Will this Optiplex motherbord serve my purpose?

[shadow of a soul]

Hi!

My current PC specification is as follows:
Motherboard - MSI P31 Neo V2
CPU - C2Quad Q9400
GPU - Gigabyte GTX 650 1GB
RAM - 3GB DDR2 667

So I'm on ultra-low budget (comes with being a student in a broke country, lol) and in dire need of a PC upgrade, RAM being the current weakest link, I can feel it even doing everyday stuff. I kinda think my CPU and GPU are still fine for what I use them for. But I can't really upgrade the RAM, because my motherboard supports 4GB max, and even then all 4 modules must be single-sided, otherwise it's 2GB max (believe me, its true, I've read and tried everything about this mobo), and good luck finding a 1GB single sided DDR2 module nowadays lol. Even then, going from 3 to 4 gigs is hardly something you would call an 'upgrade'. So I was messing around on eBay with this in mind, and found a bunch of old Dell Optiplex GX780 socket 775 motherboards for about 35$ a piece. Reading up on it, I found that it supports up to 16GB(!) DDR3 memory. So my question is - can I swap my MSI out for the Optiplex with no ill effects? From what I gather, these motherboards once came as part of pre-built PCs, I've never had any run-in with this type, that's why I'm slightly confused. Also, would it support a more modern GPU down the line? Planning a possible upgrade to either a GTX 760 or 950 in the coming months.
Thanks!

 

[clutchc]

Most of those Optiplex boards have proprietary headers for front panel connections and the like. I have a Optiplex and a Precision that are special in that way. So check out the board carefully to be sure it accepts retail connectors. Oh, and some need a thermal sensor plugged in from the case to allow the board to start. Might just be the precision tho, not the optiplex.

 

[shadow of a soul]

Most of those Optiplex boards have proprietary headers for front panel connections and the like. I have a Optiplex and a Precision that are special in that way. So check out the board carefully to be sure it accepts retail connectors. Oh, and some need a thermal sensor plugged in from the case to allow the board to start. Might just be the precision tho, not the optiplex.

Damn, you're right, I don't see any pins for front panel. Well, that's my hopes and dreams out the window then, thanks.

 

[clutchc]

Where do you have that you can shop at and what is your budget?

 

[shadow of a soul]

Where do you have that you can shop at and what is your budget?

My budget is broke lol. I don't know, I'm just trying to find the cheapest solution that works. I suppose I could spend around 50€. Currently can't decide between GA-P43-ES3G for 50€ from China, and P5KC for 35€ from a neighbouring country on eBay. Kinda biasing towards the P5KC, I mean it's cheaper, yes its max mem support is 8GB DDR2 instead of GA's 16GB DDR2, but I suppose 8 would be fine enough for me for a couple years again. What's more, it also supports DDR3, so I could swap my DDR2 out for DDR3 later down the line as an upgrade towards new socket (or is there some issues with these "combo" mobos? Don't know about that). And what's more, it's in a neighbouring country, not China, less time for stuff to go wrong while shipping.