Question Advice on upgrading an i3-2120 ?

[7ele777etrik]

My step dad is in his 70s, has an older Dell Inspiron 620 desktop pc running an i3-2120 processor.
I’m wanting to upgrade it for him as a surprise. Hes complained about it becoming sluggish lately. He only uses it to check stocks, very light web browsing etc. It can hold up to 8gb/ 4gb in 2 channels but oddly it’s only recognizing 6gb???? Can one stick only be half bad?

Also, Id like to upgrade the processor from the i3-2120 to an i7 but am not sure about the compatibility with a proprietary Dell motherboard. I haven’t got inside it yet to check things out because my stepdad would flip out if he caught me taking his PC apart without blowing the surprise.

I already have a spare 850w Thermaltake PSU and a CPU fan from an old gaming rig of mine I’ll use to handle the increased power draw and heat, incase it does work.

Oh, if this isn’t possible will an i5 work and will I need to update the bios in either situation?
I’m probably going to have a lot of people tell me it’s not worth it buy new but he hardly uses a pc as it is. I think upgrading his old one will be more than enough for what he uses it for. Just don’t want him waiting so long for a page to load that he falls asleep in front of it. lol

Any help with these questions would be much appreciated it. Thanks!

 

[triplex1]

My step dad is in his 70s, has an older Dell Inspiron 620 desktop pc running an i3-2120 processor.
I’m wanting to upgrade it for him as a surprise. Hes complained about it becoming sluggish lately. He only uses it to check stocks, very light web browsing etc. It can hold up to 8gb/ 4gb in 2 channels but oddly it’s only recognizing 6gb???? Can one stick only be half bad?

Also, Id like to upgrade the processor from the i3-2120 to an i7 but am not sure about the compatibility with a proprietary Dell motherboard. I haven’t got inside it yet to check things out because my stepdad would flip out if he caught me taking his PC apart without blowing the surprise.

I already have a spare 850w Thermaltake PSU and a CPU fan from an old gaming rig of mine I’ll use to handle the increased power draw and heat, incase it does work.

Oh, if this isn’t possible will an i5 work and will I need to update the bios in either situation?
I’m probably going to have a lot of people tell me it’s not worth it buy new but he hardly uses a pc as it is. I think upgrading his old one will be more than enough for what he uses it for. Just don’t want him waiting so long for a page to load that he falls asleep in front of it. lol

Any help with these questions would be much appreciated it. Thanks!

get linux, it's not for nothing, you'll waste your time

 

[7ele777etrik]

Linux is an OS my 74 year old step dad wouldn’t use or like. He’s stuck in his ways, prefers what’s familiar and defiantly won’t want to learn it no matter how simple it may be. I need to keep his machine as close to how it is as possible.
It just needs a very small performance boost. He only needs it for checking his stocks online a couple times a day throughout the week and email.
He doesn’t need a gaming rig, a server, a multitask pc or a different OS, just a performance upgrade so it’s a little bit quicker. It works perfectly fine now for what he uses it for it’s just a bit sluggish.

 

[--SID--]

Is the OS on a HDD or SSD?

 

[BFG-9000]

I'm going to assume it already has a SSD as that's the biggest performance upgrade you could make over HDD. This is legacy BIOS only and Dell crippled the BIOS so you cannot enable AHCI (there is a 3rd party modded BIOS over at BIos-Mods forum to enable this, but TRIM works just fine without AHCI anyway.)

It is perfectly possible if you put incompatible 8Gbit high-density RAM chips into Sandy or Ivy Bridge, for only half the capacity to be recognized. Does one of the 4GB RAM sticks have only 4 chips on it? There are reports of unsupported 16GB working fine in the 0GDG8Y motherboard (8GB sticks must have 16 chips on them) as well as unsupported CPUs such as i5-2500. Heck, 69 people on UserBenchmark report i7-2600 in an Inspiron 620.

As for Linux there's this but Win 11 looks just as different from Windows 7

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AegNsIsHcY

 

[Misgar]

but oddly it’s only recognizing 6gb???? Can one stick only be half bad?

Far more likely one stick is 2GB, the other is 4GB. All perfectly normal. A friend has an HP laptop that came with 6GB. When I opened it up, sure enough, two SODIMMs, 2GB + 4GB. I installed another "identical" 4GB SODIMM and brought it up to 8GB.

