Dell Optiplex 7010 - General Upgrade

Quandric

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Aug 11, 2013
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Hi all,

I am purchasing a Dell Optiplex 7010 from a University Surplus store, both due to its low cost (150.00), good starting processor and upgradability from everything I have seen.

However, I have been having some trouble nailing down the maximum that the motherboard can handle in terms of GPU, PSU, etc. I am hoping to turn the machine into a gaming rig of some passable quality for my nephew - very into world of warships. Failing that at least his first decent personal computer and gaming machine, so maxing it out would be great.

Current specs are as follows:

i7 - 3.4 gHz
Ram - 4GB
HD - 500GB
Graphics - Integrated chip
Optical Drive - DVD

Would appreciate any guides or pointers. Consider me an idiot on this sort of thing, happy to have things laid out as such. Again, would love to max this thing out, but if a middle of the road build seems better to you all happy for the advice.

Thanks for your time.

 
Solution


You can download the manual here. (minitower) It should help with many questions you may have.
The 275W PSU should be able to handle up to a GTX 1050 Ti safely. But it is a standard ATX PSU that can be swapped out for a bigger one if desired.

As to the CPU upgrade, you are about at the top of the food chain now. I can't think of one that would be an improvement over the i7 (3770?) you have now. It's a strong quad core with Hyper-threading.


You can download the manual here. (minitower) It should help with many questions you may have.
The 275W PSU should be able to handle up to a GTX 1050 Ti safely. But it is a standard ATX PSU that can be swapped out for a bigger one if desired.

As to the CPU upgrade, you are about at the top of the food chain now. I can't think of one that would be an improvement over the i7 (3770?) you have now. It's a strong quad core with Hyper-threading.
 
Solution
One last thing... 4GB of system memory is pretty anemic by today's standards. 8GB should be the bare minimum unless the system is running a 32 bit version of Win. Even then, I'd opt for 8GB.
If you get a GTX 1050 Ti, get the 4GB version. Modern games like lots of VRAM for today's high end textures and other details.
 


So I am probably going to upgrade to 16gb or 32gb (thinking about the corsair brand since I have heard enough about it to feel comfortable - though fit will ultimately be a factor).

I am also thinking i will need to upgrade the PSU in general as I would like to install some more case fans; previous experience with computers dying due to overheat and waredown.

Another question though, you recommended a 1050ti, but would the 1060 or above be better or worse for any reason (size, power drain, etc)? I dont really have a budget in mind, just trying to get the most out of this thing.
 
Lots to digest there...
First, the manual says the 7010 is limited to 16 GB system memory. So no sense buying 32 GB.

Next, fans are very low wattage. You can add as many as the case allows w/o fear of them overloading the stock PSU. But Dell cases are not know for many extra fan mounting locations. You'd have to DIY.

If you want to go with a stronger GPU, the GTX 1060 6GB would be great. It requires a 450W PSU min. But total wattage means very little, the +12V rail being key. The good news is that the 7010 minitower takes a standard ATX PSU. So you can use any modern PSU you like and can afford. Here are some safe choices in the 500W - 550W range arranged by price that will give you plenty of headroom for a GTX 1060 3GB or 6GB card. There are other good choices, but these came to mind pretty easily.