what can i upgrade in my dell inspiron without rebuilding the whole thing

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afranklin98

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Sep 17, 2015
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My dell inspiron has a i3-2120, i put in a 750ti and a 500w power supply when i bought a new hdd, seagate barracuda 1tb. My main question is what can i upgrade in my pc without rebuilding the whole thing, i dont think a new processor is a option yet because i think they soldered in my i3 so i can't change it. Could i get a better graphics card? such as a 970 or something higher tier? would that bottleneck hard? games like h1z1 to get more frames? i dont know what to do
 
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I really doubt that a desktop has a soldered cpu. That is for laptops.
Open up your case and look.
Run cpu-Z which should identify your motherboard.
Then look at what processors that motherboard can run.

If you are looking for improvement in gaming, then find out if you are cpu limited or graphics limited.
Here is my stock approach to finding out:
------------------------------------------------------------
To help clarify your CPU/GPU options, run these two tests:

a) Run YOUR games, but lower your resolution and eye candy.
If your FPS increases, it indicates that your cpu is strong enough to drive a better graphics configuration.
If your FPS stays the same, you are likely more cpu limited.

b) Limit your cpu, either by reducing the OC, or, in windows power management, limit the maximum cpu% to something like 70%.
Go to control panel/power options/change plan settings/change advanced power settings/processor power management/maximum processor state/
This will simulate what a lack of cpu power will do.
Conversely what a 30% improvement in core speed might do.

You should also experiment with removing one core. You can do this in the windows msconfig boot advanced options option. set the number of processors to less than you have.
This will tell you how sensitive your games are to the benefits of many cores.

If your FPS drops significantly, it is an indicator that your cpu is the limiting factor, and a cpu upgrade is in order.

It is possible that both tests are positive, indicating that you have a well balanced system, and both cpu and gpu need to be upgraded to get better gaming FPS.
-------------------------------------------------------------

My guess is that graphics will be the limiter.
 
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The i3-2120 is not soldered into the socket. To do so would damage the socket and render the i3-2120 unusable. All 2nd generation Intel consumer desktop CPUs are socket LGA1155 meaning they have pins that goes into a socket.

However, what other 2nd gen Intel Core i3/i5/i7 is compatible with your motherboard depends on which CPU models are compatible with the motherboard's BIOS. Dell may provide a list of CPU that is compatible with your specific desktop model.

I would guess that the upper limit GPU for your core i3 would be the nVidia GTX 950 / 960 and their AMD counterparts without much of a bottleneck.

 
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What Inspiron model you have? Looks like Inspiron 620 am I correct?

Based on your answer I can provide info on CPU upgrades.

Assuming it is indeed Inspiron 620 - your PC is not compatible with all GTX 900 series cards, as you need BIOS upgrade dated after March 2014, when support for GTX 900 was added, Inspiron 620 latest BIOS is dated 19 Dec 2013

Also, Inspiron 620 has Legacy BIOS

0447.Inspiron-620-BIOS.png


And as such might have compatibility even with AMD latest GPUs, which are UEFI based.

Inspiron 620 CPU upgrade - only one option - i5-2320, this is it unfortunately. It was short lived model soon replaced by Inspiron 660.

So, if you have Inspiron 620, you can upgrade CPU to i5-2320 for sure, and get older GTX 700 generation cards, this is it.

Edit. And yes, SSD is on the list of upgrades as well.
 
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It's socket LGA 1155 though. He can go up to the i7 3770k. As for the GPU, I guess you could go up to a 780 then, didn't know about the BIOS thing.
P.S. My PC is an Inspiron 660 xD
 
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General rules do not apply to Dell, if Dell said i5-2320, it is most likely is i5-2320 - I got it from Dell community Forums. Anything stronger will make a nice paper weight, your choice.

P.S. Inspiron 660 is stronger and newer than 620.
 
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You didn't say that in your post. And how is a Dell motherboard different from an Asus or MSI or something else?
 
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This is my proof http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/desktop/f/3514/t/19492806

And were is yours? Link please especially related to Dell.

And how is a Dell motherboard different from an Asus or MSI or something else?
Click to expand...

Oh boy, we have to start from very beginning.

Asus and the rest are making their motherboards completely unlocked, so users can adjust those parts to their needs. Dell is interested in selling more complete systems, that is why Dell generally stops supporting systems that are 3-4 years old, encouraging people to buy new ones instead of upgrading old ones.
All Dell models except a few old XPS models and all Alienware have locked BIOS, so user would not screw something up, or would not keep upgrading their machines or overclocking them instead of giving more money to Dell for new PCs - this is it.
 
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Oh. Well that explains a lot.
 
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So, because many advisers here doesn't know those rules, I met here at least 3 persons, who got stuck with quiet expensive paper weights on their hands, so far those are video cards.

You said that you have Inspiron 660, correct, it would be nice to know that it is not compatible with GTX900 series because your UEFI BIOS is outdated and Dell is not providing updates anymore, the only choice for you is to try AMD cards.... But this is the different conversation...
 
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inspiron 620
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883155175 this is literally almost the exact same computer
 
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Actually, situation has changed a bit, but to be sure, I need you to check something.

When booting, press F2 to open BIOS, in BIOS, how you navigate, using keyboard only, or using mouse.

If using mouse, you have UEFI BIOS and it is not compatible with GTX 900 series, if you can use only keyboard, you have most likely LEGACY BIOS, and, I am taking my words back, sorry, you can use GTX 960 for sure.
 
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Well, this is off topic, but would you happen to know how to get into the Inspiron 660 bios? The thing boots up so fast it doesn't even tall me what key to press. Mobo is a Dell Vostro 270 mciro ATX.
 
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ill check for you tomorrow im not at my pc right now
 
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That is OK to me, once you pressed power button, start tapping F2 fast, at worst you will get keyboard error.

Which Win you have 7, 8.1 or 10? In 8.1 and 10 it is possible to slow down start up.
 
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i forgot about this, i just restarted and pressed f2 and i move around with my keyboard only

is there any way we could IM or something? skype? You seem like a really knowledgeable person about computers Kisianik
 
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The best communication way is here, at forums.

Feel free to continue any of your threads here - I get email notifications, plus any experience gained here can be used by others.

Coming back to your Legacy BIOS - now it is confirmed, you can install GTX900 series. Why not, you may ask, the answer is complicated to comprehend.

Dell FIRST UEFI BIOS for consumer was introduced with Inspiron 660 and XPS 8300, no problem here, but Dell usually stops supporting updates for older PCs at around 3-4 years range. So, in order to get GTX900 series support, Dell BIOS must be updated to March 2014 version, however last updates available for Inspiron 660 and XPS 8300 are dated 2013 - so the owners of newer than yours PCs can not upgrade to last generation video cards, but you, with older machine CAN.
This sounds like nonsense, but this is the reality. For this only reason Dell sucks, as it tries to push people to spend more money on new PCs, not upgrading older ones.
 
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so what would be a good card to get, and any processor upgrades that would 100% work, i just ordered the crucial 8gb kit u told me to.
just looking to push the limits of my current computer until i certainly have to get a new motherboard, case, etc.

trying to get more fps in games like h1z1, and i got more ram because just the game takes up almost all of my 4gb
 
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You stated at the beginning that you already have 750TI, so if you are asking for newer card, what you are going to do with this one? Lose money?

I would recommend to consider processor upgrade.

This is what you have now

Intel Core i3-2120 @ 3.30GHz

This one is guaranteed to work

Intel Core i5-2320 @ 3.00GHz

The only place to get this for cheap is eBay

http://www.ebay.com/sch/CPUs-Processors-/164/i.html?_from=R40&_sop=15&_nkw=i5-2320

Plus you need thermal paste, Arctic Silver 5 is a minimum recommended.

Look at those offerings, I would recommend to get a cleaning solution as well, for best results, or you can use some technical alcohol to save money, but is it worth it?
Listed, first paste by itself, cleaning solution by itself, next 2 options for combination of both.

http://www.amazon.com/Arctic-Silver-Polysynthetic-Thermal-Compound/dp/B0002VFXFE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1358019328&sr=8-1&keywords=arctic+silver+5

http://www.amazon.com/ArctiClean-60ml-Kit-30ml/dp/B0007TOR08/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1358019328&sr=8-14&keywords=arctic+silver+5

http://www.amazon.com/Arctic-Silver-Thermal-Compound-ArctiClean/dp/B001FVI91U/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1358019328&sr=8-2&keywords=arctic+silver+5

http://www.amazon.com/ArctiClean-3-5grams-Arctic-Silver-Compound/dp/B002DILLMS/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1358019328&sr=8-11&keywords=arctic+silver+5

This is Arctic Silver 5 application instructions pdf or general page

Next would be SSD, however it would not give you an edge in games that much, for general use, yes, the difference is day and night.

Personally, I go with quality and pay more, like Samsung PRO, however EVO is OK and Intel.

I would not advice anything else due to the lack of knowledge for other SSD manufacturers, as the reliability is very important here.

Any more questions?
 
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what do you recommend? that processor? is it guarenteed to work
 
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