Turning a Dell Optiplex 755 Into a Gaming PC

Jack_215

Commendable
Dec 27, 2016
4
0
1,510
Alright, so a couple of days ago I picked up a Dell Optiplex 755 from a library for a mere $3. I previously owned a Dell Dimension E521 that consisted of a AMD Athlon 64 5000+, 4 GB of RAM, and a HD 6670. So far I've salvaged the E521 and upgraded the Optiplex to 6 GB of RAM, slapped my HD 6670 in there, and I used a TB HDD from a computer I haven't used in a while. I was wondering if it would be a sensible option to upgrade the current CPU in my system (Pentium E2220) to a Core 2 Quad Q9550, replace the HD 6670 to a GTX 1050, and quite possibly upgrade my 6 GB of ram to 8. Keep in mind I got this computer super cheap and that I'm on a tight budget.
 

Lutfij

Titan
Moderator
Can you be specific about which form factor of the OptiPlex 775 you own? There are 4 form factors: MT, DT, SFF and uSFF.

The highest processor you can drop in is the Q6600/Q6700 due to thermal limitations but you can max out your ram to 8GB DDR2-800MHz. On the note about your ram upgrade, it's bad practice to mix and match ram sticks to get a cumulative ram capacity. If you must upgrade your ram, make sure that all sticks are identical to each other or at the very least, buy a kit and in your case a 4x2GB DDR2-800MHz kit.

You could drop in the GTX1050 in there but I'm very skeptical about the ability of the PSU to output the necessary power and if it;s for the small form factor units, then your issue is further compounded with replacement PSU's being proprietary and being limited in wattage and connections. You also need to factor in the issue where the age of a PSU will reduce it's effective power output to become a hazard to your investments.
 

Jack_215

Commendable
Dec 27, 2016
4
0
1,510

I own the mini-tower
 

psoohoo

Honorable
Jul 30, 2014
211
0
10,760
i had a 755 and it works with an e8400 so the q9550 should work. make sure you update the BIOS first. as for cooling. the quads would normally ship with the better heatsink with pipes with fins as opposed to the block of aluminum that is normal for the 755. look for Dell p/n J9761. You can also replace the power supply as they ship with more or less standard ATX power supplies. Look for standard sized ones 3.38"x5.51"x5.9" and get a gfx card that uses PCI-E power instead.

i just dont think its worth while to upgrade this old machine especially for gaming.
 

Jack_215

Commendable
Dec 27, 2016
4
0
1,510

I'm really just looking for something to use for games like Rocket League and Overwatch for the next 1-2 year until I can save up for a high-end rig.