Dell Precision 390 CPU upgrade?

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
Status
Not open for further replies.
Randomdeath

Randomdeath

Commendable
Mar 3, 2016
145
0
1,710
I have a Dell Precision 390, the Core 2 Duo E6600 is decent for playing things like CS:GO at low settings, and Overwatch at real low settings and res turned down, but I would like to have more than 23 fps.. Can i upgrade the cpu in here? (part numbers for mobo and cpu listed below) I have tried overclocking tools and looking for more overclocking tools, just to find on another thread that these precisions were build to be what they are and thats it, no overclocking.. I would like to upgrade to a quad, maybe a duo extreme. whats the best cpu i can stuff in there?


CPU: Core 2 Duo E6600 Codename Conroe, 2.4ghz

Motherboard: Dell Inc. 0DN075 Chipset i975X BIOS version 2.3.0

PS: If there IS a way to overclock this, please let me know!!
 
Solution
bambiboom


Randomdeath,

As voltoid27 mentions, the list in your link is not to be trusted. The list does include a number...
Sort by date Sort by votes
You should be able to drop a Core 2 Quad Q6600/Q6700 in there, but you might need a better heatsink than Dell provides for the 65W dual-cores. I don't know enough about the Precision 390 to know if this is the case, you might be able to just use the existing one. These processors are pretty much as good as it gets though.

P.S. There's a program called SetFSB that lets you do software-based overclocking. You probably won't be able to get much out of it due to stability problems and you'll have to research the specific timing crystal your motherboard uses, but it might be interesting to mess around with.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote


yea i was looking at those quads, but would any of the extremes work? i want the core 2 extreme x9770, from my research its about as good as core 2 cpus get
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
An X9770 will definitely not work; the 390 maxes out at an FSB speed of 1066 MHz, and the X9770 has an FSB speed of 1600 MHz. Besides, the 390 doesn't include BIOS support for 45nm chips, so that eliminates a lot of good options. I'm pretty sure there's no BIOS support for 65nm Extreme processors either 🙁
 
Upvote 0 Downvote


Randomdeath,

Using a Dell Precision 390, the best CPU for gaming is likely to be the Core2 Extreme X6800 2-core @ 2.93GHz.

Here is a comparison of the Passmark results for the top performing CPU's for the Precsion 390:

_____________________________Average CPU Mark_____Single Thread Mark

Intel Xeon X3230 @ 2.66GHz ________ 3463 ____ 1036

Intel Core2 Quad Q6700 @ 2.66GHz _ 3334 ____ 1029

Intel Core2 Extreme X6800 @ 2.93GHz __1898 ____ 1108

The top 390 CPU scores on Passmark:

1. Q6700 __ 3684
2. X3230 __ 3683
3. Q6700 __ 3678
4. X3230 __ 3655
5. X3230 __ 3631

The X6800 is not in that list as it's a two core and is not getting through as many calculation cycles /sec as a four core. But what it does offer is a higher performance of the first core. With gaming, the single-thread rating is key as the CPU is calculating -recalculating the positions of millions of polygons that make the 3D entities and textures. Games are largely single-threaded, so a dual core can suffice.

A CPU change can really wake up a Precision 390. I was given a 390 by an architectural office:

Precision 390 (2006) (Precision 390): 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=Precision 75 / Mem=585 / Disk = 552

Even with a 3D mark of 75- among the lowest I've ever seen on Passmark, this system was used for years professionally, running DataCad 3D and produced construction documents and 3D renderings surprisingly well.

