Dell Optiplex GX280 Upgrade Question

[j5689]

lol, yeah I forgot you tried the 651 already.

As soon as I installed the processor it enabled PAE and that still doesn't make a difference to how much RAM the OS sees.

 

[co1ect]

What the hech guys. I put a pentium d 3.0 ghz in my optiplex gx 280 and it works. you all are saying that it doesnt.i want to know y i was able to run this processor in this computer.

 

[j5689]

What the hech guys. I put a pentium d 3.0 ghz in my optiplex gx 280 and it works. you all are saying that it doesnt.i want to know y i was able to run this processor in this computer.

I think we ALL would like to know how you were able to run that processor in your computer.

The i915 chipset doesn't support dual core processors as far as I know. You must be using some other kind of OptiPlex. I think the GX520 might be able to run that, I know it can run Cedar Mills.

 

[jym]

Ok I'm eying a hella cheap GX280 SFF right now.
It's thru overstock.com so i guess it's legit. They have the price listed as $130 ha

If all goes as planned i should be able to build a fairly capable machine for pretty cheap

The specs now are the basic...
* Processor: P4 2.8GHz
* System memory: 512MB
* Hard drive: 40GB
* Optical drive: CD-ROM
* Graphics: ATI Radeon X300 SE
* Operating system: Microsoft Windows XP Professional

I found some decent Ram for $27 per gb and I'm looking at video cards now.
Were any of you guys able to upgrade your vid card without going to any drastic measures?

According to this sketchy site these are the vid cards that are supposed to work with the GX280 but they dont give any distinction between the SFF and the other models so Im not sure which if any of these i should go with.

the ATI list
http://www.discountelectronics.com/index.php?l=product_list&c=8262

and the Nvidia list
http://www.discountelectronics.com/index.php?l=product_list&c=8263


and oh thanks in advance for your guys time if you helped a newbie out.

 

[jym]

Ok i think I'm just going to go with the 1 additional GB of ram and the upgrade to the Intel 650 someone up top mentioned.
I may add a vid card later but I'll see how this performs first. I dont need anything too fancy just quick enough to support a real time data feed and the charting on a trading platform.

Will the 650 run substantially hotter than the P4 2.8 GH on it now?
Do you guys recommend keeping the old fan, upgrading the fan to this one that may or may not fit in the SFF http://www.starmicro.net/detail.aspx?ID=541 , or would maybe going with an additional fan attached to the top be a better option?

thanks

 

[uniqad]

Hi!
I have a Dell Optiplex GX280 SFF with OEM`s power supply 160 watt and I wish to upgrade it with this video card:
http://www.sapphiretech.com/presentation/product/?psn=000101&pid=209
Can I upgrade it with this PCI Wireless Adapter too:
http://www.enicomp.com/pdf/WirelessLAN/Buffalo/WLI2-PCI-G54S_DS.pdf
Or, for better cooling of HD 4550 instead of this PCI Wireless Adapter, may I put this:
http://www.evercool.com.tw/products/sb_f1.htm
Is this a good idea for 160 watt`s supply?
Thanks!

 

[uniqad]

Umm no. :lol: You'll need atleast a 550W for the 4890

I mean SAPPHIRE HD 4550 512MB DDR3 PCI-E 1G HM HDMI!!!
The ATI Radeon™ HD 4550 graphics card consumes less than 25 watts under full load, making it the ideal choice for implementation across a large diverse install base of desktop PCs.

 

[circusclown]

Finished my gx280 P4 3.0HT, figured I would share the results. Using it as an HTPC and casual game box. I picked one up for next to nothing, and got all upgrades for about $90 shipped. I used an old Rosewill usb WIFI card that I had laying around. First thing I did was remove the floppy drive. Increases airflow around the HD keeping it a bit cooler. Plus, no draw from the PSU. Next was the 80mm hole. I used a 3.25' hole saw and a cordless drill. With the case open, I placed it in a garbage bag and taped it up above the disc drives to keep the flecks out. Took a few minutes to cut through the plastic and the aluminum, just have to go slow. Since I didn't buy a molex to floppy adapter, or a floppy power fan, I just pulled the fan's pins power out of the adapter and fed them into the odd shaped power opening from the CD-ROM. Had to bend the back of the case just a touch to get access to the HDMI port.



usefull link for video card power consumption http://mark.zoomcities.com/images/gfx/GFXpowerchartby3d.png

Gigabyte HD4350 512mb. For @$20 you cannot beat this. 15watts on full load. Sure the 4550 is a touch faster(3-5fps in most games), but this is a bit cheaper and uses less power. Hooked up to a 42' LCD looks amazing.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125251

Stock ram was 512mb 400mhz. I purchased 2x1gb 800mhz, but the fastest it will run according to bios is 533. I liked the heat spreaders, the great reviews, and the free delivery. Probably would get a touch less latency from 2x1gb 533, not much.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211066

$20 bucks for keyboard and mouse. I get about 10 ft range.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823109068

Very happy with the results. 1080p content looks great. Gaming is decent, great with older games. Speed fan HD temps idle at 40c, peak at 44c. ATI HUD temps 40c idle, peak 45c gaming. ATI HUD program can also switches into a 2D mode when not gaming, underclocking the card, nice feature.

 

[BoomerMcBrain]

Hi!
I've just mogged up my Dell GX280 as circusclown has done with fan and the cheep Gigabyte HD4350 PCIe 512mb card (GV R435OC-512I), but the card is not detected by Win XP SP3 !
I have no idea what the problem is.
The fan of HD4350 is running.
No beeps from mainboard at startup.
No new garfic card in systemmanager XP.

I've changed the BIOS config of the video device to 'auto' to let the system choose the new second card.

Does anybody have any idea, what I can do to get it working?

IRQ conflict (nothig detected)?
Win Vista instead of XP?
Not enough power from the PSU?

System contains:
Intel Pentium 4 520 2,8 GHz (Prescott)
Mainboard FOXCONN LS-36
Chipset i915P/i915G
Southbridge 82801FB (ICH6)
BIOS-Version A08
Memory Slot #1 DDR2 512 MB PC2-3200 (200 MHz)
Memory Slot #2 DDR2 256 MB PC2-3200 (200 MHz)
PSU 160 Watt

 

[bored7one4]

So is it better to get 4gb (2gbx2) or to stick with 2gb (1gbx2) of PC3200?

 

[Wyktor]

I put a layer of perspex on the whole thing, did a dodgy job of cutting the back half with a angle grinder.

been meaning to clean it up with a jigsaw but as its functional, haven't gotten around to it.

The power cable for the fan should really go though the perspex but it goes around through the side.

I have the fan blowing into the case so it forces more air though the power supply and out the computer, it also blows it over the graphics card, which is overclocked 200mhz (to 650 MHZ) and the memory is overclocked 100mhz (to 500Mhz)

http://www.poultry-r-us.com/~wisc/fans.JPG

What kind of psu do you have? How many wats?

 

[Guest]

Hi! I have a question about graphic card for my computer - Dell GX 280. I have just a big problem of choice suitable card which will be compatible etc. I am going to work with 2 screens so i need a graphic card - support for multiscreens. (for example 2 output - DVI/VGA)

like this:


But i have a SFF computer with factory PSU so i don`t know what card will be good...not only for gaming, more for watching movies and work with graphic applications.
I think about it
http://allegro.pl/item767714491_asus_8400gs_silent_512mb_ddr2_nowa_8400_gs_fvat.html

it is enough but i don`t know is it compatible with gx 280? What do you think about this card? What graphic card do you recommend me in my situation?
Thanks!

 

[Guest]

..and here is another good (i think) GPU
http://allegro.pl/item777076043_asus_radeon_hd4550_512mb_ddr3_600_1600_low_profile.html

But i`m not sure, is 160 W factory PSU enough for it?
What of there GPUs will be the best solution for me? Compatible and fine working in SFF Gx280..

 

[saadi2341]

i also have the optilex GX280 3.2ghz HT,2gb ram DDR2,9500gt 1gb graphic card,
how do i get the information about my PSU?

 

[Mousemonkey]

This topic has been closed by Mousemonkey