# Maximum upgrades for Dell Inspiron 530s (C2D)



## Remeca (Aug 11, 2021)

After it came up in conversation about another system, I was reminded of this PC I'm looking to get maximum performance from. It still gets daily use for light gaming, YouTube, and general browsing. This is the specs:


			Appendix: Dell Inspiron 530s Series Owner's Manual
		


Mine has a Core 2 Duo E6600, although the motherboard (Foxconn g33m03) officially supports up to a Q9650.


			https://www.cpu-upgrade.com/mb-Foxconn/G33M.html
		


General W10 usage and web browsing is very slow. The games played on it run well enough, once they load. Roblox, Torchlight 2, and games with similar hardware requirements. 

 I know there are also some Xeon CPUs that can work in the system. What I'm looking to upgrade first is the boot disk, which is currently a very slow old HDD, to a 240gb sata ssd, and the CPU, which I think could benefit the general usage in W10. Memory is already maxed out at 4gb of 800mhz ddr2, and it has an R7 260X, which is good enough for the games it plays. I'm thinking a PSU upgrade might be needed too if I go to a quad core, with the default 250W it has already being less than the recommended for the GPU. 

CPU Options: 
Q6600 - cheapest and widely available quad core
Q9650 - best officially supported (non-extreme) CPU?
Xeon e5450 - Xeon I see used on my motherboard on userbenchmark
E8600 - fastest C2D (non Extreme)

I assume I would also need a better CPU cooler than the stock c2d Dell Intel one for a quad core. 

@Retrorockit, this is the c2d system I was talking about.


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## GorbazTheDragon (Aug 11, 2021)

Yeah SSD first definitely, but not being able to go past 4GB of RAM is rough, especially when you can't run a nvme drive and are limited to SATA 3g... I don't expect you will get that much out of a quaddy for just browsing, though might help for e.g video playback, definitely for games.

Though if you are considering changing out the PSU, I honestly think you should just consider an entirely new mobo/CPU/RAM set to go with it... Dunno what you can fit in that case but you might just be able to find someone nearby trying to get rid of some old mATX or ATX tower...


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## ShiBDiB (Aug 11, 2021)

I would definitely look into if a BIOS update can let you bump you RAM amount up. An SSD isn't going to give you a ton of noticeable performance improvement, outside of boot times, if your system is hamstrung by running out of memory all the time.

https://www.userbenchmark.com/System/Foxconn-G33M03/125107 is showing a bunch of bench's with 8GB of RAM.


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## GorbazTheDragon (Aug 11, 2021)

ShiBDiB said:


> An SSD isn't going to give you a ton of noticeable performance improvement, outside of boot times, if your system is hamstrung by running out of memory all the time.


SSD makes a crazy difference for loading programs and stuff lol, yeah if you don't mind sitting for a minute while Firefox or Chrome loads up go for it, keep your spinning rust, but most of the responsiveness you get out of a system is by it doing something when you click on it.

Not to mention even on 8GB you'll almost certainly be running into the pagefile left right and centre...


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## Remeca (Aug 11, 2021)

GorbazTheDragon said:


> Yeah SSD first definitely, but not being able to go past 4GB of RAM is rough, especially when you can't run a nvme drive and are limited to SATA 3g... I don't expect you will get that much out of a quaddy for just browsing, though might help for e.g video playback, definitely for games.
> 
> Though if you are considering changing out the PSU, I honestly think you should just consider an entirely new mobo/CPU/RAM set to go with it... Dunno what you can fit in that case but you might just be able to find someone nearby trying to get rid of some old mATX or ATX tower...


If it was my primary PC I would definitely straight up replace it, but it's the hand me down PC my kids use, and when it's time to do that, I'll get the new parts and they'll get my old PC. I don't mind spending a little money on the SSD and PSU because I can reuse them down the road.


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## QuietBob (Aug 12, 2021)

From what I can see, the Core 2 Duo was the fastest CPU available on the 530s series. Higher SKUs may not be supported by your vendor-specific BIOS. I'd start by updating it to the latest version. If you find a Core 2 Quad for peanuts, you may try your luck with it. I wouldn't go for the Xeon though, the board  is very unlikely to support it.

4 GB RAM is tight today, but you can get by on it by running a single app at a time. In any case, definitely get a cheap SSD. I would also strongly recommend downgrading the system to Windows 7. It's lighter on the resources, runs much better on older hardware and can still be used in a family PC.


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## Remeca (Aug 12, 2021)

QuietBob said:


> From what I can see, the Core 2 Duo was the fastest CPU available on the 530s series. Higher SKUs may not be supported by your vendor-specific BIOS. I'd start by updating it to the latest version. If you find a Core 2 Quad for peanuts, you may try your luck with it. I wouldn't go for the Xeon though, the board  is very unlikely to support it.
> 
> 4 GB RAM is tight today, but you can get by on it by running a single app at a time. In any case, definitely get a cheap SSD. I would also strongly recommend downgrading the system to Windows 7. It's lighter on the resources, runs much better on older hardware and can still be used in a family PC.


Core 2 Quads are officially supported up to Q9650. Multitasking isn't the worst, it can play Roblox and play 1080p YouTube in popup at the same time. The biggest noticable slowness is opening apps, and waiting for the web elements of apps to load. For example, Epic Games launcher takes forever (minutes it feels like) to fully load, and it can even take up to 10 seconds for the W10 notification panel to pop up after clicking on it when there are new notifications. As for Xeons, there are anecdotal reports of them working, and there are Xeons on that motherboard on userbenchmark. The BIOS I updated to the latest version when I thought about upgrading this to a C2Q a couple years ago (ended up buying a different PC.) I agree about W7, it may be worth going back to that. The main reason for installing 10 was I had an extra key and wanted to see how it ran. Not great, but also not my worst Windows 10 PC.


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## eidairaman1 (Aug 12, 2021)

Go as high with it as a quad or scrap it


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## Remeca (Aug 12, 2021)

For about $30 CAD I could get a Xeon X5460 and LGA 771>775 adapter, which looks to be on par with the Q9650, if it works. Or for $70 I could get the Q9650, pretty much guaranteed to work. Or, for $100, a QX9650, which at 130W would almost certainly require a new PSU as well. The improvement in performance doesn't look like it's worth an extra $30 plus a new PSU. That leaves me with the X5460 or the Q9650. I guess the question is, am I feeling lucky?


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## Retrorockit (Aug 12, 2021)

One mod you haven't mentioned is the old Q6600 tapemod (which is obsolete for C2Q) but works on the E7500 C2D for 3.67GHz 2 core performance. It bumps the FSB rom 266 to 333x11.
Sometimes the E7600 works ,usually it doesn't due to not enough Voltage. But that depends on the individual CPU. 333x11.5=3.83GHz then. Either one of these will spank a Q9650 in single thread apps. and games, and will be in the easily cooled  80-90W range. Intel actually sold some 80W, 3.5GHz 2 core Xeons, so it's  not actually a huge stretch for that CPU.





						Tape mod/BSEL mod intel q6600
					

ive been looking to see if i can boost the speed of this, and found this mod. I have an intel oem motherboard, so no overclocking. i wouldve much rather done that. Anyway, while reading up on doing this ive seen where you cover one pin, 2 pins, connect 2 pins, connecct 4 pins, and a bunch of...




					forums.tomshardware.com
				



Yes it's that simple, and yes it works. It looks like that computer has the usual Dell 90W CPU limit. I don't think the Xeon swap is worth the trouble unless you can get the 130W X5470, and even that comes up short against the E7500 mod in  many situations.
You can see a few OC E7500 at Geekbench. About 20% faster than normal.


			E7500 - Geekbench 5 CPU Search  - Geekbench Browser
		

If I could find the Geeknemch 4 charts I could show one beating My X5470 swapped Optiplex 380 in single thread by about 10% They were the 2 fastest Opti 380s on the chart.
The mod would probably work on your E6600 also But might not equal a stock E7500. But the 45nm CPU runs cooler and has newer instruction sets.


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## Remeca (Aug 12, 2021)

Retrorockit said:


> One mod you haven't mentioned is the old Q6600 tapemod (which is obsolete for C2Q) but works on the E7500 C2D for 3.67GHz 2 core performance. It bumps the FSB rom 266 to 333x11.
> Sometimes the E7600 works ,usually it doesn't due to not enough Voltage. But that depends on the individual CPU. 333x11.5=3.83GHz then. Either one of these will spank a Q9650 in single thread apps. and games, and will be in the easily cooled  80-90W range. Intel actually sold some 80W, 3.5GHz 2 core Xeons, so it's  not actually a huge stretch for that CPU.
> 
> 
> ...


That's a very specific thing I'd never heard of. Why is it obsolete on a q6600? E7500 is cheap enough I could do it just for the heck of it. Single thread performance was my thought when I suggested the E8600 (3.3ghz) as a possibility, but of course you'd know another way to OC a locked down old Dell. Thanks for the suggestion, I will definitely give that a try, first probably.









						Intel Core 2 Duo E7500 2.93GHz SLGTE  LGA775 Dual-Core CPU 4060787006875 | eBay
					

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Intel Core 2 Duo E7500 2.93GHz SLGTE  LGA775 Dual-Core CPU at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!



					www.ebay.ca


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## Shrek (Aug 12, 2021)

Inspiron 530, RAM limit, 8GB works - Dell Community


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## Remeca (Aug 12, 2021)

Andy Shiekh said:


> Inspiron 530, RAM limit, 8GB works - Dell Community


I can't remember if I have 2 or 4 ram slots. I'll check after making breakfast, and grab another 4gb if I have the one with 4.

Well, good news and bad news. Bad news is my memory is terrible. Good news is this PC is running 4x1GB at 667, I thought it was 2x2GB at 800. I must have been thinking about my Pentium D PC (Dimension 5150), which I also upgraded the ram to 4gb on. So I will get 4x2GB DDR2 800. I already ordered the e7500. It is also running the latest bios, which I do remember updating to a couple years ago. 









So, something like this should be a major improvement, in addition to the SSD and cpu:








						Samsung 8GB PC3 12800U 2RX8 DDR3 1600MHz Memory RAM DIMM Desktop 240PIN intel 8G  | eBay
					

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Samsung 8GB PC3 12800U 2RX8 DDR3 1600MHz Memory RAM DIMM Desktop 240PIN intel 8G at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!



					www.ebay.ca
				




I am confused by the specs I am seeing for the C2D e6600. Intel's website says 2.4Ghz with 4mb of L2 cache, my bios says it has 2mb of cache and is running at 3.06GHz. I think even though the sticker on the machine says C2D, this CPU is actually a Pentium e6600, not sure what difference that makes, if any.


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## GorbazTheDragon (Aug 12, 2021)

C2D E6600 is Conroe, Pentium E6600 is wolfdale (same as C2D E7000/8000). Wolfdale is basically 45nm Conroe but with some minor config changes...

The memory looks expensive, I'd look around locally to find some..


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## Remeca (Aug 12, 2021)

GorbazTheDragon said:


> C2D E6600 is Conroe, Pentium E6600 is wolfdale (same as C2D E7000/8000). Wolfdale is basically 45nm Conroe but with some minor config changes...
> 
> The memory looks expensive, I'd look around locally to find some..


I am looking locally too, found 4gb of crucial (2x2gb)for $15 so far. I'm ok spending a little more to get matched pairs. This is only $20cad for 4x2GB 800, but they're random sticks.


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## GorbazTheDragon (Aug 12, 2021)

JEDEC DDR2 should be easier to run in non matched sticks than XMP stuff from late DDR3 and DDR4 era... Mainly just make sure it's the same timings.


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## Remeca (Aug 12, 2021)

GorbazTheDragon said:


> JEDEC DDR2 should be easier to run in non matched sticks than XMP stuff from late DDR3 and DDR4 era... Mainly just make sure it's the same timings.


I pulled the trigger on the local 2 2GB 800 matched pair for $15, so I just need to find another couple. I could run 6gb until then, and it will all just run at 667 right?


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## GorbazTheDragon (Aug 12, 2021)

It should, don't know what bios options you have, worst case you'd need to manually set it.


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## Remeca (Aug 12, 2021)

Thanks for the input everyone. I'll update once I get the parts.


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## Retrorockit (Aug 12, 2021)

The E6600 has the 266fsb, and 11.5 multiplier of the E7600, But they took out the SSE4 suppport. It supposedly has higher OC potential than the E7500. I would throw a piece of tape on it and see what happens. But yes they did recycle some CPU numbers.
If you has 2x4GB of Dell compatible DDR2 you would know it. They are very rare and very expensive. Vaya Memory had some DDR2 modules that were CL5 latency. You may have to call and ask. they're not listed on the site. In Intel only the X38 chipset supports them. Intel went with FBDIMMs for 4GB workstation modules, and the cheap AMD stuff won't work


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## theFOoL (Aug 12, 2021)

I have the Xeon E5450 which is a Modded to work for 775 but for only certain chipsets. Please read after and see if your MB supports it *LINK*


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## Remeca (Aug 12, 2021)

Retrorockit said:


> The E6600 has the 266fsb, and 11.5 multiplier of the E7600, But they took out the SSE4 suppport. It supposedly has higher OC potential than the E7500. I would throw a piece of tape on it and see what happens. But yes they did recycle some CPU numbers.
> If you has 2x4GB of Dell compatible DDR2 you would know it. They are very rare and very expensive. Vaya Memory had some DDR2 modules that were CL5 latency. You may have to call and ask. they're not listed on the site. In Intel only the X38 chipset supports them. Intel went with FBDIMMs for 4GB workstation modules, and the cheap AMD stuff won't work


I will try the tape trick on the e6600 when I have it out for the swap. I don't have 2x4gb ddr2, it's 4x1GB 667 ddr2. 2GB is still the maximum size module that will be recognized by the motherboard I am pretty sure. 



rk3066 said:


> I have the Xeon E5450 which is a Modded to work for 775 but for only certain chipsets. Please read after and see if your MB supports it *LINK*


I'm still curious about Xeons, I may go that route if I'm not happy with the e7500. I see that CPU on my mobo on userbenchmark, but the link you sent me says my chipset (g33) is unsupported. It also has two versions, SLBBM and SLANQ, and I'm not sure what the difference is and if that matters on compatibility with my board.


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## theFOoL (Aug 12, 2021)

Google is your Friend *LINK*


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## Remeca (Aug 12, 2021)

rk3066 said:


> Google is your Friend *LINK*


That post was just my initial reaction to the information. I was indeed talking to my friend Bing after posting that. Thanks for the link too though.


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## Retrorockit (Aug 12, 2021)

The only reason I did the Xeon swap in my Optiplex 380 was it somehow supported the 3.3GHz 120W CPU, and the 2x DDR3 slots could support 2x4GB RAM. The 380 was a bottom feeder when new and only sold with 2 cores, and 4GB RAM. But the modded BIOS was hard to come by without Dell's Digital Signing scheme, and the socket mod took down the MB when I installed a Pentium E6500K CPU the wrong way. If you do the Xeon mod, notch the CPU, don't mod the socket. At 90W CPU limit there is no performance advantage to the Xeon swap.

The SLBBM is a CO stepping, and the SLANQ is an EO. In an overclocking environment the EO is better. But at base speeds there is no advantage.

I paid $20 for the Opti 380 with a Win 7 license just to get the Xeon swap under my belt. With a Dell t3400 PSU it  ran a GTX1060 3 Gb GPU


			UserBenchmark: Dell OptiPlex 380 Compatible Builds
		

I stuck another MB in it and am running a 65W Q9505S quad core that with my BTX cooling mods barely breaks 50* when running Prime 95.

For Dell RAM you will need low density x64 RAM. AMD had an integrated memory controller that could handle x128 high density modules. So you may see AMD RAM, and PC RAM.
Crucial modules have that x64 in the part #.


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## Shrek (Aug 12, 2021)

With 8GB I think Windows 10 should be fine.


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## Remeca (Aug 12, 2021)

This is the pair I'm picking up tonight. It doesn't specify x64 or x128 or AMD or Intel that I can find, on Amazon or other specs I can find for it.






						OCZ OCZ2P8004GK DDR2 800MHz 4GB Kit - Platinum Edition : Amazon.ca: Electronics
					

OCZ OCZ2P8004GK DDR2 800MHz 4GB Kit - Platinum Edition : Amazon.ca: Electronics



					www.amazon.ca
				












						OCZ 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ2P8004GK - Newegg.com
					

Buy OCZ 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ2P8004GK with fast shipping and top-rated customer service. Once you know, you Newegg!




					www.newegg.com


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## Retrorockit (Aug 12, 2021)

Remeca said:


> This is the pair I'm picking up tonight. It doesn't specify x64 or x128 or AMD or Intel that I can find, on Amazon or other specs I can find for it.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


In the reviews I saw those running with a Q6600 so it should be OK. On my Opti 380 when I warrantied some GSkill DDR3 1333 Ripjaws modules the replacements with the same part# were high density and wouldn't run. I stuck some Kingston DDR3 1066 modules in and got on with my life.


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## theFOoL (Aug 12, 2021)

I'm in the process of updating my LTSC WiN10 Go and I'll Clone it to my second SSD What fun on my 775 BUILD

To those with WiN10 you'll like Taskbar Monitor *LINK*


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## Retrorockit (Aug 12, 2021)

There are VID tapemods also that will allow the E7600 to be used. Since you have to start from your specific CPU Voltage and work from there with a drawing that's from the socket view, and not the CPU side it requires some planning. It's kind of a lost art. Different families of LGA775 CPUs had different VID tables. Some of them entirely diffferent. So be sure you're looking at the datasheet for the correct CPU family. Monkey see, monkey do, won't cut it here.
Here's a thread on this mod.








						Successful E5200 BSEL and Volt Pin Mods
					

But this is only about 10% more performance and will boost heat and power consumption to a level that requires another heatsink and maybe PSU.  Or...




					forums.guru3d.com
				



this is what the e7600 result is.


			Biostar G41D3+ Performance Results - UserBenchmark
		

This is the e7500 tapemod performance.


			Biostar G41D3+ Performance Results - UserBenchmark
		


I haven't tried this but it should be possible to mod the Voltage too high and then pull it back down with Throttlestop.


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## ShiBDiB (Aug 12, 2021)

rk3066 said:


> I'm in the process of updating my LTSC WiN10 Go and I'll Clone it to my second SSD What fun on my 775 BUILD
> 
> To those with WiN10 you'll like Taskbar Monitor *LINK*
> 
> View attachment 212311



The last thing an underpowered system needs is a "neat" application that runs 24/7 using resources.


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## Remeca (Aug 12, 2021)

ShiBDiB said:


> The last thing an underpowered system needs is a "neat" application that runs 24/7 using resources.


I just saw that. I wouldn't use it on the Inspiron but I was just thinking about looking for something like that for my Optiplex the other day, instead of having HWmonitor open all the time. So, still a good suggestion.


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## ShiBDiB (Aug 12, 2021)

Remeca said:


> I just saw that. I wouldn't use it on the Inspiron but I was just thinking about looking for something like that for my Optiplex the other day, instead of having HWmonitor open all the time. So, still a good suggestion.



For a different pc if you want something less hacky looking, you could get rainmeter and setup a widget similar to this. (Uses ~10MB of RAM)


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## Remeca (Aug 12, 2021)

ShiBDiB said:


> For a different pc if you want something less hacky looking, you could get rainmeter and setup a widget similar to this. (Uses ~10MB of RAM)


Options are good. It's been probably 15 years since I last tried Rainmeter.


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## lexluthermiester (Aug 12, 2021)

Remeca said:


> Mine has a Core 2 Duo E6600, although the motherboard (Foxconn g33m03) officially supports up to a Q9650.


This is an excellent choice but a Q9550 would also be a great choice.

Despite what the manual on that cited webpage says(which was taken from the original manual for the system, not updated to reflect BIOS update changes), with the more recent BIOS update 8GB is supported. That system will support 4x2GB DDR2 800mhz RAM config.


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## Remeca (Aug 12, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> This is an excellent choice but a Q9550 would also be a great choice.
> 
> Despite what the manual on that cited webpage says(which was taken from the original manual for the system, not updated to reflect BIOS update changes), with the more recent BIOS update 8GB is supported. That system will support 4x2GB DDR2 800mhz RAM config.


Yeah, someone pointed that out earlier, and since I have the 4 slots and latest bios, I'm already buying up ram. Hard to find 2gb ddr2 800mhz for less than $10 a stick in North America, and even if you include China it's difficult. At the top of this page you can see the  2x2GB ram I'm picking up tonight for $15cad. Still looking for another 4gb. CPU is still up in the air. I ordered a c2d e7500 to try the tape trick and see if that's enough. It was less than $10. If I think a quad could do better or it doesn't work, I have a plethora of choices. I'm all for cheaper is better, modding ,and making (cheap) mistakes.

ETA: the q9550 is half the price of the q9650, similar to the Xeons. Tempting.


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## Shrek (Aug 12, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> This is an excellent choice but a Q9550 would also be a great choice.



I agree, the Q9550 tends to be a lot cheaper than the Q9650


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## lexluthermiester (Aug 12, 2021)

Remeca said:


> Yeah, someone pointed that out earlier, and since I have the 4 slots and latest bios, I'm already buying up ram. Hard to find 2gb ddr2 800mhz for less than $10 a stick in North America, and even if you include China it's difficult. At the top of this page you can see the 2x2GB ram I'm picking up tonight for $15cad. Still looking for another 4gb.


I kinda glossed over most of the thread, sorry about that. 



Remeca said:


> CPU is still up in the air. I ordered a c2d e7500 to try the tape trick and see if that's enough. It was less than $10. If I think a quad could do better or it doesn't work, I have a plethora of choices. I'm all for cheaper is better, modding ,and making (cheap) mistakes.


If this is just a tinkering system, then yeah have fun, but if this is your daily driver, a Quad would be wiser, see below.



Remeca said:


> ETA: the q9550 is half the price of the q9650, similar to the Xeons. Tempting.


To be fair, it's is the best bang-for-buck choice in the current market. The Q9650 is a great CPU, but the Q9550 performs within a few percent of it. Similar performance for half the price? If money is tight(and there's no shame if it is in the current world economy, so no judgements from me), the Q9550 is a golden CPU for that system.



Andy Shiekh said:


> How much is the Q9550 held back by DDR2 RAM? (I run mine on DDR3)


Not much unless you OC. IF you're not OCing then the differences between DDR2 and DDR3 don't matter much on socket 775.


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## Remeca (Aug 12, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> I kinda glossed over most of the thread, sorry about that.


It happens.


lexluthermiester said:


> If this is just a tinkering system, then yeah have fun, but if this is your daily driver, a Quad would be wiser, see below.


It's not a terribly important one, not a main school or work or gaming PC, just where the kids can go to play Roblox or Lego games or whatever. It just seems unnecessarily slow and unresponsive.


lexluthermiester said:


> To be fair, it's is the best bang-for-buck choice in the current market. The Q9650 is a great CPU, but the Q9550 performs within a few percent of it. Similar performance for half the price? If money is tight(and there's no shame if it is in the current world economy, so no judgements from me), the Q9550 is a golden CPU for that system.


It always is, my main project is upgrading my Optiplex 9020 with a 4770k or 4790k, and overclocking that with Throttle stop per @Retrorockit's suggestion in the Dell Workstation thread. If I can get a couple more years out of both of them, that's a bonus.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------






Installed the new 2x2GB of ram. BIOS says it's running in dual channel at 800mhz. Resource manager reports it properly. Userbenchmark, before and after the ram swap, improperly reports my ram in the results.

Before ram swap:


			Dell Inspiron 530 Performance Results - UserBenchmark
		


After ram swap:


			Dell Inspiron 530 Performance Results - UserBenchmark
		


It did feel like it ran through the startup stuff a little quicker, but who knows. I tried installing 2 of the 1GB sticks in dimms 2 and 4, but I got ram error beeps when booting.

I finally found the actual manual and read it, and it says not to match new ram pairs with the factory ram, or mix _sizes_. I didn't even think of sizes because for some reason my main has been running just fine for a while on 3x4GB and 1x2GB. Just going to keep looking around for a deal on another pair of 2gb.

Despite what userbenchmark says, the bios and Windows properly reported the memory. I haven't run any memory specific software or tests.

Old and mismatched:




New and Shiny:






Thanks for stopping by and all the opinions and advice. I'll update as more parts come in. Best case scenario would be a gaming surfboard.


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## Retrorockit (Aug 13, 2021)

The OCZ RAM says 2.1V. and has some tight timings listed. The Dell will probably run them at the standard 1.8V.
Generic Crucial or Hynix RAM usually works best in Dells.  Maybe if you mix the 2x2GB with 2x1GB the MB will set up at the slower settings and run all of them at 1.8V.
Just be sure you have 3GB in each channel.
I would like to see at least 6GB of RAM with a 2GB GPU.


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## eidairaman1 (Aug 13, 2021)

Remeca said:


> For about $30 CAD I could get a Xeon X5460 and LGA 771>775 adapter, which looks to be on par with the Q9650, if it works. Or for $70 I could get the Q9650, pretty much guaranteed to work. Or, for $100, a QX9650, which at 130W would almost certainly require a new PSU as well. The improvement in performance doesn't look like it's worth an extra $30 plus a new PSU. That leaves me with the X5460 or the Q9650. I guess the question is, am I feeling lucky?


I wouldnt bother risking money on a dell bios board with a xeon, just drop the highest supported fsb c2q in it and call it a day.



Andy Shiekh said:


> With 8GB I think Windows 10 should be fine.


Considering 4GB was fine on W7, yes...


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## Remeca (Aug 13, 2021)

Retrorockit said:


> The OCZ RAM says 2.1V. and has some tight timings listed. The Dell will probably run them at the standard 1.8V.
> Generic Crucial or Hynix RAM usually works best in Dells.  Maybe if you mix the 2x2GB with 2x1GB the MB will set up at the slower settings and run all of them at 1.8V.
> Just be sure you have 3GB in each channel.
> I would like to see at least 6GB of RAM with a 2GB GPU.


CPUZ says they're running at 1.8V. I hadn't tried putting the OCZ on different channels, so I've been trying that. The only configuration that worked was the OCZ in slot 2 and 3, and the Hynix in slot 4. So now I'm in the bios and it says I have 5GB of 800Mhz dual channel. No configuration that included any of the Crucial sticks worked with the OCZ. Not a big deal though, I'm up 1GB and I'll get another 4GB soon.



eidairaman1 said:


> I wouldnt bother risking money on a dell bios board with a xeon, just drop the highest supported fsb c2q in it and call it a day.
> 
> 
> Considering 4GB was fine on W7, yes...


It came with Vista. It really only needed 1GB.


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## Retrorockit (Aug 13, 2021)

The Inspiron 530 is not looking good for the Xeon swap.








						LGA 771 to 775 Adapter (MOD) - Run faster Xeon CPUs in a Core 2 Quad motherboard - Page 3 of 5
					

Learn how to MOD your LGA 775 motherboard to support faster LGA 771 Xeon CPUs. Also covers: the adapter, motherboard compatibility, and troubleshooting.




					www.delidded.com
				



The X5460 is 120W and probably won't boot due to that. The QX9650 at 130W isn't going to happen either. Q9650, or a tapemodded 2 core is as good as it gets.
They show an X5270 running. A whole Xeon swap for 3.5GHz 2 core,when the tapemod E7500 goes 3.67Ghz.
I have seen Pentium E6500K from China for $15 which will probably go past 4GHz with TS overclocking due to the unlocked Voltage. But has SSE4 disabled. Just like the E6600 you have now.


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## eidairaman1 (Aug 13, 2021)

Remeca said:


> CPUZ says they're running at 1.8V. I hadn't tried putting the OCZ on different channels, so I've been trying that. The only configuration that worked was the OCZ in slot 2 and 3, and the Hynix in slot 4. So now I'm in the bios and it says I have 5GB of 800Mhz dual channel. No configuration that included any of the Crucial sticks worked with the OCZ. Not a big deal though, I'm up 1GB and I'll get another 4GB soon.
> 
> 
> It came with Vista. It really only needed 1GB.


1gb on vista was molasses, 1gb on 7 ran great lol


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## Remeca (Aug 13, 2021)

Retrorockit said:


> The Inspiron 530 is not looking good for the Xeon swap.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I've ordered the e7500 and I'm definitely going to try the tape mod with it. I think if I go beyond that, it will be a Q9550. It's only $30 inside Canada, same price as the socket modded Xeon e5450 from China.


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## Retrorockit (Aug 13, 2021)

Remeca said:


> I've ordered the e7500 and I'm definitely going to try the tape mod with it. I think if I go beyond that, it will be a Q9550. It's only $30 inside Canada, same price as the socket modded Xeon e5450 from China.


Q9550 is the best bang for the buck solution. But with that level of GPU single thread gaming will benefit more from clock speed and the E7500 is the best choice there.
If you get the CPU,RAM, and SSD sorted out,  IMO the sweet spot for 8GB systems is the GTX1060-3GB GPU. I don't shy away form spending on GPU and PSU because they can be moved ahead to a later system. Some of the old Dells need a lot of power on the 5V. rail. Keep that in mind when looking at PSUs. Dell 365W-375W units are out there and are quality parts if you want to go bargain hunting. But the BTX units have very short wiring for that layout so avoid those.


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## Shrek (Aug 13, 2021)

I would tend to only get a supported CPU for the microcode in the BIOS.


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## lexluthermiester (Aug 13, 2021)

eidairaman1 said:


> Considering 4GB was fine on W7, yes...


Good point. I've been testing Win11 on 4GB and it runs fine.


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## Shrek (Aug 13, 2021)

Retrorockit said:


> IMO the sweet spot for 8GB systems is the GTX1060-3GB GPU.


Doesn't that need a 6 pin connector? which the Dell 530 probably does not have.


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## theFOoL (Aug 13, 2021)

Andy Shiekh said:


> Doesn't that need a 6 pin connector? which the Dell 530 probably does not have


Could get a split molex


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## Remeca (Aug 13, 2021)

Andy Shiekh said:


> Doesn't that need a 6 pin connector? which the Dell 530 probably does not have.


I'm using a GPU that requires a 6 pin connector now. My bigger concern would be lack of UEFI compatibility with newer GPUs.


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## theFOoL (Aug 13, 2021)

Remeca said:


> I'm using a GPU that requires a 6 pin connector now. My bigger concern would be lack of UEFI compatibility with newer GPUs.


Heh didn't know uefi required a good GPU


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## Remeca (Aug 13, 2021)

rk3066 said:


> Heh didn't know uefi required a good GPU


No, I've read about newer GPU's not working in PC's without UEFI. Even ones as old as the RX500 series.


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## Shrek (Aug 13, 2021)

What is the capacity of the 530s power supply?

I have a Dell 545s whose power supply needed recapping and I don't think it was ever pushed for load.


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## Remeca (Aug 13, 2021)

Andy Shiekh said:


> What is the capacity of the 530 power supply?
> 
> I have a Dell 545 whose power supply needed recapping and I don't think it was ever pushed for load.


I thought it was a 250 in my OP, but I've since checked, it's 350W. I would replace it before getting a GPU that required more than what I have now, and it isn't a proprietary one like my Optiplex, I should be able to put any ATX PSU in there.


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## lexluthermiester (Aug 13, 2021)

rk3066 said:


> Could get a split molex


It would need to be a SATA power connector splitter as the 530s PSU has no molex plugs.



Remeca said:


> I'm using a GPU that requires a 6 pin connector now.


How are you doing that? Does your PSU look like the following?


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## theFOoL (Aug 13, 2021)

What.... How lame sir


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## lexluthermiester (Aug 13, 2021)

rk3066 said:


> What.... How lame sir


Maybe, it depends on whether they have a slimline version of the 530s or the desktop version.


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## Shrek (Aug 13, 2021)

I thought the 530s was the slim unit and the 530 the desktop.


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## Remeca (Aug 13, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> Maybe, it depends on whether they have a slimline version of the 530s or the desktop version.


Desktop. As you can see, the PSU does have a 6pin connector, which I am using instead of the sata to 6pin adapter I had to use with this card when it was in my Optiplex.


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## Shrek (Aug 13, 2021)

Ah, the 530 not the 530s


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## Remeca (Aug 13, 2021)

Andy Shiekh said:


> Ah, the 530 not the 530s


Is that the naming scheme? Wonder why I thought S. That should clear some things up.


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## theFOoL (Aug 13, 2021)

Hmm I like the look of this but I'd change the LED to green


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## Retrorockit (Aug 14, 2021)

Andy Shiekh said:


> Doesn't that need a 6 pin connector? which the Dell 530 probably does not have.


That's why a discussion of PSU requirements followed. But the older 305W 2 rail PSU could probably run one with an adapter. The newer 290W IDK.


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## Shrek (Aug 14, 2021)

I find it amazing how useable Core 2 computers remain, even in this day and age.

I have

Two Core 2 duo DDR2 machines
Two Core 2 quad DDR3 machines
all of which run Windows 10 well


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## theFOoL (Aug 14, 2021)

Andy Shiekh said:


> I find it amazing how useable Core 2 computers remain, even in this day and age.
> 
> I have
> 
> ...


Once I'll upload my Windows 11 Images will try to install it and be amazed how 11 is?  This image has the TPMpass fix


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## Shrek (Aug 14, 2021)

Remeca said:


> This is the specs:
> 
> 
> Appendix: Dell Inspiron 530s Series Owner's Manual
> ...



Will the Dell BIOS support a Core 2 quad?


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## theFOoL (Aug 14, 2021)

Andy Shiekh said:


> Will the Dell BIOS support a Core 2 quad?


Just Google it - Sad but Meh *LINK*


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## Remeca (Aug 14, 2021)

Andy Shiekh said:


> Will the Dell BIOS support a Core 2 quad?


It had a quad as an option, so I would say yes. 









						Dell Inspiron 530 Desktop Computer (Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600, 500GB HDD, 4GB) Specs
					

Dell Inspiron 530 Desktop Computer (Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600, 500GB HDD, 4GB) overview and full product specs on CNET.




					www.cnet.com


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## Shrek (Aug 14, 2021)

rk3066 said:


> Just Google it - Sad but Meh *LINK*



The OP seems to also have the DG33M03; it is the DG33M02 that can't run the quad.


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## eidairaman1 (Aug 14, 2021)

Andy Shiekh said:


> I find it amazing how useable Core 2 computers remain, even in this day and age.
> 
> I have
> 
> ...


I had a 754 SC cpu on W7,.


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## theFOoL (Aug 14, 2021)

eidairaman1 said:


> I had a 754 SC cpu on W7,.


How's that going for you?


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## lexluthermiester (Aug 14, 2021)

Andy Shiekh said:


> I find it amazing how useable Core 2 computers remain, even in this day and age.
> 
> I have
> 
> ...


The limitations are CPU instruction sets. The C2D/C2Q line just don't have many of the newer, well utilized, features. Even 1366 gen CPU's are lacking a few, such as AVX. While OS software will run, there will be an increasing number of software titles and games that do not.


Andy Shiekh said:


> Will the Dell BIOS support a Core 2 quad?


Yes, that system supports all of C2Q range except maybe the Extreme range, not sure about those. The G33 chipset was an economy/budget offering for the last gen of 775 CPU's and was design to support the Quad range or CPU's.


rk3066 said:


> Just Google it - Sad but Meh *LINK*


The user "Speedstep" needs to be ignored. The limitations that user described are complete nonsense. There are plenty of G33 based systems that fully support Quads that only have 3 phase power, to no ill effect. The logic and reasoning he presented are deeply flawed and flat out wrong. ALL versions of the G33 chipset will support Quad core CPU's. However, the "Extreme Edition" CPU's are an area of concern, but that is the ONLY concern. A concern negated buy an upgrade of PSU to a 350w or better.


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## Shrek (Aug 14, 2021)

100W at 1V means 100A; that is quite a load on the VRM


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## lexluthermiester (Aug 14, 2021)

Andy Shiekh said:


> 100W at 1V means 100A; that is quite a load on the VRM


If you think about it, that is a walk in the park for most VRMs. On average, most CPU load line VRM's can handle 60A each or better, even back then. They had to as Pentium 4 CPU's were just the previous generation of CPU's and were VERY power hungry. So spreading that 100A load across 3 VRM's is more than doable. Now consider that the Q9650 is a 95W part(and yes TDP is often the same number as the power wattage draw): 95w x 1.35v = 70.37A. So 70A spread across 3 phase VRM is nothing-sauce. Even when overclocking with the wattage bumped up to the 150W range and the voltage bumped to 1.5V, you still only get 100A because of how the Wattage/Voltage calculations work. While that may seem counter-intuitive it is how the physics works out. So again, more than manageable for 3 phase VRM's.

Those numbers can be run at the following site:





						Convert Amps, Volts, and Watts (A, V and W)
					

Converts Amps, Volts and Watts (A, V, and W). Calculates power, current and voltage



					convert-formula.com
				




This is why the statement in that Dell thread by "SpeedStep" is without merit. They seem to fail to understand how power regulation works.


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## Shrek (Aug 14, 2021)

It's all about learning for me; that, and I happen to have a DG33M03 board although it is not in use at the moment.


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## Remeca (Aug 14, 2021)

The thermal paste came today, the CPU is coming around Tuesday, so I thought while I waited I'd practice and try the tape mod on the Pentium E6600 tonight, and if I'm successful, maybe I'll try it on my Dimension 5150 with a Pentium D 945 too.

I was surprised, it worked kinda on the Pentium e6600. BIOS didn't see a change, still showed 3.06GHz, same with Windows info. HWmonitor and CPUz showed it going up to 3.8GHz. Unfortunately it wasn't stable, and Windows would give me a hardware error and shut down after 5 minutes.






Had a thought. Took out the 667 1gb stick, put in 2x1gb 800 I remembered were in my Dimension currently not being used. It can live with 4x1GB at 667 for Windows XP. Anyway, now it's running perfectly stable at 3.8GHz, so far, with 6GB of 800. I ran userbenchmark a few times, not sure about the results. It's an improvement from the first run overall (due to RAM?), but it's either misreading the CPU speed or it isn't really improving performance at all or I don't know how to read the results.

Before RAM upgrade to 6GB 800Mhz and CPU to (allegedly) 3.8GHz:


			Dell Inspiron 530 Performance Results - UserBenchmark
		


After:


			Dell Inspiron 530 Performance Results - UserBenchmark


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## Shrek (Aug 15, 2021)

I'm one who avoids overclocking like the plague; I just can't afford instabilities, I just need things to work.


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## Remeca (Aug 17, 2021)

C2D E7500 installed, ran no issues first time with the tape mod @3.6GHz. I think this is progress. It now feels like the only time I'm waiting around for the system to do something, the HDD is spinning and clicking away like crazy. Next weekend I have another 2x2GB of that OCZ Platinum ddr2 ram coming (gotta look nice with 4 matching sticks). I'll have an SSD ordered and delivered by then. That will be the extent of the upgrades.


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## Shrek (Aug 17, 2021)

I'm a fan of the 3.5" Seagate FireCuda hybrid to keep my machine running fast.


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## lexluthermiester (Aug 17, 2021)

Andy Shiekh said:


> I'm a fan of the 3.5" Seagate FireCuda hybrid to keep my machine running fast.


And those work well.



Remeca said:


> C2D E7500 installed, ran no issues first time with the tape mod @3.6GHz. I think this is progress. It now feels like the only time I'm waiting around for the system to do something, the HDD is spinning and clicking away like crazy. Next weekend I have another 2x2GB of that OCZ Platinum ddr2 ram coming (gotta look nice with 4 matching sticks). I'll have an SSD ordered and delivered by then. That will be the extent of the upgrades.


I'd still recommend you get a Q9560 or Q9550, just in case you need the extra cores for some reason. The tape trick also seems to work on them, so you'll likely get a similar boost.


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## Remeca (Aug 17, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> And those work well.
> 
> 
> I'd still recommend you get a Q9560 or Q9550, just in case you need the extra cores for some reason. The tape trick also seems to work on them, so you'll likely get a similar boost.


I'll probably do the Q9550 down the road. New GPU too when prices aren't insane. Now that this is winding down, my main PC is ramping up, just picked up some upgrades for it and am going to have to figure that out.


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## lexluthermiester (Aug 17, 2021)

Remeca said:


> just picked up some upgrades for it and am going to have to figure that out.


If you need some help or insights, you know where to come. I'm certain I speak for many here at TPU when I say we'd be happy to help.



Remeca said:


> I'll probably do the Q9550 down the road.


Speaking of, you got $50? You'd end up with a spare mobo and ram as well!








						[FS][US] - C2Q 9550 CPU and board (SOLD)
					

SOLD>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>  Intel Motherboard  DP43BF Core 2 Quad 9550 CPU Mushkin PC3 12800 Matched set 2X4 9-9-9-24 Rosewill RCX Z775 80 mm cooler  The GPU I would like to keep for testing.  SOLD  Let me know if anyone is interested




					www.techpowerup.com
				



@Jetster
Give this gentlemen a PM chat and see if you can work a deal!


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## Remeca (Aug 17, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> If you need some help or insights, you know where to come. I'm certain I speak for many here at TPU when I say we'd be happy to help.


I am impatient and want to put my stock 4770 HSF on my new 4790k, although I am not sure that will be sufficient. I am looking at many fans on Amazon, it's just hard to fight that voice saying "It's good enough." The CPU also came with a much better than Optiplex motherboard (MSI Z97 Gaming 7), but it's presumed not working because it wouldn't post. Might be worth investigating that too, even if it would require a new case if it were to be working. 


lexluthermiester said:


> Speaking of, you got $50?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I saw that and wished it had been posted earlier, would have saved me some time and money. Now that I'm at the finish line, I don't know what I'd do with a third lga775 PC.


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## lexluthermiester (Aug 17, 2021)

Remeca said:


> I don't know what I'd do with a third lga775 PC.


Don't turn it into a third system, take the CPU out, plug it into the current one and keep the mobo and ram as spares! Only suggestions though...


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## Remeca (Aug 24, 2021)

So frustrated. Bought another 2x2GB OCZ platinum ddr2 800, and the PC will not boot with more than 2 of them together in most combinations. They all work individually in all slots, both kits work together in both slots, one time I got 3 of them to boot together, but can't get it again. I added a different 2gb and 1gb so now it has 7GB of very confused ram, which it thinks is fine.


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## Shrek (Aug 24, 2021)

You still overclocking the CPU?


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## Remeca (Aug 24, 2021)

Andy Shiekh said:


> You still overclocking the CPU?


Yes, Windows and BIOS still see 2.93GHz, but HWmonitor shows a maximum of 3.6. You think that is messing with the ram compatibility?


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## Shrek (Aug 24, 2021)

That's my guess.


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## lexluthermiester (Aug 25, 2021)

Remeca said:


> Yes, Windows and BIOS still see 2.93GHz, but HWmonitor shows a maximum of 3.6. You think that is messing with the ram compatibility?


Very likely. Drop back to defaults, install the extra RAM and that retest your OC one step at a time. PAR for the course unfortunately.


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