Old System - Memory Upgrade - AMD Ram only?

[THRobinson]

My sister's system is running a bit slow these days... DELL Optiplex 745 Tower, figured time for a cheap upgrade and get another year or so out of it. Word and Internet only so... checked online (this forum) and found a few people that confirmed a a Q6600 Core2Quad will work. I can get one used for $17CAD, upgrade her E6600 DualCore.

Also, wanted to add 2x2GB ram... eBay has lots cheap, was going to buy some but most listings for the cheap brand say AMD ONLY... ? In that link, reviews, someone even says in a Dell 745 it did not work.

Why is some ram for AMD only? DDR2, 240-pin, 667MHz, non-ECC... should work for both, no?

 

[dudmont]

Have you thought about re-installing the OS?

 

[scout_03]

see this for ram http://www.crucial.com/usa/en/compatible-upgrade-for/Dell/optiplex-745-series-%28desktop-mini-tower-and-small-form-factor%29 and when was last time you did full defrag and bloatware cleaning .

 

[THRobinson]

Not sure why I would reinstall the OS or Defrag the computer for ram I haven't ordered yet....?

Sister has an old Dell 745 with a slow dual core... if I can add 4GB ram and upgrade to a Quad Core for under $30, it seems a worthy upgrade.

Just asking about eBay ram being listed as AMD ONLY, since I've never heard of that. DDR2 is DDR2, so long as not getting something designed for a server, it should work (matching the specs of course).

 

[dudmont]

Cleaning up the OS(re-installing, or defragging and cleaning up the registry) will significantly improve performance and cost nothing but time, especially on an old machine.

 

[THRobinson]

OS gets reinstalled every year, I do that on all the systems... forces them to back their stuff up, and nothing cleaner than a fresh install with all the updates. Defrags are scheduled. CCleaner for registry cleanup and making sure the startup isn't full of junk.

But... not the purpose of the OP... really just trying to sort out the RAM question. Some good deals on RAM... but all from China/HK so asking the seller questions, doesn't usually yield anything useful.

 

[scout_03]

you could receive server one or could be a copy of ram that wont work for this price i would not touch it your better with new ram from maker .

 

[THRobinson]

Ya, sellers had no idea why listed as AMD only, again, eBay China... Going to get some cheap Samsung instead. Just thought it odd that so much DDR2 ram was listed as for AMD CPU's only... Made no sense. all the specs matched what the Dell needed, but waste of money and a long time for shipping to find out they don't work.

Just need a small upgrade for the computer... Give it a bit more muscle. Been a reliable system, for what she uses it for, get another year or two out of it before i build her something like a mini system.

 

[scout_03]

at least it will be brand new and know it will work .

 

[THRobinson]

Yup... won the bid... about $17CAD for a pair of Samsung 2 x 2GB sticks of ram. Also grabbed the Q6600 Core2Quad CPU for about $17CAD as well.

Should be a decent upgrade, get the system running a bit faster a bit longer. Really needs a GPU upgrade, but, not going to find a good half-height for under $40 that's better than what she has.

Debated the GTX1050 for her, but... for $160CAD, I don't like her that much. 😀

Actually I should recheck... we have two DELL 745's in the house, one is a desktop, definitely a low-profile required for it, it runs as a media player for the living room. Her's is a tower... some Dell towers take regular power supplies and regular cards, some don't... can't recall which she has.

 

[scout_03]

what psu she have in system .

 

[THRobinson]

Found a lot of threads about the same system, one very detailed... I think single slot, full height, under 8" will work, but PCI-e1.0.

PSU though, from the tech sheet (not at the PC now) it's only a 305w supply. Nothing about size so not sure if it takes a normal PSU or not. Not really looking to install a new PSU anyways, but if I did, I'd be fine with that... hoping next summer to surprise her with a custom built mini-pc, for which I can transfer over the PSU/GPU.

Though at that point, I'd rather hold off now, and get a better card for her next year when I have fewer limitations due to height/length.

 

[scout_03]

the other point that dell have proprietary psu and board also she will need at least a 400 watts psu to run a new low profile gpu give a look at this one http://www.geforce.com/hardware/desktop-gpus/geforce-gt-730/specifications gigabyte got one .

 

[THRobinson]

Ya most do... not all... one series they have take standard PSU's... nephew has one, stuck a 450w in it for him last summer.

Funny thing is, was just looking at that. Someone in another thread said it fits and works fine, the EVGA model I think.

I'm a GeForce guy, she has an AMD, but if I were to buy something it be GeForce.

I have an extra GTX650Ti at home, but, dual-fan model and I think as a result 1" too long. :S

 

[scout_03]

that one use 400 watts and a 6 pins connector and this from amazon https://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-GDDR5-2GB-REV2-0-Graphics-GV-N730D5-2GI/dp/B0196RGZ6A?th=1

 

[THRobinson]

I think for now, ram/cpu will be fine for her since not a gamer really....

Next summer, I'll get her something better, with better upgrade-ability.

Not to knock DELL... computers we have, have worked great, once formatted and a store bought copy of windows installed... but, not the best when it comes to upgrades.

 

[scout_03]

see if you could build her a good one for cheap that will be best option .

 

[THRobinson]

Ya, I use this site for builds... had a build priced up for an HTPC upgrade that for her, would be perfect with a bit of tweeking. Even if for a while she uses my old GTX650Ti card.

I'm in Canada, so it's Canadian prices, not sure if has a USA option
https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/

 

[scout_03]

that is a good place where you gone buy your parts and check the compatibility option on the pcpartpicker .