I upgraded this is a bit:

Dell Precision 390 (2006) (Revised): Xeon X3230 quad-core @ 2.67GHz > 8 GB DDR2 ECC 667 > Quadro K600 > 2X WD 320GB >Linksys WMP600N WiFi > Dell 24" > 1920 X 1200 > Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
[ Passmark system rating = 1296, CPU = 3631 / 2D= 382 / 3D=862 / Mem= 853 / Disk=569]

I used this mostly with a Firepro V4900:

With Firepro V4900 (1GB)

[ Passmark system rating = 1458, CPU = 3699 / 2D= 431 / 3D=1350 / Mem= 885 / Disk=552]

And for fun, tried this with a Quadro K4200 (4GB):

Passmark system rating = 1552, CPU = 3467 / 2D= 683 / 3D=4067 / Mem= 866 / Disk=570]

>and so, with an X6800, X3230, or Q6700 and a good graphics card such as a GTX 750 Ti, a Precision 390 should run games at a moderate setting moderately.

As much affection I have for the beautifully made and very quiet Precision 390, though before investing too much, consider making a calculation of the value of the system- possibly $50, and adding an upgrade budget for a X6800 CPU about $35, GTX 750Ti $60, and an SSD, about $75 or a total of $220. The 390 upgraded would have a decent performance, but would be unlikely to have a sales value of $220. So, the idea is to look at a system of that cost with a better potential for games and a better resale value, for example:

Dell Optiplex 990 MT Intel Core i5 2500 3.30ghz 4gb RAM > sold for $78 (8.6.16)

And that has the i5-2500 4-core @ 3.3 / 3.7Ghz, which has Passmark CPU mark of 6233 an single-threaded mark of 1871. Also, that can use DDR3-1333 which is much faster than DDR2-667.

To the above system, add +4GB RAM- $5! , GTX 750 Ti- $60. and Samsung Evo 750 120GB- $52 which is $192. Eventually, add something like a Western Digital Blue 1Tb for 450.

Of course, each example system will vary, but the investment in effort and cost will produce much better results for your use.

The highest- rated Precision 390, has a score of 1767 using a /Core2 Quad Q6600 (2.4GHz) Radeon HD5670 and Corsair Force GS SSD. The CPU= 3292, 3D= 1462, Mem= 843, and disk= 2412. the highest 3D score for a 390 is 4066 using a Quadro K4200- the one I tried. With an X6800 and GTX 750 Ti, and Samsung 840 Evo, the CPU= 2099, 3D= 3488, Mem= 894, and disk= 1881. the 3D score form the GTX 750 Ti is quite encouraging.

However, for comparison: Optiplex 990 / i5-2500 / GTX 750 Ti / Kingston SV300S37 / 4GB RAM:

Passmark system rating = 3543 CPU = 6437 / 2D= 775 / 3D=3767 / Mem= 866 / Disk=3559

As I say, I have great affection for he Precision 390 which is of excellent build quality and ultra-relaible It also fun to see how much performance can be improved, but overall, moving a couple of generations of technology can work better in every way for not a great deal higher cost than upgrading the 390 plus it's sales value.

So, there are a couple of options.

Cheers,

BambiBoom





 
Upvote 0 Downvote


is this not correct? http://www.game-debate.com/motherboard/index.php?mot_id=2822&cpuList=Dell%200DN075 if this isnt, is there a quad core than will work? I used to have a phenom 2 x4 955. Bought it new, and it recently died. thats why i have this. Im looking for similar, maybe even equal performance...
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
 
Upvote 0 Downvote


That list is full of it, the quad-core Core 2 Extremes will definitely not work, with the exception of the QX6700 and QX6800. Turns out I was wrong about no Extreme support, as these two will work according to this. So the only quad cores that will work are the Q6400, Q6600, Q6700, QX6700, and QX6800.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote


Randomdeath,

As voltoid27 mentions, the list in your link is not to be trusted. The list does include a number of LGA775 CPU's, that will work, but for another example of a non-started-literally-, the Xeon X3300's are 45nm lithography whereas a Precision 390 can only use 65nm / 1066 FSB X3200's.

The one to use is the Core2 Quad Extreme Q6800- also called the QX6800, which is 65nm and 1066FSB. There is only one Precision 390 test results for it on Passmark. It appears to me that the 390 had three motherboard versions: 0DN075, 0MY510, and 0GH911 and the QX6800 result is on a system with a 0DN075 the most common one, though it's possible it would work on the others. Update the BIOS before trying anything,

The QX6800 is still a $80-$100 item. Before spending that for a non-hyperthreading 4-core @ 2.93GHz running DDR2 533, for $100 at the moment it possible to buy for example, a Xeon E5-2680 8-core @ 2.7 / 3.5GHz- supporting 768GB of DDR3-1600, a $1,750 CPU three years ago. As it'd for gaming where the clock speed in single-threaded applications is important, as is the memory and disk, consider the idea of having going a couple of steps more modern in technology,

A very good value is the Precision T3500. I bought one complete and running for $53 and added a Xeon X5677- 4-core @ 3.47 / 3.73GHz, 12GB of RAM, and a PERC 6/i controller that runs 146GB and 300GB, 15K SAS drives- a vintage hot rod. It can use up to 24GB of DDR3-1333. The T3500 can also use the X5687 4-core at 3.6 / 3.86 GHz -modern high performance clock speeds, and the T3500 can use W3600 and X5600 Six-cores.

Cheers,

BambiBoom



 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Solution


You say the qx6800 runs ddr2, but the 0DN075 (which is in my system) supports ddr... i have four gigs atm, looking hard for an 8 gig set... will the cpu still run ddr?? also i have a friend with a bunch of core 2s laying around that he will sell to me for cheap
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
The CPU doesn't actually contain a memory controller, so the memory support is dependent on the chipset and BIOS. This says up to DDR2-667 is supported, so if DDR2-800 is more expensive don't bother. (btw you do have DDR2, not DDR1)

P.S. this is why Dells piss me off. Chipset supports DDR2-800, Dell doesn't.

P.P.S. Unless your friend has an E6700, it's not worth it. None of the other Core 2 Duos are drop-in upgrades.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote


The ram says "DDR" On it, and ive tried some of my ddr2 ram and it doesnt physically fit... Also, what do you mean by drop in? i have the newest (or least-old) bios installed, i can definitely upgrade the heat sink, my power supply can give enough power and all that. the only thing is this board has a single four pin cpu power connector. is that enough?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Don't know what to tell you there, I know for a fact the Precision 390 takes DDR2 DIMMs. By drop-in I mean any other Core 2 Duo will either a) not work due to lack of chipset support, b) be slower than your current CPU, or c) literally be another E6600.

Regarding your power supply, you won't run into any problems even with an Extreme CPU in there. All you have to worry about is the heatsink.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote


Im probably not as smart as you, but i'm pretty sure whatever i drop it will not be the same cpu and it wont be slower. Im fairly sure my chipset should work... and i dont even know whats up with the ram. im sure you arent wrong but im sure im not either. it even says so in task manager (https://gyazo.com/65071751e9da0b5f785a24b20626a172) then cpu-z said i have this board. maybe there are certain versions of the board that support ddr2 and some that use ddr? wasnt there a few different precision 390s with different boards?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote


Randomdeath,

There is no version of the Core2 Duo E6600 that would use DDR, but the E6600 FSB of 1066 mean that the RAM would be DDR2 533. If you change to the Q6600 or QX6800, the FSB is 1333 so the RAM will be DDR2 667.

https://www.dell.com/downloads/global/products/precn/en/spec_precn_390_en.pdf

With DDR2, the ECC and non ECC have the gap in the pins at a different point to prevent mixing the types. I suspect you have ended up with some ECC and some Non-ECC.

Cheers,

BambiBoom
 
Upvote 0 Downvote


That makes sense. Especially considering that the precision is a workstation... Thanks. Yea I see now that the ddr2 i was trying is consumer Crucial ram, and whats in here is some OEM junk. Thanks all :)
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I found that the E6700 Core 2 Duo works well on the 0DN075 motherboard. I would like to know if there is a
motherboard which takes DDR3 RAM and can be used to replace this motherboard.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Status
Not open for further replies.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom