Results 1 to 7 of 7

Thread: Dell Dimension Upgrade

  1. #1
    Nothing runs like a Deere cotswoldcs's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Location
    Bang in the heart of the cotswolds
    Posts
    793
    Thanks
    40
    Thanked
    18 times in 18 posts
    • cotswoldcs's system
      • Motherboard:
      • Asus P4C800-E Deluxe
      • CPU:
      • Pentium 4 3.0Ghz Northwood (@3.4Ghz on water)
      • Memory:
      • 1.5Gb Corsair TwinX PC3200/PC3700
      • Storage:
      • 150Gb Raptor
      • Graphics card(s):
      • XFX 6600GT 128Mb (w waterblock)
      • PSU:
      • Seasonic S12-380
      • Case:
      • Antec Sonata I
      • Monitor(s):
      • 3 x Iiyama 19" LCD (5:4) on Comrac Tripple Mount
      • Internet:
      • PlusNet 1.6Mb ADSL

    Dell Dimension Upgrade

    I have a Dell Dimension 4600 (2.66Ghz, 512Mb RAM, on-board graphics) that I want to upgrade. Mainly used for gaming, Internet, basic apps, etc.

    Adding 2 x 256Mb PC2700 memory taking the computer to 1Gb seems worthwhile. I have checked that there are two slots free and according to a link from Google the Dell has PC2700.

    First question is should I go for PC3200 instead of PC2700 just in case I decide to buy a new machine later???

    Second question, how far can I go with the graphics card. Will the Dell take a 6800 based card???? It only has an AGP slot and I think only a 250W PSU? (Can anyone confirm this?)

    I'd appreciate your thoughts.

  2. #2
    Nothing runs like a Deere cotswoldcs's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Location
    Bang in the heart of the cotswolds
    Posts
    793
    Thanks
    40
    Thanked
    18 times in 18 posts
    • cotswoldcs's system
      • Motherboard:
      • Asus P4C800-E Deluxe
      • CPU:
      • Pentium 4 3.0Ghz Northwood (@3.4Ghz on water)
      • Memory:
      • 1.5Gb Corsair TwinX PC3200/PC3700
      • Storage:
      • 150Gb Raptor
      • Graphics card(s):
      • XFX 6600GT 128Mb (w waterblock)
      • PSU:
      • Seasonic S12-380
      • Case:
      • Antec Sonata I
      • Monitor(s):
      • 3 x Iiyama 19" LCD (5:4) on Comrac Tripple Mount
      • Internet:
      • PlusNet 1.6Mb ADSL
    I'm tempted by this XFX 6800XT card from Ebuyer


    not sure about the memory. I thought the 4600 (2.66Ghz) was running at 333Mhz and that PC2700 RAM was the best type but if I go for PC3200 whilst it may only work at PC2700 it should work OK? However, someone told me that memory timing issues can be a problem with Dell machines. He recommended I stick with Kingston or Micron memory.

    Any comments on this?

  3. #3
    Treasure Hunter extraordinaire herulach's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    Bolton
    Posts
    5,618
    Thanks
    18
    Thanked
    172 times in 159 posts
    • herulach's system
      • Motherboard:
      • MSI Z97 MPower
      • CPU:
      • i7 4790K
      • Memory:
      • 8GB Vengeance LP
      • Storage:
      • 1TB WD Blue + 250GB 840 EVo
      • Graphics card(s):
      • 2* Palit GTX 970 Jetstream
      • PSU:
      • EVGA Supernova G2 850W
      • Case:
      • CM HAF Stacker 935, 2*360 Rad WC Loop w/EK blocks.
      • Operating System:
      • Windows 8.1
      • Monitor(s):
      • Crossover 290HD & LG L1980Q
      • Internet:
      • 120mb Virgin Media
    2x512mb crucial value should do you fine, pc3200 is actually cheaper in a lot of places than pc2700, so you may as well get it yes

  4. #4
    radix lecti dave87's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    England
    Posts
    12,806
    Thanks
    657
    Thanked
    931 times in 634 posts
    • dave87's system
      • Motherboard:
      • Asus
      • CPU:
      • i5 3470k under Corsair H80 WC
      • Memory:
      • 8gb DDR3
      • Storage:
      • 240gb SSD + 120gb SSD
      • Graphics card(s):
      • Asus HD7950
      • PSU:
      • XFX 600w Modular
      • Case:
      • Lian Li PC-A05FNB + Acoustipack
      • Operating System:
      • Windows 10 Pro
      • Monitor(s):
      • 2x Dell S2309W (1920x1080)
      • Internet:
      • BT Infinity Option 2
    Go with Crucial Geil or Kingston, theyll be perfect for what you need. Buy 1x512mb instead of 2x256, cause that'll leave you another slot for another 512 should the need ever arise. PC3200 would be perfectly fine with your other ram, shouldn't be a problem. Graphics card wise just go for the best you can afford. I bought a 6800 then unlocked it to gt standards, saving myself around £70. I'll dig the link out if you want.
    Just a word of warning, Ebuyer aren't the best in terms of customer service, and I think now you've got more than 25 posts you can get free delivery off scan, making them more competitive, and plus the fact if there are any problems, theyre right on here and they always do the best they can to help

