupled with testimonies of it working with e521's

(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=19-103-194&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&Pagesize=10&PurchaseMark=&SelectedRating=-1&VideoOnlyMark=False&VendorMark=&IsFeedbackTab=true&Keywords=e521&Page=1#scrollFullInfo) (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=19-103-211&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&Pagesize=10&PurchaseMark=&SelectedRating=-1&VideoOnlyMark=False&VendorMark=&IsFeedbackTab=true&Keywords=e521&Page=1#scrollFullInfo)

What you said seems to be the general consensus among internet support forums, but it would appear that the middle-of-the-line Brisbanes do indeed work...

I purchased the AMD Athlon 64 x2 5000+ 2.6GHz  (ADO5000IAA5DO) for my e521 from the link below for $56 including shipping (they're sold out now, you can find it elsewhere).

http://www.buy.com/prod/amd-athlon-64-x2-dual-core-5000-2-60ghz-processor-2-6ghz-2000mhz-ht/q/loc/101/205617032.html

It is in fact a Brisbane, not the Windsor (discontinued). And, contrary to the prediction of every support thread I've read, it worked.

I removed the old heatsink (push the metal toward the fan to break the bond with the processor), then the old processor. After scraping the old thermal compound off of the heatsink, I placed the new CPU in place and a pea-sized amount of Arctic Silver paste on in (spread it with the side of a toothpick), then reapplied the heatsink and screwed it in. The following link should be helpful...

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dime521/en/SM_EN/parts.htm

After booting into Windows, it only recognized as a single core until the "found new hardware" popup appeared and I then restarted, and it now seems to be working perfectly. Obviously I haven't had this for long, but it seems to be good. I noticed a significant improvement when starting up, as the tray icons loaded quite quickly. If you have a low end dual core in your e521, this probably isn't worth the money, but if you have a single core in an old e521, this CPU upgrade coupled with a RAM upgrade will breath new life into your system for roughly $100. I bought 2GB RAM from newegg, below:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134012&cm_re=kingston_ddr2-_-20-134-012-_-Product

Just a couple notes, I doubt the high end Brisbanes work, as they are a later addition to the line. If you have the latest BIOS (update from Dell website before upgrading), the mid range should work (at least the 5000+ does). Also, if you upgrade RAM to two sticks of higher speed of RAM (has to be DDR2, mine was 800MHz RAM) than the original RAM (I had a single stick of 512Mb at 533MHz), remove the slow stick and place the two new sticks in the same-colored sockets. That way, you'll be able to use the full speed, and enable Dual Channel.

As for gaming, I have not tried anything yet, but with my single core and the EVGA Geforce 9500  GT I got on sale for around $55, I was able to run source games perfectly and newer games at low-middle quality. The e521 is clearly not a gaming rig, but if you plan to spend under $200 on upgrades it can become an acceptable one. If you plan on spending more than $200, I would recommend starting from scratch. The e521 has so limited upgrade paths that there is little more I can do to mine, and the games of the near future are probably out of question.

If you are reading this, I hope it will be helpful. Good luck, human.

Would it really even be worth upgrading the stock 3800 that's in there to a 65W 5600 or 89W 6000?

trueblu8

No, it's better to upgrade the PCIe x16 graphics card.

Bev.

Really?  Why is that?  Is it because it frees up the processor a bit?

And which graphics card would you recommend for this machine?

For a Tower I would recommend a Single slot X16 video card like a Radeon 6670.

There are four expansion slots in the back 1 PCI-X 16, 1 PCI-X 1 and 2 PCI .

The AMD Radeon™ HD 6670 PCI Express Graphics Card from Visiontek®

Manufacturer Part# : 900369

Dell Part# : A5182103

	VisionTEK AMD Radeon HD 6670 1 GB PCI Express Graphic Card Usually Ships Within 24 Hours Manufacturer Part# 900369 Dell Part# A5182103 Interface Type: PCI Express x16