I haven’t got inside it yet to check things out because my stepdad would flip out if he caught me taking his PC apart

There's the danger your stepdad will "flip out" if you mod the computer without his knowledge. Some people can take things the wrong way and get angry, even when you think you're trying to help.
Remember, there's a chance you might screw things up, kill the computer and lose all his data.

It might be a better idea to tell him you hope to make the machine go faster, but don't get upset if he refuses point blank. It's not worth alienating your stepdad. Before doing anything, you need to back up all his important files to USB or portable hard disk (several times).

To work out if you can fit an i7-3770 or i3-3770K in place of the i3-2120 LGA1155 processor, check the back of the Dell for the Service Tag.
https://www.dell.com/support/conten...self-support-knowledgebase/locate-service-tag

Type the tag into the Dell web site and it should tell you nearly everything you need to know about the current build, without taking the lid off. Further research on the Dell web site might allow you to determine the fastest CPU they fitted to this series.

This web site says you can fit an i7- 3770 (non-K version). I doubt Dell's BIOS allows overclocking with an i7-3770K, so stick with the i7-3770. A K-version might work, or Dell's BIOS might refuse to accept a CPU with an unlocked multiplier.
https://www.hardware-corner.net/desktop-models/Dell-Inspiron-620/

I already have a spare 850w Thermaltake PSU and a CPU fan from an old gaming rig of mine I’ll use to handle the increased power draw and heat, incase it does work.

You won't need an 850W PSU or a new fan for an i7-4770 CPU upgrade. The Dell 620's 300W PSU is more than enough for the step up from i3-2100 (65W) to i7-3770 (77W). 77-65=12W difference.

I was gifted an i3-3770K recently and replaced an i3-2120. The ancient machine has gone from 2-cores 4-threads, to 4-cores 8-threads and the base clock has increased by 100MHz. Being a K-series, I couldn't resist overclocking it slightly (4.0GHz I think). It's still slower than my i7-4770K LGA1150, especially during interminable Windows Updates, but it's better than it used to be. N.B. the 4770K will not fit in your mobo.

Mind you, if the Dell 620 is still on its first power supply, it's probably 10 to 12 years old and could drop dead at any time. Some Dell motherboards use proprietary (non-standard) power supply cables, i.e. a "normal" 24-way connector won't fit. If you feel like sacrificing your 850W PSU (sheer overkill) then it might live longer than the old PSU.

As with any proprietary BIOS, the Dell may "object" to finding a replacement CPU installed and refuse to POST. Don't be surprised if it rejects your new CPU.

Is the OS on a HDD or SSD?

I'm going to assume it already has a SSD as that's the biggest performance upgrade you could make over HDD.

I've pulled old Dells apart and am never surprised to find the boot drive is a spinning hard disk. As you guys say, fitting an SSD is the most important upgrade you can make to speed up an old PC. More so than a CPU upgrade.

If there are no bad blocks on the hard disk, a "quick" cloning session with Macrium Reflect, Acronis, et al, will result in much faster boot times.

 

[USAFRet]

I’m wanting to upgrade it for him as a surprise.

What is your total budget for this?
For $300 or under, you can get a whole new PC, that would totally crush any 'upgrade' you could do to that Dell.
Example: https://www.bee-link.com/products/beelink-eqi12

 

[SkyNetRising]

My step dad is in his 70s, has an older Dell Inspiron 620 desktop pc running an i3-2120 processor.
I’m wanting to upgrade it for him as a surprise.

Also, Id like to upgrade the processor from the i3-2120 to an i7 but am not sure about the compatibility with a proprietary Dell motherboard.

Don't do that behind his back. This can end very badly.
Gift necessary upgrades and then offer help to install them.

Some of possible upgrades:
SATA 2.5" SSD,
2x8GB DDR3 ram
i7-2600 or i5-2400 CPU.

 

[Misgar]

Linux is an OS my 74 year old step dad wouldn’t use or like. He’s stuck in his ways, prefers what’s familiar

Same here. I'm always reluctant to move on to the next OS, skipping one generation each time I upgrade.

I started late, with Windows 2, missing out on Windows (1). I liked NT4, XP, Windows 7, Server 2008 R2 and I still run Windows 10. Skipped Millennium, 2000, Vista and 8/8.1. Wasn't impressesd with Server 2019.

In October 2025, I'll probably switch to a heavily tweaked 11, or 12 if it's appeared by then. I might even pay Microsoft for continued Windows 10 support on one machine. Who knows?

The other thing that annoys me is how difficult Microsoft are making it to create a Local Account at installation time on 11, especially if you don't have a working internet connection. There are times when I only have a 2G connection, or no network at all.

get linux, it's not for nothing, you'll waste your time

I considered Zorin Lite for some overseas friends with 1.2GHz CPU, 1GB RAM laptops, but left them with Windows 7 32-bit (no internet connection). It was too much hassle explaining the differences. No point annoying or confusing them.

Swapping a CPU in a Dell 620 takes 10 minutes if things go well. Cloning a hard disk to an SSD takes 1 to 2 hours maybe. Time well spent for increased performance, without the need for old dogs to learn new tricks.

 

[Misgar]

For $300 or under, you can get a whole new PC, that would totally crush any 'upgrade' you could do to that Dell.

I've tried this argument with people in their eighties and nineties, but invariably the response is they're perfectly happy with their old machine and operating system. If you so much as move an icon on the Desktop, they get unhappy. I try to keep them safe (from computer viruses), but it's an uphill struggle.

Considering the OP's request, second hand i7-3770 CPUs are available on ebay.com starting at $25. If he needs a brand new 120GB or 240GB SATA SSD, they're not expensive either.

 

[geofelt]

What might have changed to make the pc sluggish lately?
Some diagnostic work would be the first thing to do.
Look for unknown/unwanted apps in the installed programs list.
Check for malware.

If the C drive is a hdd, clone it to a ssd and repurpose the hdd as an external backup device.
The difference is really amazing.
If your budget permits, buy a Samsung 870 evo of sufficient size and use the samsung ssd migration utility to Move the C drive to the ssd.
The app is part of samsung magician.

Tool & Software Download | Samsung Semiconductor Global

Download various software related to your product, including Samsung Magician, designed for use with Samsung's memory products, and find related information.

semiconductor.samsung.com

There are cheaper devices and clone utilities if you feel sufficiently competent.
The samsung utility is simple and safe.
The original drive remains untouched if anything goes wrong.

 

[7ele777etrik]

Is the OS on a HDD or SSD?

HDD

 

[USAFRet]

HDD

Changing to an SSD will be a major user detectable change.
2.5" SATA III SSD will be a drop in replacement.

 

[7ele777etrik]

I've tried this argument with people in their eighties and nineties, but invariably the response is they're perfectly happy with their old machine and operating system. If you so much as move an icon on the Desktop, they get unhappy. I try to keep them safe (from computer viruses), but it's an uphill struggle.

Considering the OP's request, second hand i7-3770 CPUs are available on ebay.com starting at $25. If he needs a brand new 120GB or 240GB SATA SSD, they're not expensive either.

Thanks for understanding. I’m just going to get him a used one. Not spending a lot of money on this because he doesn’t use it that much anyways.

 

[7ele777etrik]

I've tried this argument with people in their eighties and nineties, but invariably the response is they're perfectly happy with their old machine and operating system. If you so much as move an icon on the Desktop, they get unhappy. I try to keep them safe (from computer viruses), but it's an uphill struggle.

Considering the OP's request, second hand i7-3770 CPUs are available on ebay.com starting at $25. If he needs a brand new 120GB or 240GB SATA SSD, they're not expensive either.

I’ve spoke with my mother, his wife about getting him a new one but she wanted me to try this first since it’s cheaper even though I’m paying for it and don’t care. She doesn’t want me spending a lot of money tho.

 

[7ele777etrik]

Don't do that behind his back. This can end very badly.
Gift necessary upgrades and then offer help to install them.

Some of possible upgrades:
SATA 2.5" SSD,
2x8GB DDR3 ram
i7-2600 or i5-2400 CPU.

My mother, his wife knows

 

[7ele777etrik]

I had forgot to mention I have a spare 1 Tb 2.5 sad also I could give him.

 

[7ele777etrik]

What is your total budget for this?
For $300 or under, you can get a whole new PC, that would totally crush any 'upgrade' you could do to that Dell.
Example: https://www.bee-link.com/products/beelink-eqi12

I’d buy him a new one but my mom his wife doesn’t want me spending a lot on it. I have most of the need parts already from an old gaming pc.
1 Tb 2.5 ssd new in box
850 Thermaltake PSU
CPU fan
I have 3 Patriot 6gb DDR3 sticks though I don’t think the mother board will support them.
I’d basically just have to purchase a used cpu and ram

 

[USAFRet]

I’d buy him a new one but my mom his wife doesn’t want me spending a lot on it. I have most of the need parts already from an old gaming pc.
1 Tb 2.5 ssd new in box
850 Thermaltake PSU
CPU fan
I have 3 Patriot 6gb DDR3 sticks though I don’t think the mother board will support them.
I’d basically just have to purchase a used cpu and ram

If the above "$300" is too much, how about $170.
https://www.bee-link.com/collections/mini-pc/products/beelink-minis-n5095

 

[7ele777etrik]

Far more likely one stick is 2GB, the other is 4GB. All perfectly normal. A friend has an HP laptop that came with 6GB. When I opened it up, sure enough, two SODIMMs, 2GB + 4GB. I installed another "identical" 4GB SODIMM and brought it up to 8GB.


There's the danger your stepdad will "flip out" if you mod the computer without his knowledge. Some people can take things the wrong way and get angry, even when you think you're trying to help.
Remember, there's a chance you might screw things up, kill the computer and lose all his data.

It might be a better idea to tell him you hope to make the machine go faster, but don't get upset if he refuses point blank. It's not worth alienating your stepdad. Before doing anything, you need to back up all his important files to USB or portable hard disk (several times).

To work out if you can fit an i7-3770 or i3-3770K in place of the i3-2120 LGA1155 processor, check the back of the Dell for the Service Tag.
https://www.dell.com/support/conten...self-support-knowledgebase/locate-service-tag

Type the tag into the Dell web site and it should tell you nearly everything you need to know about the current build, without taking the lid off. Further research on the Dell web site might allow you to determine the fastest CPU they fitted to this series.

This web site says you can fit an i7- 3770 (non-K version). I doubt Dell's BIOS allows overclocking with an i7-3770K, so stick with the i7-3770. A K-version might work, or Dell's BIOS might refuse to accept a CPU with an unlocked multiplier.
https://www.hardware-corner.net/desktop-models/Dell-Inspiron-620/


You won't need an 850W PSU or a new fan for an i7-4770 CPU upgrade. The Dell 620's 300W PSU is more than enough for the step up from i3-2100 (65W) to i7-3770 (77W). 77-65=12W difference.

I was gifted an i3-3770K recently and replaced an i3-2120. The ancient machine has gone from 2-cores 4-threads, to 4-cores 8-threads and the base clock has increased by 100MHz. Being a K-series, I couldn't resist overclocking it slightly (4.0GHz I think). It's still slower than my i7-4770K LGA1150, especially during interminable Windows Updates, but it's better than it used to be. N.B. the 4770K will not fit in your mobo.

Mind you, if the Dell 620 is still on its first power supply, it's probably 10 to 12 years old and could drop dead at any time. Some Dell motherboards use proprietary (non-standard) power supply cables, i.e. a "normal" 24-way connector won't fit. If you feel like sacrificing your 850W PSU (sheer overkill) then it might live longer than the old PSU.

As with any proprietary BIOS, the Dell may "object" to finding a replacement CPU installed and refuse to POST. Don't be surprised if it rejects your new CPU.



I've pulled old Dells apart and am never surprised to find the boot drive is a spinning hard disk. As you guys say, fitting an SSD is the most important upgrade you can make to speed up an old PC. More so than a CPU upgrade.

If there are no bad blocks on the hard disk, a "quick" cloning session with Macrium Reflect, Acronis, et al, will result in much faster boot times.

What about an i5 then and I only mentioned the PSU because I wasn’t sure what size the Dell PSU was and didn’t know if the slightly larger processor would draw more power. Good to know though. I’ll just toss it back in parts bin.
I have a spare 1TB ssd new in box I never used I can throw at this. His still using an hdd. Also I’m not using the 850w PSU so I can let him have that also if I can squeeze it in the case. lol if not parts can be bought dirt cheap for his old pc. Thankyou so much for your advice!

 

[geofelt]

The change from a HDD to a ssd is a Major boost in desktop quickness.
Any other thoughts discussed here pales by comparison.

 

[Misgar]

What about an i5

Yes, you can install an i5 if you already have it, but an i7-3770 would be slightly faster.

didn’t know if the slightly larger processor would draw more power

A faster processor with more cores will draw slightly more power when running flat out, but a 12W difference is marginal, as regards PSU rating.

His still using an hdd.

As everyone keeps saying, an SSD is the most important upgrade you can make, followed by more RAM and a faster CPU. He'll notice a significant speed increase with an SSD in place of a HDD, but he probably won't detect much change with a new CPU.

Try the SSD upgrade first. If you can clone the hard drive, it's far less invasive than swapping the CPU.