    Dave

  5. #5
    Banhammer in peace PeterB kalniel's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Posts
    31,023
    Thanks
    1,870
    Thanked
    3,381 times in 2,718 posts
    • kalniel's system
      • Motherboard:
      • Gigabyte Z390 Aorus Ultra
      • CPU:
      • Intel i9 9900k
      • Memory:
      • 32GB DDR4 3200 CL16
      • Storage:
      • 1TB Samsung 970Evo+ NVMe
      • Graphics card(s):
      • nVidia GTX 1060 6GB
      • PSU:
      • Seasonic 600W
      • Case:
      • Cooler Master HAF 912
      • Operating System:
      • Win 10 Pro x64
      • Monitor(s):
      • Dell S2721DGF
      • Internet:
      • rubbish
    512mb ram isn't actually all that limiting as long as you don't do too much at once.

    You will however get something like a 2000% improvment if you buy an AGP graphics card.

    That dell will certainly take a 6800 (just make sure to get the AGP one), and don't worry about the PSU, dell rate theirs differently - it's 250W continuous rather than peak. You won't run into problems unless you use SLI (which you can't) and have a ton of hard drives etc all going at once. My last system was a dell dimension 4100.
    Last edited by kalniel; 15-11-2005 at 01:04 PM.

  6. #6
    sneaks quietly away. schmunk's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2004
    Location
    Wiki Wiki Wild West side... of Sussex
    Posts
    4,424
    Thanks
    40
    Thanked
    163 times in 121 posts
    • schmunk's system
      • Motherboard:
      • Abit NF7-S v2.0
      • CPU:
      • AMD Athlon-M 2500+
      • Memory:
      • 1GB of Corsair BH-5 and 512MB of something else
      • Storage:
      • 160GB Seagate Barracuda
      • Graphics card(s):
      • ATI Radeon X800Pro, flashed to XT
      • PSU:
      • Hiper Type-M ~400W
      • Case:
      • Antec cheapy
      • Monitor(s):
      • AG Neovo F19 LCD
      • Internet:
      • Virgin Media 4MB/s
    Quote Originally Posted by cotswoldcs
    He recommended I stick with Kingston or Micron memory.
    Crucial is a brand name of Micron.

  7. #7
    Nothing runs like a Deere cotswoldcs's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Location
    Bang in the heart of the cotswolds
    Posts
    793
    Thanks
    40
    Thanked
    18 times in 18 posts
    • cotswoldcs's system
      • Motherboard:
      • Asus P4C800-E Deluxe
      • CPU:
      • Pentium 4 3.0Ghz Northwood (@3.4Ghz on water)
      • Memory:
      • 1.5Gb Corsair TwinX PC3200/PC3700
      • Storage:
      • 150Gb Raptor
      • Graphics card(s):
      • XFX 6600GT 128Mb (w waterblock)
      • PSU:
      • Seasonic S12-380
      • Case:
      • Antec Sonata I
      • Monitor(s):
      • 3 x Iiyama 19" LCD (5:4) on Comrac Tripple Mount
      • Internet:
      • PlusNet 1.6Mb ADSL
    Thanks everyone for your help.

    I do use Scan but on this ocassion I'm going with eBuyer. Scan do not have a great selection of AGP 6800 cards and few are currently in stock. The 6800XT from ebuyer is also under £100 + VAT.

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Similar Threads

  1. Dell Dimension 5000 deals including TFT, VAT and Del...
    By MD in forum Retail Therapy and Bargains
    Replies: 5
    Last Post: 03-06-2005, 06:44 PM
  2. Dell Dimension 5000 + 8400 Deals....
    By MD in forum SHOPPING AND CLASSIFIEDS
    Replies: 6
    Last Post: 15-04-2005, 04:57 PM
  3. Dell Dimension 3000 w/ 15in LCD: $479
    By DavidA in forum Retail Therapy and Bargains
    Replies: 5
    Last Post: 20-10-2004, 02:42 PM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •