Overhauling an Optiplex 745

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
M

MrCristi

Honorable
Feb 4, 2014
12
0
10,510
OK. As the title says, I have one Optiplex 745, and I'd like to upgrade a few( well, more than a few) components in it.
Current configuration:
-Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 1.86 GHz
-nVidia GT 520
-3 GB of RAM
-250 GB SATA II HDD
-Dell 305 W PSU
-Stock cooling
Upgrade ideas:
-Intel Core 2 Quad Q6700
-nVidia GTX 650(maybe Ti)
-64 GB SSD
-500 GB HDD

And here comes my problem. I know that the PSU can't handle that hardware, but I can' find any compatible PSU with my Dell. I was thinking to buy a Dell XPS 700 PSU(1KW I think) because that case is also BTX AND a Dell at the same time, so I don't, see any reason why it shouldn't work.
Now you may be wondering why I would spend that much on such an old PC.Because I can find those parts very cheap and the performance boost would worth it. Just so you know, nothing is bought, so there's no reason to hurry. Oh, and by the way, is there any way to change the stock fan to an aftermarket one(such as a Noctua)?
Thanks in advance.
Oops. I forgot to say that it is a Mini-Tower. Sorry.
 
Solution
Kisianik


Unfortunately it is extremely difficult to adapt general ATX CPU cooler to Optiplex BTX (your motherboard form factor), so I will show what another user did for Optiplex GX620:

Fan3_zps5af101a4.jpg


look here for more explanation http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-1866178/dell-optiplex-gx620-sff-heatsink.html

Other difficult option is to adapt general cooler, but it is not documented well and would be very very difficult, it could be done, or let say this way I would do it for me, considering my level of...
Sort by date Sort by votes
Mr Cristi,

I usually am an advocate for extending the useful life of older systems. However, at the moment, I can't see an obvious way to replace the PSU with a suitable output. On the other hand, if you buy a GTX 650- but not ti or Boost, it uses only 65W while the GT 520 uses 29W. The E6300 (C2Duo) uses 65W and a Q6700 (C2Quad) uses 105W , so the increase in power use is about +46W.

This may not be too accurate but the power use might be something on the order of>

CPU 105W
MB 10W
RAM 10W
GPU 65W
HD's 20W
MISC 10W
_________
Total = 220W

It's possible the 305W PSU might squeak by as the 745 was sold new with the Q6600 (2.4GHz).

I usually am an advocate for extending the useful life of older systems, but you might have an easier time of it and spend less by selling your current system for $80 or so and applying it to something newer, with 4 or 8 GB of DDR3 RAM and already a reasonable GPU and HD, etc. If you and add the cost of the CPU- $50-60, the GPU $50-70 used, the SSD and mech'l drives- at least $80-100 you're spending quite a bit -about $200 on a system with a processor that is ranked on Passmark as No, 439 and uses expensive, slow, and hot running DDR2 RAM. take the $80 from the sale and add the $200 you would spend on it and a bit more and for $300 you can find something quite good ready to use. How about >

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-Optiplex-980-3-20GHz-Intel-Core-i5-4GB-RAM-160GB-HDD-/161199829546?pt=Desktop_PCs&hash=item258842322a&nma=true&si=BVksTKfncaOhEVdBtmXFlZtX2fY%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

> an Optiplex 980 with a 3.2GHz quad core i5, 4GB RAM, 160GB HD, win 7 for $242. Add the GTX 650 for $60 and that would be about equal to the amount invested in the 745 and with less time shopping and installing.

Cheers,

BambiBoom
 
Upvote 0 Downvote

I see what you are trying to tell me. And this would be the way to go, if I would be American. But unfortunately, I'm not, and that Optiplex 980 costs 1000$ in my country, which is a little too much for that PC. I'd rather spend half that money on the upgrades. And I would probably feel satisfied with that Core 2 Quad, because I won't do hardcore video editing, or crank Battlefield 4 to the max. That's just my opinion. It may be wrong, but this are my thoughts on this build.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote

OK. Are you entirely sure that this Dell has a standard ATX PSU? I doubt it, but if you/I can find anything where it's written the size of the PSU, and if it really proves to be true what you said, then it would be soooo easy to upgrade this PC.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
First of all little reminder. I am hosting images on imageshack, which is about to close free service, so the following pictures may not last for long time, so download/save them if needed.

think I have to step in since not so many users know the limitations of Optiplex Mini Tower cases - this is not your typical small ATX case, it is BTX case, and not all video cards can fit, so I will provide you all with small guide into Optiplex MT GPU upgrading.

THIS POST APPLICABLE TO MT (MINI TOWER) FORM FACTOR ONLY.

Unfortunately no card that is more than 7.5 inches long or 2 slots wide will PHYSICALLY FIT inside the case - it was found that only single bracket video card can fit due to BTX MOBO, where card internals facing upward towards PC internals, not ATX, where dual card design is blocking another PCI slot by facing downward.
If you prefer the card with beefier fan, then the length of the card must not exceed 7.5 inches, otherwise only "skinny" single bracket, single slot cards can physically fit.

Pictures below will prove my point.

View shows no room for dual bracket

01optilexgx620backviewe.jpg


Single bracket only, or you have to cut dual bracket in half

02optiplex745singlebrac.jpg


This is the other way to show my point

h6go.jpg


Here you can clearly see only single place for the bracket

03optiplexgx620insidean.jpg


Visual explanation

04optiplex755mt4.jpg


7.5 inches explained, also shown "obstacles"

05optiplex745singlebrac.jpg


This is the picture of actual "skinny" single slot video card (not sure which model)- perfect, "glove" fit.

06optiplex755mt3edit.jpg


There is additional problem, which I can not check - there are tall transistors on motherboard (this is Optiplex 745 Mini Tower motherboard)

l0a8.jpg


4ro2.jpg


take a close look at PCIE slot (the one to the right, with blue holder lever), next to the lever you can see 2 black tall transistors, this could be a problem for low sitting card, it was never reported to my knowledge on Optiplex 745 (similar problem was reported on Optiplex GX620, which has more transistors like this, so it could be not applicable here).


I will list below strongest and largest cards, which can fit, in addition to those, most low profile cards will fit as well, the best in this class is

SAPPHIRE 100357LP Radeon HD 7750 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready Low Profile Video Card http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202002

So, I found 2 GDDR5 7750 cards and one DDR3 4GB (GDDR5 is better than GDDR3, even if GDD3 offers 2 GB RAM or more), which confirmed in reviews to fit Optiplex gx620, 745 and 755 cases (the difference between those models are different processors).

Skinny, flimsier in terms of construction, completely single slot XFX 7750 http://www.amazon.com/XFX-DisplayPort-PCI-Express-FX775AZNP4-FX-775A-ZNP4/dp/B007Z3T5JC

A bit beefier cooler, not as skinny, more durable in construction PowerColor AX7750 http://www.amazon.com/PowerColor-AX7750-1GBD5-DH-Video-Graphics/dp/B00775OC28/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1362783129&sr=8-1&keywords=AX7750+1GBD5-DH

If you need Video card for working with high resolutions, BUT NOT FOR GAMING, PowerColor AX7750 4GBK3-H Radeon HD 7750 4GB is DDR3 card with huge 4GB memory, but is is not as fast as DDR5 and loosing in games http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131486&Tpk=7750&IsVirtualParent=1
Here is review of this card http://news.softpedia.com/news/PowerColor-Launches-Single-Slot-Radeon-HD-7750-4-GB-Video-Card-292712.shtml so this one is not for gamers!

I cannot say which one of those 2 DDR5 is better, both are good and got less bad reviews related to structural build.

Next will follow maximum possible upgrade, 7750 is weaker...

So far I found only 2 7770 video cards which will fit inside - PowerColor AX7770 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131477

HIS H777FN1G Radeon HD 7770 very tight fit, almost touching heatsink http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161433

There are 3 GTX650 cards in North America, which most likely will fit (tall transistor is the only problem).

PNY VCGGTX650XPB GeForce GTX 650 2GB 128-bit GDDR5 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133474

PNY VCGGTX6501XPB GeForce GTX 650 1GB 128-bit GDDR5
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133471

ZOTAC ZT-61008-10M GeForce GTX 650 1GB 128-bit GDDR5
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500290

PNY cards will require power supply upgrade. Zotac do not need power supply upgrade.

Following card is already out of production, so if you can find it on Craig list or eBay, it is only way, also I seen it on Amazon for a high price http://www.amazon.com/Sparkle-SX650TI1024KD-SPARKLESX650TI1024KD--Grafikkarten/dp/B009ZC3MHM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1371676541&sr=8-1&keywords=SX650TI1024KD
From NVIDIA I see SPARKLE 700025 (SX650TI1024KD) GeForce GTX 650 Ti http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814187200 this link provided for reference only

7750 cards do not require power supply upgrade, 650, 650 TI and 7770 are.

There are so many options available here so fist check this list for choosing PSU to prevent doorstep creation or even worse - fire in your house!

When choosing PSU follow this guide http://www.eggxpert.com/forums/thread/323050.aspx

I would just recommend one of the good one (and cheap as well) CORSAIR CX500M (modular), which has just enough power http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139050 Also, with modular you can get rid of extra cables, believe me there are a lot of them.

New cards are coming out all the time, old ones discontinued, if you find the card, which you think will fit, post a link and I will check. And if some cards are discontinued let me know.

I did not check new generation video cards yet for this guide, but generally you have an idea.

Now your country of residence. Sounds like you live in Europe or Asia - those countries have additional video card manufacturers like Club3D, which is about the same as PowerColor. I have some resources for a few Middle East countries and for Philippines, so if you can specify you country, it would ease the search.

Little for now about CPU upgrade.

The most important is your current CPU cooler heatsink, it can be Aluminum or Copper, see below

dsc01651largede3.jpg


Aluminum is on the left and Copper is on the right. Q6600 or Q6700 must have copper. Q6600 is a bit cheaper. Both can be overclocked in any Dell PCs using tape mode, Q6600 can go from 2.4GHz to 3GHz, will discuss this later if you will be able to allocate copper heatsink.

Now your turn.

Basically you have to choose between HD7750 (no power supply upgrade necessary), HD7770 and GTX650 (GTX650TI, which fits in BTX case is difficult to to find), and Q6600 vs Q6700, here you need Copper heatsink.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote


1.CPU: Fortunately I do have the copper heatsink, so we are safe on this side. The only concern I have is that the PC will sound like an airplane, and I don't want that. Ad I asked before, is it possible to change the fan to an aftermarket one. I wouldn't mind some wire tinkering, as long as it is going to work.

2.GPU: I'm from Romania, and it seems that I can't find single slot GTX 650 or HD 7770. So my only option is one HD 7750 from ASUS. And I don't think that those transistors are a problem, because my GT 520 sits there just nice. I imagine those being a problem only if you install something like a GTX 690 in it, which is not the case.

3.PSU: The recommended wattage at peak load is 430 W. So that Corsair is more than enough. I'll do some measurements to see if it will fit, and I'll share my results when I finish.

 
Upvote 0 Downvote
So, I am not taking no for the answer, unless I said so.

You stated that you can not find HD7770 single slot in Romania, well I just did.

From my little guide above

So far I found only 2 7770 video cards which will fit inside - PowerColor AX7770 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131477
Click to expand...

This is PowerColor AX7770

41IDLgHEuSL._SX355_.jpg


Now we coming to Europe, Club 3D Radeon™ HD 7770

cgax-7772c_protection.png


Looks like twins, those 2 cards are basically identical in physical dimensions, just different manufacturers.

Link to Club-3d http://www.club-3d.com/index.php/products/reader.en/product/radeon-hd-7770-ghz-edition.1259.html

Now time for budget check.

Placa video Club3D Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition 479 RON

I stated in my guide that maximum length of the card should be 7.5 inches, so this card dimension is 175 x 107 x 38 mm
where 175 millimeters = 6.88976378 inches, so you should be OK!

Anything else I can help you with?

P.S. If you finding any answers particularly helpful to you, please mark it as Pick A solution, to solve the thread - it will benefit others, searching for the same question.

 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Now, if you want Extreme Performance, meaning that you will overclock Q6600/6700, you might want more extreme GPU.

In this case you might consider GTX650TI, will beat 7770.

Battlefield 3 you can read more here http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/geforce_gtx_650_ti_review_reference,16.html

index.php


Those ones are difficult to find, I mean those that can fit in your case.

So, I based my search on the Sparkle from my guide, found something.

GTX650TI

Sparkle SX650TI1024KC 509 RON - 540,81 RON

GTX650Ti 1024MB GDDR5 128B SPARKLE 574.99 Lei

GTX650 2GB - non TI, but 2 GB.

Palit NE5X650P1341F 600,90 RON

If money are tight, I think I found Romanian eBay kind
SPARKLE VGA GF PCI-E3.0 GTX650Ti 1024MB 540,81 RON


Lets finish video cards here and now.

Next I will find how to overclock Q6600. Please, do not install Q6600/6700 until I post the instructions - overclock is done by using conductive tape or ink, those 2 are placed on CPU socket, so once processor is mounted on socket nothing can be done.

P.S. Please do not quote the whole post - it takes too much space for nothing. Thank you.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
OK. We're almost at the finish line,but there are a few other things that concern me. First, it's the PSU. I'm not going to put all this hardware on the stock 305 W PSU. I asked if a standard ATX PSU will fit nicely into the case, but I kind of doubt it. I haven't found the Dell PSU size anywhere, and I still haven't measured that my self. And the other one is if the aftermarket fan will be compatible with it. I wouldn't mind a little "wire management" on the fan. Because I know that the Dell will not recognise the fan, yet it will still work, but it is annoying to press F1 everytime it boots. Oh, and by the way, you did find the "Romanian eBay", but it is waaaay less safer than the original eBay. I mean that you could get a potato instead of a GPU(true story). So I'm not going to buy from there. But that short GTX 650 Ti is a very good find. I couldn't find that myself. I'm not interested in OC on this build and, as I said, nothing is bought, so no reason to hurry. If nothing more interesting shows up here, I'll go with Q6700 and GTX 650 Ti.
Thank you for taking your time to help me.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Since you have 745, not me, so take a measuring tape and measure height and width of your PSU, do not take it out, do approximate measurement, post it here. You will see that ATX will fit.

Now regarding overclocking. Procedure itself is not that difficult, however finding conductive tape or conductive ink (ink is the best) could be challenging.

A few pictures, so you will believe.

CPU.jpg


And overclocked one

test.jpg


Now how to get there. If you want more info look for: BSEL mod, Q6600 tape mod, you will see a lot hits.

To connect the pins on the CPU you will need:

Conductive ink pen or copper tape
Electrical tape
Patience
Click to expand...

Good reading material http://www.overclock.net/t/341123/intel-bsel-vid-mod-guide
However pictures missing there, so here are some

266 to 333Mhz.
fsb266-333.jpg


200 to 266Mhz.
fsb200-266.jpg


200 to 333Mhz.
fsb200-333.jpg


And the other set

Image006.jpg


Image007.jpg


Image008.jpg


The difficult part is to find this or similar http://www.newark.com/caig-laboratories/cw100p/conductive-ink-pen-4g/dp/08H0318 in Romania.

I don't think I missed anything, but if I did - ask.

Anything else I can help you with?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Code:
OK. So I did some measurements and it looks like the Dell will take an ATX PSU, BUT there will be some gaps, because the Dell PSU is 99 cm tall, while a normal PSU is 86 cm tall. The widith is almost the same(14.5 for the Dell vs 14 normally). Well... now I don't know what to say. I really want to upgrade the PC, but it seems that the PSU is limiting me. If that still matters, I have Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit. Or there is something wrong with my measurement, but I'm pretty sure it's not.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
MrCristi,

I am not understanding the problem with the new power supply. After measurements, it appears that the ATX PSU is smaller than the Dell, so logically, the new PSU will fit into the case. Perhaps the mounting screws will be in a different place?

It may have mentioned, but with my Optiplex 740 I had a very good benefit when loading the latest BIOS. This was very easy > downloaded as an *.exe from Dell.

These old Optiplex are quite good. My 740 in the very narrow case with an AMD Athlon X2 64 6000+ (3.0GHz), 6GB RAM, a Quadro FX580 (512MB), and Windows 7 Professional 64. This system runs AutoCad 2011, Adobe CS4, Solidworks 2010 and other complex software surprisingly well and is very reliable. The construction quality is also quite good. I have another system , an HP Elite m9624f with a Q6600 and the Optiplex seems as fast or even faster. As most software only uses one core- even Autodesk Inventor, a faster dual core may be more useful than slower quad core.

Cheers,

BambiBoom
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
1. There's no big problem with the new PSU(which I haven't bought yet), I just hoped that they will be the same size(exactly), so I can screw all 4 screws in. But i don't mind living with only 2 screws in place.
2. The fastest Dual Core for this PC has the exact same frequency as the fastest Quad Core(E6700 and Q6700). So there's no reason to go with the dual core, if I can have 2 more cores with the same speed.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Do not panic yet.
Do another set of measurements, this time between the screws.
First horizontally between upper 2 and between lower 2, second diagonally between upper right to lower right and from upper right to lower left.
Post it here and I will compare to my Corsair 600 GS - gaps is OK, as long as screws are in the same location.

No one said it would be easy like 'walk in the park', bit it is not impossible. The reward is enormous!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
OK. So I'm back and I'm sorry for the delay. Anyway, here are my measurements. 13.6 horizontally and 7.5 vertically. But here are some unfortunate news.
As you have probably seen, the top left screw is proprietary positioned, and by default, and ATX PSU will have maximum 3 screws in place. Hopefully, those 3 screws will fit.
Edit: Looks like I can't upload photos. Anyway, here's the link.
http://imgur.com/fGHvEBv
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
MrCristi,

I am pleased that it appears you can replace the power supply in the mighty Optiplex.

The project appears to be balanced on the possibility of mounting. Would it be possible- with accurate measuring, to drill a new mounting hole- or even all four if necessary, so that all mounting points can be used?

