GraphicsNerd :
I have a Dell Dimension E520, and would like to replace the Pentium D with a CPU desired to be at least twice as good. The benchmark is (assuming that it's a Pentium D 915) 593 points. The socket type is LGA775. I hope to put in a Intel Core2 Quad Q6600 @ 2.40GHz, but I am sure I saw somewhere that the Core2 doesn't work (hopefully it does 😀). If the Core2 Quad does not work, please suggest a good CPU that will work.
GraphicsNerd,
Yes, the Pentium D's are not good performers- really two Pentium 4's merged.
The fastest clock speed CPU for the Dell Dimension E520 is the Core 2 Quad Extreme Q6800, 4-cores @ 2.93GHz.
The highest rated E520 on Passmark:
Core 2 Extreme Q6800 > GTX 650 > SSD2SC24 > 8GB RAM: Rating = 2044, CPU=4189, 2D=463, 3D=1620, MEM=957, Disk =1836.
The Extreme Q6800 does produce very good results, but are expensive relative to the maximum value of the system.
I was given an E520 and had good results replacing the Pentium D 830 with a Core2 Duo E6700:
Dell Dimension E520 (2006)(
Original): Pentium D 830 dual core @3.0GHz > 2GB DDR2 667 > GeForce 7300LE > 2X Dell 19" LCD > Windows XP Professional 32-bit
[Passmark system rating =
384, CPU = 613 / 2D= 248 / 3D=72 / Mem= 562 / Disk=521]
Dell Dimension E520 (2006)(
Revised): Core2 Duo E6700 dual core @2.66GHz > 4GB DDR2 667 > GeForce GT440 (1GB GDDR5) > 2X Dell 19" LCD > Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
[Passmark system rating =
1219, CPU = 2024 / 2D= 457 / 3D=978 / Mem= 828 / Disk=576]
The Core2 Duo E6700 corresponds to a relative CPU score improvement of 527% over the Pentium D - all for $12 !
If you have multithreaded applications, for example rendering, the Core2 Quad Q6700 2.66GHz is very good, producing a CPU score of 3600- 3700 in an E520. These cost about $40-50 on Ebahhh (5.15).
The highest rated Q6700 system on Passmark:
Q6700 > GTX 650 > Samsung 830 >8GB : Rating = 1964 CPU=3673, 2D=425, 3D=1792, MEM=867, Disk =2482.
Note that the GPU and RAM was the same as the Extreme Q6800 system but the disk performance is higher and the 3D score is somewhat better (1792 vs. 1620).
I also upgraded another free computer, a Dell Precision 390, which is the workstation cousin to the E520:
Precision 390 (2006) (
Original): Core2 Duo 6300 dual-core @ 1.86GHz, 2GB DDR2 667 > Quadro FX550 > 2X WD 320GB . Windows XP Pro 32-bit
[ Passmark system rating =
397, CPU = 587 / 2D= 248 / 3D=75 / Mem=585 / Disk = 552 ]
Dell Precision 390 (2006) (
Revised): Xeon X3230 quad-core @ 2.67GHz > 8 GB DDR2 ECC 667 > Firepro V4900 (1GB) > 2X WD 320GB >Linksys WMP600N WiFi > Dell 24" > 1920 X 1200 > Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
[ Passmark system rating =
1458, CPU = 3699 / 2D= 431 / 3D=1350 / Mem= 885 / Disk=552]
Pending upgrade: PERC 6/i SAS /SATA controller / 146GB and 300GB 15K Seagate Cheetah SAS
> and the Xeon X3230 should be compatible with the E520, but they're a bit more expensive and support ECC RAM. You can really improve the disk subsystem with a fast SSD, or for less cost per GB, look for the Dell PERC 6/i SAS /SATA RAID controller (about $20 with patience)- be sure and get the desktop version with bracket and not the server version, and use these 15K SAS drives are not expensive as they're old technology. I bought a new Seagate Cheetah 300GB for $32 (=$.10/GB).
The Precision 390 performance improvement overall equals 367%. The point here is that a CPU /GPU. RAM maximization change in combination will be experientially important to the system performance, especially if, as you moniker suggests, you're involved with content creation.
I really recommend getting (there's a 3-day free trial) Passmark Performance Test and running the system before and after. It's very satisfying to see how well proportionally the old crocks can improve for very little money.
Cheers,
BamibBoom
HP z420 (2015) > Xeon E5-1660 v2 six-core @ 3.7 /4.0GHz > 16GB DDR3 ECC 1866 RAM > Quadro K2200 (4GB) > Intel 730 480GB > Western Digital Black WD1003FZEX 1TB> M-Audio 192 sound card > Logitech z2300 > Linksys AE3000 USB WiFi > 2X Dell Ultrasharp U2715H (2560 X 1440) > Windows 7 Professional 64 >
[ Passmark Rating = 4918 > CPU= 13941 / 2D= 823 / 3D=3464 / Mem= 2669 / Disk= 4764]
Pending upgrade: HP /LSI 9212-4i PCIe SAS /SATA HBA RAID controller, 2X Seagate Constellation ES.3 1TB (RAID 1)
Dell Precision T5500 (2011) > Xeon X5680 six -core @ 3.33 / 3.6GHz, 24GB DDR3 ECC 1333 > Quadro 4000 (2GB ) > Samsung 840 250GB / WD RE4 Enterprise 1TB > M-Audio 192 sound card > Linksys WMP600N PCI WiFi > Windows 7 Professional 64> HP 2711x (1920 X 1080)
[ Passmark system rating = 3339 / CPU = 9347 / 2D= 684 / 3D= 2030 / Mem= 1871 / Disk= 2234]
Pending upgrade: PERC H310 PCIe SAS /SATA RAID controller, 2X WD Black 1TB (RAID 1)(Converts disk system from 3GB/s to 6GB/s)
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