[SOLVED] What is the highest CPU upgrade for a Dell Optiplex GX620 Mini Tower?

Tyler1120

Commendable
Jun 7, 2016
10
0
1,510
I know that it's motherboard supports Pentium D 800's, but I was wondering if it also supports the 900 series. If so does the BIOS need an update?

And yeah I know this thing's <<Edited>> ancient. I already have a better PC so no need to lecture me on just buying a new PC lol.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Solution
I believe everything besides Windows 8 boots from FAT32, if you are installing Windows 10 you'll need to use NTFS as FAT32 doesn't support over 4GB.
MBR is required for booting older Windows systems in BIOS mode, although the 64-bit version of Windows 7 can also boot in UEFI mode

Daytona Beach

Prominent
Aug 3, 2017
19
1
525
Intel Pentium 4 HT 3.4 GHz I believe
I looked around and most people said this is about as good as it gets for that dino.
I believe the GX620 also supports Intel Core 2's but I can't be 100%. Someone said they are running a IC 2 Duo 6300.
I believe it can run the 900 series as well.
 

Tyler1120

Commendable
Jun 7, 2016
10
0
1,510
Intel Pentium 4 HT 3.4 GHz I believe
I looked around and most people said this is about as good as it gets for that dino.
I believe the GX620 also supports Intel Core 2's but I can't be 100%. Someone said they are running a IC 2 Duo 6300.
I believe it can run the 900 series as well.

I believe, correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think the GX620 supports Core 2's because of the BIOS firmware doesn't support it? I could be wrong though.

Also, some of the 900 series CPU's have VT-d support. I would like to get a CPU that does have this support because Windows 10 64bit requires VT-d.
 

Daytona Beach

Prominent
Aug 3, 2017
19
1
525
Someone mentioned they had a Intel Core 2 Duo 6300 running in a GX620 MT. Not sure if that's correct.
I looked at the Dell Data Sheet and didn't see a support for Core 2's so he may be wrong. I haven't had much experience with Core 2's besides my first custom PC build. But I do believe the GX620 will support the 900 series.

Pentium D 960 (3.6Ghz Dual Core) is the CPU used in a PC build on Dell's website.

Dell's data sheet says this

Intel® 945G chipset, Intel Pentium® D processor with Dual Core architecture, Intel Pentium 4 processor with the option of implementing Hyper-Threading Technology or Celeron D® processor.

EDIT:
Here is the data sheet.

https://www.dell.com/downloads/emea/products/optix/opti_gx620_gx520_uk.pdf
 

Tyler1120

Commendable
Jun 7, 2016
10
0
1,510
Someone mentioned they had a Intel Core 2 Duo 6300 running in a GX620 MT. Not sure if that's correct.
I looked at the Dell Data Sheet and didn't see a support for Core 2's so he may be wrong. I haven't had much experience with Core 2's besides my first custom PC build. But I do believe the GX620 will support the 900 series.

Pentium D 960 (3.6Ghz Dual Core) is the CPU used in a PC build on Dell's website.

Dell's data sheet says this

Intel® 945G chipset, Intel Pentium® D processor with Dual Core architecture, Intel Pentium 4 processor with the option of implementing Hyper-Threading Technology or Celeron D® processor.

EDIT:
Here is the data sheet.

https://www.dell.com/downloads/emea/products/optix/opti_gx620_gx520_uk.pdf

Another question, when installing Windows with a USB drive; Does the USB drive's file system need to be FAT32 or NTFS for these older PCs? Also does the partition scheme have to be MBR or GPT?
 

Daytona Beach

Prominent
Aug 3, 2017
19
1
525
I believe everything besides Windows 8 boots from FAT32, if you are installing Windows 10 you'll need to use NTFS as FAT32 doesn't support over 4GB.
MBR is required for booting older Windows systems in BIOS mode, although the 64-bit version of Windows 7 can also boot in UEFI mode
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tyler1120
Solution
May 2, 2019
34
8
35
The Intel Pentium D 945 is the maximum you 'practically' can use, simply because of the thermal 'and acoustical' impact and that requires already that you have the copper-variant of the heat sink (at least if you want to drive it a work- or game- -day long).

The Pentium D series are true Dual-Cores, but are effectively slower than the Intel Pentium 4 HT series, because the scheduling used in Windows 7+ is ineffective|too slow.

Under Windows 7+, both deliver nearly same results. Under Linux, the Pentium 4 HT with 3.4 GHz delivers about 15% better performance and produces far less heat and can be run with standard aluminium heatsink.

It is possible to run a pin-modded Core2Duo, but it wasn't possible to mod the BIOS, so that it's different featureset (SIMD, etc.) all can be made usable.

The most efficient Windows OS on the Gx620 is Windows 8.1 Industry Pro, next best is Windows 10 Enterprise LTSB 2016, Windows 7 is an abomination if not trimmed down to the bare minimum and in every detail configurably possible; at least if you eventually decide to start an application.

For Office use or Entertainment, they are still more than potent enough, a Nvidia 730 is the lower bound and enables 2k without a problem, a 750 makes 4k handsome. Again, in combination with the Pentium 4 HT 3.2 or 3.4 GHz quiet enough to sit aside the TV. A 960 is the max i would recommended, because as we all know Windows buffers the graphics cards RAM to the main RAM.

The RAM is the moot mood point of the GX 620, simply because the chipset that was implemented on the motherboard does not support addressing more than 4 GiB RAM.

Another use case it does well is HomeRecording and Arrangement. The Soundblaster Live|Platinum|FX Series are all working perfectly fine with the inerts of the GX 620, as if it was built around them.

Hackintosh is possible, too with up to 10.7 or .8 i think, the highest is a modded Yosemite, which is a torture, because the machine does not meet the SSE requirements, so they had to be dummied. All in all, regarding Hackintosh: Not advisable.

It is a pretty decent machine, when it comes to make use of it for oldschool Windows 98 SE SP 3, the machine hits - so to say - the critical mass. So far the maximum performance for Windows 98 SE that can be pulled, without special-pill-in-the-rabbit-in-the-hat-tricks, possible because asides the 4 SATA there i also an IDE-bus present, allowing two drives to be attached.

Last thing to mention, because it serves well, is DOS and OS/2 tooling, especially Instrumentation and Control, just because all oldschool standard connectors are existent and with a microdrill it is possible to cut the air-grid to place in the optional PS/2 Keyboard and Mouse port + 2nd serial RS232 combining slot-blind.

Hmm, what else .. Ah, UEFI via EDK II runs fantastically, so it is a nice complement if all the machines in-House are all UEFI-only, but one wants to test against generic UEFI and BIOS.

Yeah, well .. that's what actually came to my mind.

---

Hope it helps. Re-use 'dat! Thanks for reading.