Otherwise, I would say that the three mounting points are probably sufficient and only to be slightly more careful when tossing the system around- or when packing for shipping / moving.

I have a friend in California who still uses a 1987 Compaq 386 20MHz including a 5.25" floppy disk drive (and $8,500 new) and the hard drive is mounted on a block of wood,..

Cheers,

BambiBoom
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Upper measurement is about the same and 7.6 number is very close, meaning that at least 2 screws will work for sure.

Now, pay very close attention to the next pictures, since you are the one who has Optiplex 745 Mini Tower.

This is the picture of Optiplex 620 Mini Tower back side, look at screw locations, are they about the same as yours (there is a guide on how adopt regular power supply to GX620)

OPTIPLEX620-E.jpg


Those are possible pictures of Optiplex 745 Mini Tower rear view, looking for the best picture to compare GX620 and 745

image


No other good pictures of the rear are available, so just check and report back.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I found some kind of conformation that Optiplex 745 uses standard ATX PSU - general PSU replacement is the same for Optiplex 740, 745 and 755, I could not find anything for specific 745 model, but I was able to find this for 755:

I have an Optiplex 755 here. There are several variants of the Optiplex 755. Worth mentioning that I do work for Dell.

Do you have the Mini-Tower, Desktop, Small Form Factor or Ultra Small Form Factor variant?

If you have the mini tower than you are in luck. It uses a G35 Intel Chipset and you CAN use a single slot cooler based video card in it's PCI Express slot. The slot itself is x16 PCI Express 1.1 but you can use a 1.0 or 2.0 card as well.

The limiting factor is the power supply. My own Optiplex 755 came equipped with a Q9550, 2GB PC6400 and an ATi Radeon HD 2400XT.

This should let you know that you can really push the CPU power of this particular machine. It's also worth mentioning that any ATX regular size power supply will fit in the case as I replaced the Dell PSU in mine with a Corsair 600W unit.

I'd suggest a more robust 600W good quality PSU and a Radeon HD 4850 single slot video card. Also might want to bump up your CPU power as well. An E8500 should suffice.
Click to expand...

So if this is correct, there is nothing to worry about it.

If indeed my previous picture was correct and you have same mounting as GX620 here is report by a user about modifications needed:

I just completed the power supply upgrade using an Anted EA-500. [he meant Antec]

The purpose was to provide power and especially the 6 pin molex connector for an nVidia Quadro FX 3450 graphics card. The Optiplex GX620 Mini Tower is up and running with no serious problems. However, I had to make two modifications to allow the new PSU to fit.

1. The chassis has three metal tabs that are designed to hook into and stabilize the Dell PSU. When the locking tab is depressed and the PSU slid away from the opening about an inch, these disengage. Since the new power supply had no slots, the least destructive and quickest solution seemed to be just to bend the tabs back out of the way. I accomplished that by pushing hard with a screwdriver. If need be, they could be returned to position.

2. One end of the power cord receptacle on the new PSU hit the edge of the chassis opening on the back of the computer. In that position, it would have been impossible to refasten most of the screws. I was able to remove one screw from the power recep. and cut off the plastic ear that was in the way.

With those changes, the power supply bolted up securely with all four screws and fit acceptably.

Bill
Click to expand...

it came from here http://en.community.dell.com/what-do-i-buy/for_enterprise/f/4516/t/18044042.aspx?pi239031352=2

Little edition.

HOWEVER

The SATA power cables are right angle.

You may need to get a Right Angle SATA Power connector for the hard drives.

Otherwise you can shear them off closing the cover.
Click to expand...

So you might need this cable, or something looking very similar

Micro Center - Athena Power 6" SATA 15-pin Power Y-Splitter Cable

0318702_401364.jpg


Above picture with link provided for better understanding, since you in Romania, you cna look around for similar, I am sure you have something like this. But first, you need to get PSU - you might not needed additional cables (cble is necessary for Optiplex GX620).

So the issue is closed.

Don't hesitate to keep me busy here, until your project is complete. Your experience will help others in the same situation, so feedback is very important.

Anything else I can help you with?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote


Unfortunately it is extremely difficult to adapt general ATX CPU cooler to Optiplex BTX (your motherboard form factor), so I will show what another user did for Optiplex GX620:

Fan3_zps5af101a4.jpg


look here for more explanation http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-1866178/dell-optiplex-gx620-sff-heatsink.html

Other difficult option is to adapt general cooler, but it is not documented well and would be very very difficult, it could be done, or let say this way I would do it for me, considering my level of expertise and parts available in USA, so I can not help you in Romania with this.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Solution
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom