Dell Optiplex 755 Upgrade Project
Overview
It has been a little over a year since I installed three new Dell Optiplex 755 systems (see my earlier review here and here). A memory problem in one of the systems and a moaning power supply fan in another (oddly, not from cat fur) caused me to open a support case with Dell for replacement parts.
This lead to the dreaded “since I’m in here, I wonder what I could do to improve things” thoughts. Since I purchased these systems a year ago, a number of faster components have become available, or have had major price reductions. The main items that I wanted to speed up were: hard drive, video and CPU. I’ll discuss each of these in turn.
Hard drive
As I mentioned in my previous articles, I’ve been very loyal to Seagate in the past. However, they’ve fallen on their face in a number of areas recently. First, they dropped the warranty on many of their drives from 5 years to 3 years. Second, they have had some heavily-publicized firmware problems, including a “fix” that rendered some classes of drives completely non-functional. Plus, drives from other vendors out-perform the Seagate products at certain capacities. One of these is at the 250-300GB range, where Western Digital offers the VelociRaptor™. This drive is offered in 3 configurations, which differ only in the way the drive is mounted. The BLFS version is a bare 2.5″ drive, good for servers with backplanes that require this size drive. It won’t work in a notebook as it is much taller than a normal notebook drive (15mm vs. the normal 9.5mm for a notebook drive). The GLFS version is the previous drive mounted in a 3.5″ frame (which WD calls an IcePack™). However, due to the industry standards for location of the SATA power and data connectors differing for 2.5″ and 3.5″ drives, this version cannot slot in to an enclosure that has backplane connectors for 3.5″ drives. This brings us to the HLFS version, which is similar to the GLFS except that the bare drive is mounted in a slightly different location on the IcePack and there is a passive adapter board which has the connectors in the right spot for mating with SATA backplanes. Since many online merchants list the GLFS and the HLFS at the same price, I don’t know why WD bothers with the GLFS version. There are apparently some minor cooling differences between these versions, but I don’t feel they are enough to justify keeping the GLFS around.
I purchased the HLFS version as the Optiplex has a rather unusual mounting (side-to-side vs. the more common front-to-back) orientation and the cables would line up better. Plus, it would keep my options for future re-use of the drive open.
Here is the drive ready to go into the chassis. The red strip on the right side is the adapter circuit board I mentioned above:
Here is the drive mounted in the chassis. I’ll discuss the non-standard power cable in a later post:
Video card
These systems originally shipped with ATI Radeon HT 2400 XT cards. As I mentioned in my earlier review, that card didn’t support the Dual Link DVI mode that I needed to operate the 3008WFP monitor at its maximum resolution of 2560 x 1600. I replaced it with a different version of the HD 2400 that supported Dual Link. Since then, there have been a number of additional generations of ATI video cards. Unfortunately for me, most of these are dual-slot configurations due to the large fans found on the card. In the Optiplex 755, the video card occupies the uppermost slot in the chassis and there’s no place for the second bracket to go. And that is the only PCIe x16 slot on the chassis.
Looking around, I found the Radeon 3650 which was a single-slot solution. It supported the Dual Link DVI that my monitor required. It also supported the DisplayPort interface which was also found on my monitor. As finding “Built by ATI” video cards is getting harder and harder, I selected the HIS H365F512DPNP card. I have some Cyberlink software installed on this PC which requires a HDCP link to the monitor. Unfortunately, the 3008WFP monitor doesn’t support HDCP when operating in Dual Link mode, so I have to drop the resolution down to 1920 x 1200 or I get an annoying message about my display not being supported and then playback stops.
Since I now had both a monitor and a video card that allegedly supported DisplayPort at 2560 x 1600, I gave that a try. It was a total failure – the display would go into screen saver mode immediately at that resolution. At lower resolutions it would randomly cycle in and out of screen saver mode every few seconds. So much for that idea – back to Dual Link DVI. The monitor is revision A01, which according to Dell has no issues with DisplayPort. But this technology seems to not be ready for deployment.
Here’s the card installed in the system. By the way, I didn’t turn the fan so the HIS logo was right-side-up – that’s just the way the fan stopped when I shut the system down to take the picture:
CPU
I had ordered the systems with the Core 2 Quad Q6600 CPU as the only faster quad core part offered by Dell at the time was the Q6700 which wasn’t a lot faster (2.66GHz vs. 2.40GHz) and which was a lot more expensive. Since then, Dell started offering parts in the Q9xxx family. However, the top-of-the-line Q9650 still isn’t available from Dell in these systems.
Looking at the specs on Intel’s web site, I couldn’t see any reason why a system that supported the Q9550 wouldn’t support the Q9650, so I decided to give it a try. Let’s compare the specs of the Q6600 vs. the Q9650 to see what sort of performance improvements I might get:
Q6600
- 2.40 GHz clock speed
- 1066MHz bus speed
- 8MB cache
- 65nm technology
Q9650
- 3.00 GHz clock speed
- 1333MHz bus speed
- 12MB cache
- 45nm technology
The change from a 65nm feature size to 45nm means that despite the faster clock and larger cache, the thermal specification remains the same at 95W. This means that the existing CPU heatsink and fan could be re-used, which is important as the Optiplex 755 uses a custom cooling solution and not the heatsink / fan provided with the boxed CPU.
After installing the new CPU, a quick power-on test shows that the system properly detected the new CPU:
Dell systems tend to not provide the assorted overclocking tweaks found on some motherboards, so this is likely as fast as this system is going to get unless Intel releases a faster CPU. I had spec’d PC6400 memory when I ordered the systems, and that is the fastest memory the Q35 chipset supports. With 4 matching 1GB modules, the memory runs in what Intel calls “Dual Channel Interleaved” mode, which is the fastest mode. Since the motherboard doesn’t provide tweaks, this CL5 memory is the fastest that can be installed in the system. (All of the memory I’ve found that runs at CL4 and faster still reports itself as CL5 in SPD and expects the tuner to override the SPD settings).
The system is noticibly faster. Backups to my network file server run at around 70MB/second now, compared with 50MB/second before the upgrade. Windows startup is much improved.
One thing I discovered when I re-installed Windows and all my software from scratch – I had previously thought that the Intel Ethernet chipset on this motherboard didn’t support jumbo frames (because the option didn’t appear in the configuration menu as delivered by Dell). But after installing the latest drivers from Intel, the jumbo frame option appeared and I enabled it.
April 14th, 2009 12:23
I have a dell optiplex 755 desktop form factor with a stated PSU of 280 W
What spec GPU (ATO or NVidia) can I get for Dual DVI Monitors that will give me the fastest possible gaming speeds whilst being stable?
The CPU on my optiplex is a dual Core. Can I change that to a quad Core?
I plan on installing 8GB of RAM. Should I go for PC5300 or PC6400 Ram?
Grateful for any any help
April 14th, 2009 12:56
You raise some interesting questions.
First, Dell has been discontinuing the various Optiplex 755 form factors – as of today, the only one still available new is the desktop version.
I only have direct experience with the minitower version, so my info specific to the other versions is gathered from the Dell web site.
1) According to the Dell configurator, the desktop case uses low profile cards. From the manual, it appears that the desktop case also has the graphics card at the top slot. Based on this, it would appear you are limited to single-slot low profile cards. It seems that HIS Digital (the manufacturer I bought my video card from) offers low-profile conversion kits for a number of their cards. If you click on http://www.hisdigital.com/un/product2-420.shtml you can find the list of cards they support under the “Specification” tab. It looks like you can convert a number of cards in the 4350 and 3450 series, most of which would be an improvement over the 2400 series card shipped with the 755. I don’t have any experience with NVidia products.
2) You should be able to upgrade the CPU. The Dell configurator for the desktop version lists the Q6600, Q9450, and Q9550 CPUs as available for that system. I found that the Q9650 worked in the minitower case.
3) Dell only offers the desktop system with a maximum of 4GB of memory. However, the manual says that it supports up to 8GB of memory. I would suggest PC6400 if you’re concerned about performance.
A number of other points:
a) In order to use more than 3.25GB or so of memory, you need to be running a 64-bit operating system. Since you mention gaming, I’ll assume you’re using Windows. At the moment, you’ll be limited to Vista 64-bit edition. While there’s an XP 64-bit, I’ve never seen it in the field. The 64-bit editions require 64-bit drivers and not all vendors provide them. Check to make sure all needed drivers are available before switching to a 64-bit OS.
b) While a quad-core (or dual-core) processor can improve performance for separate programs, or for threaded single programs, you won’t see a speedup on a classic non-threaded program. Use Task Manager to see what sort of CPU loading you get when running your game(s). If the CPU load doesn’t go over around 60% (50% = 1 core of a dual-core dedicated to the game + 10% on the other core for Windows overhead) you may not see a huge speed-up with a quad core processor.
c) If you intend to dedicate a machine to gaming, you might be better off starting with a new full-size system rather than trying to fit everything you want into the desktop 755. In particular, you’re limited in the choice of graphics cards you can use in your current system, both in terms of models (not top-of-the-line) and quantity (no support for multiple cards).
d) If you do go ahead with upgrading your desktop 755, keep a careful watch on the power supply load. A faster / newer graphics card may load the power supply beyond its specifications.
April 14th, 2009 13:06
The PC is a gift which is why I want to se if I can maximise its use
There is no dedicated GPU rather an integrated solution on the motherboard so I guess almost anything would be an improvement. My main concern is the Power supply. My main worry is will the addition of a bigger, faster hard drive, a quad-Core CPU and a Grpahic card (4350 series) be too much for the current power supply?
April 17th, 2009 00:09
Fortunately, as technology evolves you get more performance for the equivalent price (or power, as the case may be).
As an example, the Q9650 I used to replace the Q6600 in my O755 has the same thermal spec as the Q6600.
Looking at the Dell web site for the O755 desktop, you can configure one with the Q9550 (same thermal spec as the Q9650), a Radeon HD 2400 Pro or a Radeon 2400 XT, 4GB RAM and a 250GB hard drive, so you do have some room for expansion.
I’d say you could swap the CPU and add memory without any worries about the power supply.
The 250GB hard drive that Dell uses (at least when I bought mine) was a Seagate ST3250310AS which is rated for .52A at 12V and .72A at 5V. The WD Velociraptor WD3000HLFS is rated for .225A at 12V and .675A at 5V, so you should be able to use that as well.
That leaves the video card as the only concern. The ATI web site doesn’t list the power supply requirements for the HD 2400 Pro or 2400 XT cards. It should be safe to use either of those cards (be sure you get the version with the low-profile bracket), since those are what Dell uses.
July 2nd, 2009 11:48
Terry, you sound like you’ve gone through the 755, inside and out. I have an upgrade situation that I’m hoping you can share some expertise with. I have a 755 D/T, trying to upgrade the CPU from core2 Duo to core2 Quad (Q9550). They system starts, but protests – says the CPU is not compatible with the system.
I can bypass that screen, and start the system into XP Pro SP3, it seems everything is working fine but the fan is running at warp speed, and won’t slow. The BIOS detects the CPU and the 4 cores fine.
Dell sells (through their factory outlet) the 755 D/T with the Q9550 CPU, 1333FSB (which by the way is not listed in the original 755 technical manual) – so I’m thinking it must work – the motherboard/BIOS is protesting my attempt, and I’m stuck…
Any ideas why the Q9550 wouldn’t work?
July 2nd, 2009 17:27
I don’t see why a Q9550 wouldn’t work. Are you running a recent BIOS? The latest as of today is A14, and I was using A13 when I upgraded this system from a Q6600 to a Q9650.
July 6th, 2009 00:09
That was it…I updated the BIOS to A14 – perfect now! Thanks for the wisdom – your site saved me a boatload of time.
July 6th, 2009 00:21
I’m glad I could help!
December 11th, 2009 20:20
I want to connect a second Dell S2209W monitor to my Optplex 755 Mini-tower. Can you recommend a video card that will work or what I need to look for in a video card. I don’t really want to upgrade the power supply. No gaming, just photoshop and HD quality video. I’m guessing I need a PCI Express x16 card, but just guessing.
Thanks.
December 11th, 2009 20:40
The S2209W has both DVI-D and VGA connectors, with DVI-D strongly preferred. The officially-supported Dell solution would be an ATI Radeon HD2400 card, Dell part number 0FM351, and a dual DVI cable, Dell part number 0H9361. These are the parts that shipped with the Optiplex 755 when you ordered it with “Dual DVI”, so it will not overtax the standard 755 power supply.
Looking on eBay right now (search for the part numbers both with and without the leading “0″), it seems you can get both these parts for under $40 delivered, total.
The HD 2400 certainly isn’t a fast video card by today’s standards, but for Photoshop and watching video it should be fine. When you move up to newer and faster video cards, you’ll need a heavier power supply. I’m currently running a Radeon 5750 in one of my 755′s and it requires an auxiliary power connector not present on the stock Dell power supply, for example.
And it appears that the PC Power & Cooling power supply I used for the original article may be discontinued – there aren’t any in stock at the usual places, and availability ranges from “6+ weeks” to “discontinued”, so that’s another reason to stick with the stock power supply.
December 11th, 2009 22:26
Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. The ATI Radeon HD2600 is available for $29.00 at tigerdirect http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5550929&sku=V261-2603 I think I will ggive that a try.
Thank you,
David
December 11th, 2009 22:29
According to the specs, that is an AGP card and thus won’t work in the Optiplex 755, which uses PCI Express x16 for video.
December 11th, 2009 22:50
Oh, maybe that’s why it was so cheap. Good catch. I’m trying to find something new that works with the 755. I like ebay, but want this quick and don’t to go through a possible return. Dell is now recommending the HD 2600 http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/products/Graphics_Cards/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=bsd&cs=04&sku=A1260884&mfgpid=192259&chassisid=8340#Overview , but it is the PCI Express. I would like to be closer to $50 than $115. I appreciate all of the detail in your response. I purchased two of the S2209Ws on black Friday and want to get something on order so they will finally work. I have one hooked up VGA.
December 11th, 2009 23:24
That card should work. With two DVI connectors on that card, you don’t need the oddball Y-cable, either. Be sure to download the latest Catalyst drivers from ATI before changing the video card, since your display will reset to 640 x 480 VGA when you install the card until you install the drivers.
Remember to go into the 755′s BIOS and disable the on-board video. As I recall, the setup option isn’t an on/off, but something like “prefer add-on graphics”.
Also, since that card has HDMI audio on it, your sound may disappear until you tell Windows to not use it for sound. Otherwise, since it is 7.1 audio, Windows will prefer it over the motherboard audio.
December 13th, 2009 16:13
Hi Terry
I’ve got a 755 Small Form Factor which only has a vga out, with which i am connecting it to my tv’s vga.
I want to connect it to my tv via hdmi.
I have looked at several pci-express video cards which have a hdmi out, but the problem is they all recommend a minimum power supply of 300w.
The psu in my 755 is 275w.
I can’t seem to find a psu physically small enough to fit in the 755, as it is a small form factor.
If I install 1 of these video cards, will it not work, because of the 275w power supply?
I have been told that even if I can connect the 755 to the tv via hdmi, it will only carry video, not audio. So, i’ll probably just connect some speakers to the pc to get better sound, instead of connecting the 755 3.5mm out to the tv via composite.
I also want to upgrade the hard drive at some point from the current 160gb to either 1.5tb or 2tb. As long as I update the BIOS, the 755 should support a hard drive this big shouldn’t it? Also, will there be any problems with the power supply?
Thanks in advance.
Thanks
December 14th, 2009 22:11
I don’t personally have the SFF version of the 755, but in looking at the manual on Dell’s web site it says that a PCI Express x16 video card can be installed. Looking at the Dell support page for the 755, the add-on graphic card drivers are for ATI Radeon HD 2400 Pro, HD 2400 XT, and the X1300, so that’s what they shipped with those boxes. I’d suggest searching on eBay for “Radeon Low Profile” for those models with a DVI output. Make sure the listing includes the low profile bracket, as those cards were also sold with a full height bracket, and the low profile one may have been lost along the way.
Once you get a card with a DVI output, you can use a DVI to HDMI adapter (they’re mostly the same thing, just different connector shapes) to get HDMI for your TV. One thing to be aware of is that Radeon cards from that era tend to use a somewhat unusual connector which needs a splitter (see a previous comment by me) to get actual DVI ports.
Of course, if you could find a low profile video card with a HDMI connector that met your system’s power requirements, none of this would be neecessary.
Regarding the hard drive, storage capacity is (mostly) unrelated to the power requirements. Look at the drive you have in there now – it should have a label listing the power requirements of the drive for both 5V and 12V. Just pick a replacement drive with equal or lower requirements.
December 18th, 2009 00:30
I found a new card on ebay for $47.00 and it arrived today. The DVI cables came with the S2209Ws. The Radeon HD2600 Pro PCIe works perfectly. The dual monitors are a major upgrade. I use them at work and can be much more productive. I appreciate all your help. It saved me a lot of time and trouble.
Thanks,
David
December 18th, 2009 00:42
Glad to be of assistance!
January 2nd, 2010 13:14
Greetings and Happy New Year. So I’ve found a couple of memory manufacturers that now have 16GB kits (4x4GB) (e.g. OCZ OCZ2VU80016GQ). Does anyone have any experience using 4GB DIMMS in a 755 or is 8GB the limit?
Thanks!
David
January 3rd, 2010 20:31
I’m pretty sure that it is limited to 8GB. The Intel Q35 chipset brochure at http://www.intel.com/Assets/PDF/prodbrief/317312.pdf says that it is limited to 8GB, and I’ve never seen a Q35-based board claim to support more. Two 4GB DIMMs *might* work, but since you can’t expand beyond 8GB and 4 2GB are less expensive than 2 4GB, I don’t consider it worth the risk that this configuration might not work.
January 4th, 2010 07:09
well i decided to register and add some good information to yours.. i have a optiplex 960 and will be getting a optiplex 755.. i upgraded the 960 with a proprietary power supply that provides 425 watts instead of the 305 watts that come with both units.. this will allow you to use the ATI 5750/5770 and it has the required video power connector and amperage to run these cards without issues.. the dell part number for the power supply is.. C921D there is one seller on ebay for $45.00 with free shipping.. it will work with both the 960 and 755.. and i’m sure with others in the series.. i installed a E5300 CPU in the 960 and will be putting a E7500 in the 755.. i like the BTX airflow and the layout of these units.. i buy them as just a case/power supply/motherboard.. and build it from there.. total cost? roughly $450.. for either units.. here’s a breakdown for the 755.. $100 for the CASE/MB/PS.. $13.50 for the heatsink.. $50.00 for 2GB of PC6400 DDR2 ram.. $45.00 for the upgraded power supply.. $150 for the ATI 5750 vid card.. $90.00 for the E7500 CPU.. (i already had a hard drive and DVD/CD reader) honestly this sytem will be quite powerful.. i hope some of this information helps..
January 4th, 2010 07:20
I have an upcoming article about upgrading the 755 to Windows 7. One of the changes was to replace the video card with an ATI HD 5750 (I haven’t seen any single-slot HD 5770 or higher cards as of yet).
Several months ago I did pretty much the same thing as you describe – I purchased one of the “scratch and dent” bare chassis / motherboard / power supply packages and re-used the Q6600 from the upgrade in my original post. One thing for others to be aware of when doing this is to make sure that you get the heat sink / shroud retaining bracket, either with the case or with the heat sink.
It is good to know about this alternate power supply. The PC Power & Cooling supply I used in my original post seems to be discontinued – even though it is still listed on the PCP&C web site, it isn’t in stock at any resellers.
January 4th, 2010 07:34
also the power supply is setup specifically for the dell BTX form factor.. so all the cables go where they need to go with no need to modify.. also all the power for the drives are of the SATA variety.. no MOLEX power connectors.. (plus 2-6 pin vid card connectors) this makes it a very neat install.. and the heatsink for $13.50 does include the shroud.. i bought the vid card/memory from New Egg the rest was all Ebay.. (gotta love free shipping!) kinda sucks to pay $1400 not that long ago for a 755 and now you can build and even more powerful unit for less than $500.. i love putting these things together.. going from random parts to a fully functional PC..
January 24th, 2010 21:30
Wow, great project and I am thinking of doing something similar. At first I was thinking of putting a dual core in my 620 (for about $125) but it seems I can go quad (Q9550) with a 755.
Here is my plan:
755 tower case/mb/psu (305w) $99,
processor heatsink (J9161) $23,
425w Dell PSU (C921D) $45,
Q9550 quad 2.8ghz proc ~$200,
4gb RAM PC6400 (already have 2gb) $44 (newegg),
OCZ Vertex SSD 60GB ~$150,
2x 1.5TB 7.2krpm HD’s (alreadh have ST31500341AS),
DVD burner (already have a spare SATA),
All prices are eBay unless otherwise specified. So the total so far is ~$561.
I need the best video card for under $150ish. I have a VisionTek Radeon x1300 (PCIe 256mb) and need a better card that will support Dual-Link for my Dell 30″ (3007wfphc). I would like an ATI HD 5750 range card (or nvidia). It seems the only card that might work is the HIS H575FN1GD for $152 (newegg and out of stock). The limiting factors are the 425w PSU, 755′s single PCIe slot, and Dual-Link requirement. Any thoughts of what video card I should get? Also KYFEAM, what 5750 did you get?
I will be running 7 ultimate. I wonder how much fast the 755 will be against my XP based GX620 with the x1300, 3.2ghz single core, and the factory 80gb 4k-5krpm HD.
January 24th, 2010 21:57
I have the H575FN1GD from Newegg in the O755 I upgraded to Windows 7 (full article coming soon). The choice of HD 5xxx cards is pretty limited due to the single available slot in the O755.
I don’t know what power cables come on the Dell C921D supply, but I’d be interested to hear back from you.
I found that Windows 7 (Ultimate x64) on the exact same hardware as Windows XP was quite a bit faster. I added another 4GB of RAM and a 32GB Kingston DT410 USB stick for ReadyBoost. Obviously, you won’t need that if you’re installing a SSD.
BTW, on the O755 with the original Q6600, the H575FN1GD video card, and a WD3000HLFS Velociraptor drive, the Windows Experience Index scores are:
Processor Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Quad CPU Q6600 @ 2.40GHz 7.1
Memory (RAM) 8.00 GB 7.1
Graphics ATI Radeon HD 5700 Series 7.3
Gaming graphics 4091 MB Total available graphics memory 7.3
Primary hard disk 197GB Free (279GB Total) 5.9
January 24th, 2010 23:40
The heatsink I listed I think is wrong. I think it is supposed to be J9761 but if anyone can confirm that please. And I can’t seem to find one for $13.50 as noted in a post.
As for the C921D PSU it seems that it works for KYFEAM but I have no idea. From the web it seems to have the following connectors:
ATX 20/24Pin
1x P4 connector
1x 8pin CPU connector
4x molex
1x floppy
2x sata
1x PCIe
The funny thing is I just realized I have an unused Thermaltake W0100RU 500w PSU and it has:
ATX 20/24Pin
1x 4pin +12v
8x molex
2x floppy
4x sata
1x PCIe
Will this PSU fit/work in an O755? Seems to be missing a 1x 8pin CPU connector but the internet info on the dell PSU could be wrong and there isn’t such a thing needed for a O755.
January 25th, 2010 00:02
I just checked my PSU in my GX620, model N305p-03 and it has
ATX 20/24Pin
1x P4 connector (UNUSED)
1x 4pin (to the MB, assume +12v?)
2x molex
1x floppy
2x sata
If this is the same type of connections needed in an O755 then I assume the Thermaltake will work.
The Dell PSU seems to be about the same size, etc. as the thermaltake, not a PSU expert here so whats your opinion on me using the PSU (w0100RU) I already have than spending $45 on ebay?
January 25th, 2010 02:54
ok A-lex.. the reason i use the 425 watt XPS power supply is all the cords are the proper length.. it has 2 PCIe video card connectors.. but you only need/can use one of them.. my video card is the Asus EAH5750 single slot video card bought off New Egg for $145 the power supply runs it with no issues at all.. ATI HD5750′s dont use more than 86 watts at full load.. 11 watts above what the PCIe slot can handle.. so you need this power supply.. it’s also a 88% efficient PSU.. so your golden.. you can try your 500 watt.. but chances are it wont fit correctly due to the position of the power plug input.. and wire layout of the connectors.. also the fan placement.. if the fan is top mounted.. it wont work.. the fan on the Dell power supply is located in the back of the PSU.. blowing air over the innards of the PSU and out the back of the PC.. not sure if a front mounted one is safe or not.. and honestly $45 is not alot considering it’s a quality PSU.. i ended up putting the ATI HD5750 in my Dell Optiplex 960.. i prefer the look of the 960.. looks beefier.. and the whole back has vents in it to allow better airflow from the front mounted fan.. Optiplex 960 case/MB/PSU run about $15 dollars more off the Bay.. and i consider that quite a bargain..
February 15th, 2010 10:10
I finally got the OS installed after getting all the parts in…
Dell 960 MT case/mb $115
Dell 425w PSU (C921D) $40
Dell heatsink (J9161) $25
Q9650 quad 3.0ghz proc $265
6gb RAM PC6400 (already have 2gb) $108 (local with tax),
OCZ Vertex SSD 120GB $365,
2x 1.5TB 7.2krpm HD’s (alreadh have ST31500341AS),
24x DVD burner, $42 (local with tax)
HIS HD 5770 1GB $152
So I ended up spending more than $1100 which was way more than I wanted to do but I obviously made some changes. I figured a 960 chassis was worth $15 more so there you go with that. There was a spike in processor costs on eBay during the time I wanted a proc and of course I decided to go with a 3GHZ which was $50 more than the 2.8GHZ (at the time and they were a bit high at the time themselves). I decided to go with a 120GB SSD which raised the cost considerably. I was mistaken and didn’t have a SATA drive and instead of waiting another week for Newegg (or pay the cost advantage reducing shipping, I bought local and of course they didn’t have a 22x for $10 cheaper, just the 24x). Last but not least is the video card. The HD5750 from HIS seemed like it was never going to be available from Newegg etc. and then I saw the HD5770 single card slot for $162.
There were problems geting this card in place. First the plastic surround (fan schroud) has to be unscrewd and taken off, then the Dell Heat sink plastic surround has to have a bit trimmed out to make way for the card’s heat sink. The 3rd problem is that the lower “copper” tube that comes out from the video card’s processor is exactly 1mm directly over the top of a capacitor on the Dell MB. So far no issues, first the copper colored piece doesn’t get warmer than my finger (feels ambient to body temp warm to the finger), 2nd, I put a piece of abs plastic (from when I cut/trimmed the dell heat sink) between the copper piece and the capacitor.
The machine gets to from the Dell 960 loading (A06) window to the logon screen in less than 22 seconds.
So instead of my original ~$700 I ended up spending ~$1100. hmmm. but I think the extra costs for drive space, ram, and speed were probably worth it.
The Windows Experience Index scores are
Processor Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Quad CPU Q9650 @ 3.00GHz 7.3
Memory (RAM) 6.00 GB 7.3
Graphics ATI Radeon HD 5700 Series 7.4
Gaming graphics 3774 MB Total available graphics memory 7.4
Primary hard disk 93GB Free (119GB Total) 7.3
So far, extremely fast. 11x faster startup time, high intensity calculation using all 4 cores is 12x faster. (faster than my dell 620, single core 3.2 with 4gb of ram, the 80gb 5.4k rpm original drive, and an Radeon x1300 video card.
February 15th, 2010 16:19
wow.. that is a bit more then my cost lol.. i knew getting the 5770 would be a clearance issue.. also the 5770 draws more power.. and with all your extra goodies.. i’m impressed the PSU is working well.. i heard Dell understates the power of there PSU’s.. big fan of the fancy bios.. they have the new optiplex 780 case/PSU/mobo on Ebay for $120.. might biuld one of those.. uses DDR3 ram.. has the same look as the 755-760 optiplexes.. wish it has the 960 sleek look though.. the 960′s are quite the tank.. glad it worked out for you..
February 15th, 2010 18:18
I have a Dell Optiplex GX620 obtained cheap and was going to upgrade putting Win 7 Pro, checking the specs it appears that it could theoretically take 8GB (4x2GB) but I checked further and found that this wouldn’t be the case, would I be limited to 4GB?
Following the above with interest I may well go the 755 route as inspired by this thread as I have the chance to buy one
February 16th, 2010 21:50
@a-lex – The Powercolor AX5770 1GBD5-H has been confirmed (by me) to fit in the O755 SMT case with no clearance issues. Newegg is only listing the 512MB version of this card, but the 1GB one is in stock at various other places. I got mine from superbiiz.com. The Powercolor gives you a VGA instead of the Displayport found on the HIS. Both have dual-link DVI and HDMI.
@darkmatter – As far as I can determine, the GX620 is limited to 4GB total memory.
February 17th, 2010 01:26
My other computer is a GX 620 and I decided I wanted a better processor than it can handle.
Yeah it ended up costing more mainly because I went up to the 3ghz, the SSD and my miscalulation of thinking I already had the RAM and DVD.
The HD5770 works like a champ, like I said, had to trim the fan shroud a bit, no biggie, and put a small piece of ABS between the capacitor and the GPU heat sync. Also had to take off the HD5770 plastic housing (unscrews off).
Overall I am very happy and can sell off my un-cannibalized gx620 to a friend to recoup some of the cost.
February 20th, 2010 15:40
Terry, Many thanks for your response, I have managed to find a 755 at reasonable cost so will soon look to upgrade it Quad core, 8GB Ram etc.
My young daughter will be able to use the GX620, it is quite a well specified machine Pentium D processor 3.4Ghz with 4GB Ram and have put a GeForce GT240 graphics card in it.
February 28th, 2010 02:27
Hi, I have a Dell Optiplex 755, and ran into problems when installing an Intel core 2 duo quad processor Q8300. When I started the system up, I got an error that said
‘this system does not support your processor.’
However, when I checked the bios the processor was correctly recognized as the Q8300. Also, during the diagnostic test, f5, when testing the cpu, the computer shutdown due to a system event. I believe it may have been overheating. Although, I was using the fan installed in the case.
What do I need to do to get the Q8300 to work on the Optiplex 755?
February 28th, 2010 02:54
@domino58 – What BIOS revision do you have on the O755? The latest (as of today) is A16, released this January. Another user (see earlier comments) got the “unsupported processor” error on a Q9550 and it was solved by updating the BIOS.
The Q8300 seems to have the same thermal specs as the Q9650 I’m running, so as long as you installed a new thermal pad on the heat sink (or used a good grease like Arctic Silver) I wouldn’t expect to see a thermal event.
I don’t have any first-hand info on the Q8300 CPU in an O755, so do post a reply and let us know if you got it working.
February 28th, 2010 11:03
I downloaded the a16 bios update from dell. However, I need to flash the bios without a working cpu. Is this possible? Can I set the bios to boot to a usb thumb drive, and flash the bios from the thumb drive?
I am not sure if I am correct, but as long as the usb drive contains the system files the computer might be able to boot to it. I know this can be done without a harddrive, but is it possible without a working cpu?
June 2nd, 2010 07:37
iv just purchased a Intel DUAL CORE 775 PENTIUM 4 2.8GHz 2MB 800MHz SL8CP pcu to upgrade from my factory 1.8ghz, but nothing is happening, it powers up but no display… the cpu also heats up and had been tested on another machine so i know it works.. could any one help me please? my machine is the dell optiplex 755 mid form.. thank you
June 2nd, 2010 17:30
@scrappy – The Pentium D isn’t listed as a supported processor in the O755 tech specs – http://www.dell.com/downloads/global/Products/optix/en/opti_755_techspecs.pdf (page 10). That doesn’t mean that it definitely won’t work, but that it hasn’t been tested and sold that way.
If the CPU works in another system but not in the 755, that probably means it won’t work. Most CPUs that are at least somewhat compatible will POST to the point where the system says “Unsupported CPU’ and shuts down.
You could try updating the BIOS to the latest (A17, I think) with the original CPU and then trying the new CPU again, to see if that helps.
July 13th, 2010 22:40
hey there this article is perfect as I have a Dell 755 Desktop. It is a tower. I’m still not even damn sure what its considered as Dell has or had like 4 designs but I believe this to be a normal tower.
Here is my question. This 755 has a Q6600 @ 2.4GHz. Since you can’t overclock these CPUs because the BIOS is locked from Dell. If I understood correctly you bought a Q9650 @ 3.0GHz and just dropped the CPU right in and the BIOS showd the upgrade with no hiccups? If so I’d like to do the same. I’m in the process of buying the Silencer 500 Dell PSU as well as I’m getting the 3008WFP.
I’m just not ready to buy another computer so I’m trying to max this one out which isn’t bad now at 8GB RAM with Win 7 64bit.
thanks
thanks
July 13th, 2010 22:59
@y2k2: Yes, I just replaced the Q6600 with a Q9650. Make sure you have a recent BIOS or it may power up with “Unsupported CPU” and halt after the CPU swap.
July 14th, 2010 00:09
Ok pretty cool. So there are no jumpers to set on the motherboard or anything like that correct? Sorry just want to make double sure. Frying boards cost money.
thanks and great write-up!
July 14th, 2010 02:13
@y2k2: No jumpers for the CPU type or voltage. Just swap and go (make sure you have some fresh thermal grease to put on the new CPU).
July 14th, 2010 02:23
thanks, appreciate your responses.
July 26th, 2010 08:51
hi
iam a user of optiplex 755 i have purchased this machine here in Pakistan which is second hand it has only one issue on it which is with my on board lan boradcam lan which shows me a messege whith yellow sing of accemilanation on device manager That : Error “This Device Cannot Start Code 10″. i have tried every thing from Windows Xp to Vista and Windows 7 32 & 64 Bit both also my Pc is under warrenty i have asked number of times to Dell Suppport for this problem although they have tried to resolve the issue but still no such progress iam rite now using PCI Lan Card because i dont have any choice please help me out iam in big trouble
July 31st, 2010 16:39
Are you sure your 755 uses a Broadcom network adapter? I just looked at mine and Device Manager reports it has an “Intel 82566DM-2 Gigabit Network Connection”.
August 1st, 2010 13:20
ohh sorry it is Intel Gigabit 100/1000
August 1st, 2010 13:22
u are rite its Intel 82566DM-2 i have tried all the drivers from Dell Drivers support and intel as well but none of them worked for me its always shows me this device cannot start code 10 error on my device manager please advise me sir
August 1st, 2010 13:24
please advise me iam sure you have some valid and reasonable advise for me that why my lan card is not working
August 1st, 2010 13:44
If you boot into the Dell Diagnostics, does the computer test OK or are problems reported? If you no longer have the diagnostic partition on your hard drive, you can download a utility from Dell that will create a bootable CD or USB stick.
I’m using an older version of the PROWIN7x64 driver from Intel – version 9.13.16.
I’d suggest downloading the latest version (as of now, 15.4.1). This is the link for it right now, but may change: http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=18713&lang=eng (choose 32- or 64-bit as appropriate).
If that link doesn’t work, just go to http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Default.aspx and type “prowin32.exe” (without the quotes) into the search box.
To install it, I would suggest the following steps in order:
1) Go into Control Panel / Device Manager, double-click on Network Adapters to expand the list.
2) Double-click on the Intel 82566DM-2 to open its properties page.
3) Click on the Driver tab.
4) Click the Uninstall button.
5) In the new window that opens, check the “Delete the driver software for this device” checkbox and click Ok.
6) Exit almost all the way out (close Device Manager), leave Control Panel open. If prompted to reboot along the way, DON’T reboot.
7) Select Programs and Features from Control Panel.
8) Select “Intel Network Connections” (or something similar) in the list of installed programs.
9)Right-click on that item and select Uninstall/Change. Proceed with the uninstall. Do NOT reboot if asked to.
10) Exit all the way out from Control Panel.
11) Now, run the latest installer you downloaded from Intel at the beginning of this. If it asks you to reboot, go ahead.
If that doesn’t fix it, your problem is more complex than I can troubleshoot via this manner. If you’ve re-installed the OS, Dell doesn’t want to support that. If you have a valid Windows 7 license, you should be able to call Microsoft Support and open a case (which you will have to pay for). I believe it is a flat rate for issues like this, and I don’t know if they still charge if they can’t fix it.
Microsoft has a tech support number in Karachi – +92-21-111 – obviously, I’ve never used it.
Also, please try to put all your information into a single reply rather than sending 2 or 3 right after each other – it makes it easier for others who follow the discussion.
August 2nd, 2010 01:22
Respected Sir
first of all sorry for my mistakes and bad english. You have mentioned the driver ” Win32″ which i have already tried on windows XP but still same problem(code 10 Error) although my Pc is still under warrenty but dell support says that it seems to be a hardware problem and it needs to replace the motherboard beacuse the lan card problem is related to hardware not software but they cant repalce my motherboard beacuse i live in pakistan, Karachi where dell do not offer any support and they have suggested me to use PCI Lan card instead of Onboard lan card which makes me no sense that why i have to use a PCI Lan Card and all i want to know is, that is it really a hardware problem or still i can hope for any solution.
August 2nd, 2010 10:10
Sir
I have run the dell 32Bit diagnostics utility with the bootable cd and all the test are passed successfully, no problem found with any of the hardware. I still belive that this is not something with hardware but on windows it still shows the same massege in device manager code 10 Error
August 2nd, 2010 14:04
Iam waiting for ur reply
August 2nd, 2010 19:00
The steps I mentioned will be very similar for Windows XP, but the location and names of some of the menu items will be different. Did you try all the steps as I listed them? If you leave some out or change the sequence it won’t work.
Also, please remember that this site is not an official support site for any manufacturer or company – it is a personal site that I maintain as a public service in my spare time. If I’m away for a few days or working odd hours, don’t expect a rapid response.
You say you’ve talked to Dell. Did you try contacting Microsoft, who do have a local office in Karachi?
August 3rd, 2010 02:54
i have tried all the steps in windows Xp but still the problem is not resolved and i have no idea about microsoft weather they advise me for windows XP and also thanks for all your support i know that this site is not an offical support site for dell all you are doing is just for public help for the people like us, Thank you very much in advance if you suggest me to do any thing else.
August 12th, 2010 02:07
Anyone know if there is a higher wattage power supply available for a 755 small form factor? Was thinking of lengthening cables on one that doesn’t fit in the case and using it externally when I came across this site. Any info would help. Thanks.
August 31st, 2010 02:28
Hi Terry,
Looks like you are an enthusiast for Optiplex 755 as well. I also have the same machine for almost an year , have been pretty satisfied with its performance. Over the time I have managed to make it to the following configuration :
- Optiplex 755 Minitower chassis, BIOS version A17
- Dell 2405 FPW Monitor. DVI Connected.
- 460W Cooler Master PSU
- Core2Duo 2.2ghz E4500 Processor
- 4 GB RAM (DDR II I guess)
- HP DVD CD/RW SATA Drive
- One 80GB Sata 3.5’ Harddisk (holds primary operating system Windows XP SP3 32-bit). Also holds the second operating system Ubuntu 10.04 in 10 GB ext3 partition
- One 200GB Sata 3.5’ Harddisk holding the third operating system Windows 7 Ultimate 32-bit and a general usage data partition
- One 150GB Sata 2.5’ (yeah managed to hang it with one screw) mainly for holding my photo collection.
- Nvidia 9800GT 512 MB PCIE /16x Video Card
- Creative 5.1 Dell OEM SoundBlaster PCI Card
- E-SATA Raid Controller PCIE / 1x with 2 e-sata ports. (Came with SansDigital 4 port E-SATA enclosure TRU2T-4B connected to one E-SATA port).
- One E-SATA external enclosure holding the fourth operating system Windows 2008 Enterprise Server SR2 x64.
- Internal (on motherboard ) E-SATA port unutilized. (was a question in my mind is it port multiplier enabled, might not be).
So I had the following queries in my mind for which I would be happy to have your opinions.
1. I am thinking of replacing Optiplex 755 with a Optiplex 780. Apparently the only difference I saw in 780 was a built-in 1 GB Intel Video card. The rest of the specs seems similar to me if I am able to upgrade my 755 to a Intel Core2Quad processor then it should be able to give me the same performance. My video card is much superior (Nvidia CUDA enabled) to a 1GB Intel card. It is also used for CUDA enabled DVD ripping/encoding. So it is really a better deal shifting to Optiplex 780.
2. Which processors in Core2Quad are supported on Optiplex 755. I have 9550 or 9650 in mind, will they work.
3. Do you have any experience is moving a running Windows XP operating system from one machine to another, I guess I might face some re-activation issues. If in case I decide to move to Optiplex 780.
4. How much RAM can be increased in this machine. I still have two RAM slots empty, can I max it to 8GB. Will it make any significant difference.
5. I am thinking of replacing the primary operating system SATA driver (80 GB) with a Seagate Momentus XT hybrid drive with 4GB Nand Flash (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003NSBF3M/ref=noref?ie=UTF8&s=electronics). Do you think it would make a significant improvement to OS loading and general program responsiveness and behavior of the machine. It is a 2.5’ inch drive, is it recommended to have it in desktop machines and any possible way to fit it in the lower left hard-disk slots available.
I would also be happy to share my experience with any other fellow readers for any queries.
August 31st, 2010 02:57
1) Since you have the mini tower chassis, I’d suggest going to the Optiplex 960. You can transplant your CPU, memory, and heat sink over. There are a bunch of eBay sellers offering “scratch and dent” 960′s complete with power supply, motherboard, and fan. That will also let you go to 16GB, has a built-in eSATA port and PS/2 ports. The case also has 4 front USB ports instead of the 2 on the 755. I also personally feel that the 960 is an outstandingly attractive case.
I think all of this generation of Optiplex systems have on-board video (Intel GMA for the Intel-based ones, I’m not sure what the AMD ones are using). If you originally ordered the system with an add-in video card, there’s a cap over the video connector(s) on the back and the on-board video is disabled in the BIOS, but the hardware is still there.
2) I’m running 9650′s in both the O755 and O960. 9550′s should work as well. There may be different O960 motherboards which support different sets of CPUs – if you’re interested, reply back and I’ll look up the specific model number I have.
3) If this is a Dell OEM version, it should license in a newer Dell chassis as well. Retail software like Office, Adobe Acrobat, etc. will need to be de-activated on the old system before moving to the new system, or you’ll get a “too many activations” complaint. Depending on how different the hardware is, a Windows install from one system may fail to boot on another. In particular, XP will give you a STOP 8B if you move it from a non-AHCI machine to an AHCI one. Software like ShadowProtect Desktop Edition will let you do a “hardware independent restore” (HIR), though you’ll need to feed it drivers for any hardware on the new box. That may require multiple attempts since you won’t know what is missing until you try it. My opinion is that it is better to re-install on an empty drive, since Windows accumulates crud over time.
4) 8GB on an O755; 16GB on an O960. Not sure about the O780.
5) The thing that made the most speed difference here was moving to Windows 7 x64 and using a fast 32GB USB stick (Kingston 410) for ReadyBoost. Photoshop loads and is ready in 10 seconds!
I don’t have any particular experience with the Seagate drive you mention, but I would think that a 32GB ReadyBoost cache would out-perform it, since a) it is bigger and b) Windows can manage the cache directly rather than having the drive try to guess what data should be cached. Note that you need Windows 7 for effective ReadBoost – like most things, Vista wasn’t very good at that. Also, re-format the USB stick to NTFS or ReadyBoost will only be able to use 4GB on it.
You can certainly mount a 2.5″ drive in these Optiplexes (Optiplii?). The Velociraptors I use (WD3000HLFS) come in a frame that offsets the drive rather than centering it, so the power and data cables line up with the case. You don’t need to do that here, though, since you can move the cables.
Even the 15KRPM Velociraptor only scores a 5.9 on the Windows 7 performance benchmark.
August 31st, 2010 05:03
Thanks for the quick reply.
1) No I didnt order the system with the add-in video card. I added it myself later. However i just wanted an opinion cause by all benchmarks and means , the add-in Nvidia GT9800 is and should be better than any on-board Inter GMA graphics. But thats I guess more of a matter of personal choice and intended usage as well.
2) Here its really hard to find any Optiplex 960 chassis, i only has a 780 in sight for the moment. These only chassis are called “bare-bone” machines, which means its only the chassis, power supply and motherboard. Occasionally a processor is also included. So just to ask is it the same motherboard in 755, 780 and 960 or somehow the same architecture (Q35 i guess). I mean do I get any additional PCIE x1,x4,x16 slot or PCI slot. If no, then I guess there is not much of an upgrade needed. I have already increased the USB port in 755 by adding a PCI USB 2.0 card. Too bad it only has two PCIE slots, 16x and 1x which are both used in my case. Now I wanted to add a USB 3.0 controller in it but alas cannot sacrifice any of the existing devices on the PCIE ports. I have yet to find a USB 3.0 add-in card on PCI specifications rather than PCIE, maybe they wont make one due to speed requirements.
I even have an E-Sata port here in 755 as well, but that is only one-to-one E-Sata port, in my case I wanted a port multiplier enabled E-sata port, in which I connect a 4 harddisk bay external harddisk enclosure via only one E-sata port.
4) Ok i will try moving to 8 GB to the max then, hope it gives some additional boost to the performance.
5) 64 bit OS of any flavor, XP / Vista / Seven, can certainly be a speed boost, but not for me. Cause sometimes I cannot really find the software versions or drivers for some devices and it becomes a limitation somehow. Speaking of that, for now I want to keep my day to day computing primary OS as Windows XP SP3 x86. Is there are similar feature like ReadyBoost for it, from which I can see substantial improvements, if not then maybe I would go for the Momentus XT harddrives, cause benchmarks show that they really do work in a hybrid way.
Anyways thanks for taking time out. Will keep it posting over here for anything interesting regarding these machines.
August 31st, 2010 16:09
1) The Optiplex line is intended for business users. In fact, the original Optiplex family was intended “for companies that are easily traumatized by change” – Dell guaranteed you’d be able to order additional systems with identical specs for at least a year, unlike Dimensions where 2 systems ordered a month apart would have different parts. Because of this business orientation, they have low-end graphics on the motherboard.
2) The 960 has the same number of expansion slots as the 755. It is always difficult when technology is in transition – the Dimension 8400 used SATA hard drives but PATA optical drives, for example. The 960 does have more USB ports, brings out an official ESATA on the I/O shield, as well as adding DisplayPort for the built-in graphics. Also, Dell has given up on “Legacy free” systems (no PS/2 ports) and gone back to keyboard + mouse on the I/O shield, rather than via an adapter on a slot bracket. 2nd serial and HDMI options still require a slot bracket.
O755 uses the Q35 chipset. O960 uses Q45.
5) You should try XP Mode under Windows 7. It lets all of my “problem child” apps run, though slower than native XP. But most of the things I need it for are not CPU-intensive (the software for programming my phone system, a driver for a USB label printer, and so on).
September 3rd, 2010 16:52
Dear Terry
My computer gives me error sometimes when it starts “System Does not support the installed processorPlease consult your computer documentation for more information Strike F1 to continue , F2 to run the setup Utility , F5 to run onboard diagnostics”
it only happens when i start my computer and then i have to restart the computer by pressing the start button(Some Times more than Twice i have to Press the start Button in order to start my pc normally) and then it boots and strat normally.
and once it starts normally it works fine and no such problem in its opration.
Although i have run the dell diagnostics and it confirms that all the test are done successfully i have my factory installed processor which is Core2duo E6850 3.0 Ghz 4Mb L2 Cache.
Please advise me that what is wrong with my computer i also have asked to dell support and they told me that this problem is related with the motherboard and i need to change the motherboard.
Regards
Ali Asghar
September 4th, 2010 00:45
@Ali – Have you updated your BIOS to the latest version? For the Optiplex 755, that’s currently A17. A number of users have solved their “Unsupported CPU” issues by updating. Having the message appear sometimes and not others is rather unusual, but I’d try the BIOS update first.
Dell doesn’t expect their customers to be changing to different CPUs (in particular, the Optiplex family is aimed at business customers), so the normal answers you get to unusual questions tend to run along the line of “Re-install Windows” or “Replace the motherboard”. That’s just the way their support works.
September 4th, 2010 13:38
Yes i have my updated Bios which is A17 in my PC. It only gives me this error on startup and once it starts it works fine i only wanna knows that this might give me some serious trouble in future ??
September 5th, 2010 05:43
Hey Terry,
1. Which flash drive with the fastest read/write rate would you recommend for the Windows 7/Vista ReadyBoost to really show its difference. Cause i have read that for the system RAM 4GB and above, the ReadyBoost really does not makes a difference and it is limited to a maximum of 4GB Flash drive only.
2. If comparing between WD Velociraptor and Seagate Momentus XT, which one could give the overall performance more boot, the extra RPM (WD) or the Hybrid 4GB SSD-like caching (Seagate) . Considering the daily computer usage is normally for a limited and repetitive applications/programs only
I have been searching around to make an opinion, would appreciate your thoughts over it as well.
Thanks.
September 5th, 2010 07:04
@AlterEgo – I’m using 32GB Kingston DataTraveler 410 USB memory. That’s on Windows 7, which will use all 32GB as long as the drive is formatted for NTFS. I’ve never tried Vista, but I believe it is limited to 4GB and doesn’t make much use of it anyway.
I also haven’t use the Seagate hybrid drive. I expect a lot would depend on what amount of data you access frequently – if it is larger than the 4GB cache, then the Velociraptor would win. The Seagate doesn’t know how important any particular sector is, just how often it is accessed.
September 5th, 2010 13:48
Dear Terry
Any Advise for me ??
September 5th, 2010 15:35
@Ali – the E6850 should be a supported processor on the O755. It could be the CPU, the motherboard, or the power supply. Do you have another system you can swap parts with for testing?
September 5th, 2010 16:55
Yes i have another system but its Pentium 4 so swaping is not possible. The situation is getting worst each day i belive that the motherboard is some how not detecting the processor because it some times gives me some beep and wont start until i have to unplug from the power socket and plugin many times until it starts normally, the only way to resolve the problem is to buy another bear bone of Optiplex 755 and swap all the parts then may be the problem will resolved, but if you can find any other way to resolve the problem then please do let me know because buying another bear-bone of Optiplex 755 is very costly solution.
September 6th, 2010 04:51
Hey Terry,
I am getting a deal on Intel Core 2 Quad Q9400 2.66 GHz 1333 MHz 6 MB LGA775. Will it run on the Optiplex 755 motherboard and the stock fan/sink. I might be getting a box sink and fan along with the processor as well.
Thanks.
September 7th, 2010 22:42
@AlterEgo – The Q9400 should work in the O755. Make sure you update to the latest BIOS before swapping CPUs. You’ll need to use the stock heatsink and shroud. Just use a new thermal pad or thermal grease between the new CPU and the heat sink.
September 8th, 2010 16:04
Dear Terry
I have tried my CPU on HP Vpro Desktop and it works fine. Now i am sure that the Mothrboard is faulty. Please advise me what machine i should buy now Like HP Gateway as compare to dell Optiplex 755 or i should buy optiplex 780.
Regards
Ali
September 9th, 2010 20:44
@ali_asgher789 – If you got a new motherboard for the 755, then all of your existing components should be able to be re-used. That isn’t always the case with different models (or different manufacturers). I have no experience with the 780, nor with the other brands you mention.
Here in the US, new O755 motherboards (various form factors) can be had on eBay for around US $50.
September 11th, 2010 01:51
Dear Terry
our local computer technician said that the motherboard can be repaired and it will work fine after repair thats why i am looking for some repair wrok as a last option and they told me that the onboard LAN will not work any more after repair which was already not working for me like i disscussed with you earlier and if it is successfull then i will definetly gonna tell you that what changes they made in my motherboard.
Regards
ALI ASGHAR
September 14th, 2010 15:15
Dear Terry
I have just bought a bear-bone of Optiplex 960 Brand New worth rupess 13000/- which is equal to 152 USD and also i have exchanged my Previous CPU which was E6850 with the new CPU which is E8400 C2D 3.0G 6Mb Cache and the machine looks awesome. Iam vary happy that finally i have come out from this problem now.
Best Regards
Ali Asghar
September 16th, 2010 14:04
Dear Terry
I need to know that where i can get the service tag for my Dell Optiplex 960 i dont see any service tag on chasis or in BIOS the service tag Text Area is blank i have asked to a dealer and he told me that this system is brand new and u have not purchased this from Dell and you are not supppose to be a customer of dell that is why there is no service tag because it is a brand new in Stock which was shipped to most countires like pakistan and not sell to any customer. Please advise me in this regard Sorry for bad english!
Regards
ALI
September 16th, 2010 14:37
@ali_asgher789: Those “barebones” systems were diverted from normal Dell production, normally for cosmetic “scratch and dent” reasons. Because of this, the systems have no service tags, nor any of the other stickers usually found on completed Dell systems (Windows product key, CPU case sticker, etc.). There’s no support for these parts from Dell, since they were not completed systems that were then sold to customers.
September 17th, 2010 09:05
Yes iam totally agree with you that the system has no service teg nor any windows or cpu sticker but this system is still new and never used before but the only thing is that this system was never sold to any customer through Dell.
Best
ALI
September 17th, 2010 10:19
Thanks for providing all of this useful information. I am trying to upgrade my PSU in my Optiplex 780 mini-tower to support at least 400W. I wasn’t able to find any help in all of the comments listed pertaining to my machine. Thanks in advance!
zach
September 17th, 2010 10:27
@zachjacobs – I’m not personally familiar with the 780. If it is anything like the 755, the Dell C921D power supply should work and is a 425W unit. It has a bunch of extra connectors compared to the stock 755 / 960 unit – a couple PCI Express power connectors and a 4-pin Molex (old-style hard drive power), which is useful for some boards where the manufacturer screwed up and put something other than a PCI Express power connector on the board (ASUS Xonar D2X, for example). When you swap power supplies, you may want to re-use the old blue cable management bracket on the new power supply – the C921D’s bracket is slightly different and not all of the cables will fit in it.
September 19th, 2010 15:40
Dear Terry
I need to know that how can i install Upto 16 Gb Ram on Optiplex 960 as the Ram avilable is 2 Gb per ram and the total amount of ram on 4 ram slot will be 8 Gb but as per dell and Intel My Motherboard which is Q45 Express chipset can handle 16 Gb then how it is possible
Best
ALI
September 20th, 2010 00:11
@ali_asgher789: I just updated the BIOS to the latest version and installed 2 sets of Kingston KVR800D2N6K2/8G memory (4 DIMMs total). There’s nothing magic about that Kingston part number, though – any compatible PC2-6400 memory should work the same.
September 20th, 2010 14:28
My concern is regarding 16 Gb with only 4 Dimms Slot is it possible ??
September 21st, 2010 23:50
Hi Terry, I tried to replicate your 755 CPU upgrade to Q9650, but got the QX9650, instead by mistake and get the unsupported processor message. The system halts, without possibility to press F1 or F2. BIOS was already updated to A17. Thermal footprint of the QX9650 is 130W, compared to 95W for the Q9650. Otherwise the Intel specs look nearly identical. Is there a way to make this CPU work in the 755?
September 22nd, 2010 01:17
@pamstutz – The QX9650 is worth about 3 times as much as the Q9650, and would be wasted in the O755 even if it worked, since the O755 doesn’t support overclocking. I’d suggest selling the QX9650 and using some of the profits to purchase a Q9650.
The reason you’re getting the “Unsupported CPU” is because the QX returns a different ID than the Q.
September 22nd, 2010 10:15
Dear Terry
Is optiplex 960 will gonna Support QX9650 then may be i will buy that one.
September 22nd, 2010 11:04
Hi Terry
Could you advise a best graphic card that can be upgrade to run Microsoft Flight Sim on the O755
Thanks
Jay
September 22nd, 2010 17:25
@kumarjay75 – According to http://www.microsoft.com/games/flightsimulatorx/product_info.html the requirements are pretty simple – a DirectX 9 compatible card with at least 32MB. I think even the built-in video on the O755 should be able to handle that. If your O755 has the optional ATI graphics card add-on, that should also be fine.
September 22nd, 2010 23:03
Is there a way to trick the BIOS into accepting the QX ID? Or is there a BIOS that will take the QX? Alternatively, maybe I can find a used Dell mobo with a compatible chipset, like P45 or G45? If not, I’ll take your advice to sell it.
September 22nd, 2010 23:24
@pamstutz – The O755 is built by Foxconn for Dell. It might be possible to locate a generic Foxconn BIOS for it that allows this CPU to be used. Note that changing the BIOS in this manner (if even possible) will probably cause most software activations to treat the system as a different computer, requiring a re-activation and possibly calls to the software vendor(s) if you have reached your activation limit. There are also normally blocks in place to make this type of “cross-flashing” more difficult. The last systems I converted between generic and Dell were the XPS T family, years ago, so I don’t have a lot of specific advice to offer if you choose this route.
The main feature of the QX processors is the unlocked multiplier which allows for overclocking. Dell boards don’t overclock (at least not the Optiplex family – perhaps the Alienware family allows it). So this processor would be wasted in most Dell systems even if the system would recognize it.
September 26th, 2010 04:32
Dear Terry
I need to know that why my BIOS is showing the message “Orange Dot” is there any connection with dell Computers, i also have googled but no such result was found related to this “Orange Dot” Please tell me why this messege is appearing on my BIOS Screen and what is that for.
September 26th, 2010 17:53
i have an optiplex 745 the sff one core duo 2.13 1gb wanting to upgrade to 4gb (the smallest one not sure if the other one thats a little larger is called a sff as well so just want to make that clear). anyway, i read everything here but im still not sure about whats the best psu to upgrade to as well as video cards that will fit no problem. i want at least 512mb for the graphics card. also i have ALOT of data on exterenal hard drives, about 8 of them. they are on 1 powered usb hub which i would like to go to the 745. i’m assuming this won’t be a problem? plus i usually only have 4 running at once unless im doing backups. i know that usb setup isn’t the best but i’m making it work. the whole reason for trying this is to cut out my using my 750w dell xps and leaving it running all the time. also, whats the best memory to use 4gb? i’ll be running win 7 64bit and windows xp dual boot. any help would be appreciated.
September 27th, 2010 17:13
@superfly611 – I can’t really comment on form factors other than the mini-tower, as that’s the size I have here. I believe there was an Ultra SFF (USFF) as well as a SFF in the O755 family, so there may have been 2 different SFF sizes in the O745 as well.
The main issue you’ll face with the video card, if I remember correctly, is that you’ll need one that comes with (or can be switched to) a half-height video bracket. The Radeon HD 2400 Pro was available with a half-hight bracket. I think the HD 36×0 family was as well, but I’m not sure about cards newer than that. You’ll also need to check the length of the card to make sure it will fit in the case.
September 28th, 2010 00:04
Terry please advise me on my issue regarding “Orange DOT”
Thanks in advance
ALI
September 28th, 2010 00:57
@ali_asgher789 – Sorry, I’ve never seen that message. The only reference to it I can find is one thread on Dell’s comminuty web site: http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/desktop/f/3514/t/19242970.aspx
September 28th, 2010 01:36
I belive that this Orange Dot is some sort of a trade mark who sold these bear-bones of dell
October 1st, 2010 01:39
Hi Terry,
Can we do a motherboard upgrade on a Optiplex 755 chassis. I mean will any stock motherboard fit inside on the mountings. Was just getting an offer on Intel DG43NB or D975XBX with Core2Quad processor.
Can you please check and confirm. One thing for sure is that all the operating system need to be re-activated after doing such a major change. My current configuration is :
- Optiplex 755 Minitower chassis, BIOS version A17
- Dell 2405 FPW Monitor. DVI Connected.
- 460W Cooler Master PSU
- Core2Duo 2.2ghz E4500 Processor
- 4 GB RAM (DDR II I guess)
- HP DVD CD/RW SATA Drive
- One 80GB Sata 3.5’ Harddisk (holds primary operating system Windows XP SP3 32-bit). Also holds the second operating system Ubuntu 10.04 in 10 GB ext3 partition
- One 200GB Sata 3.5’ Harddisk holding the third operating system Windows 7 Ultimate 32-bit and a general usage data partition
- One 150GB Sata 2.5’ (yeah managed to hang it with one screw) mainly for holding my photo collection.
- Nvidia 9800GT 512 MB PCIE /16x Video Card
- Creative 5.1 Dell OEM SoundBlaster PCI Card
- E-SATA Raid Controller PCIE / 1x with 2 e-sata ports. (Came with SansDigital 4 port E-SATA enclosure TRU2T-4B connected to one E-SATA port).
- One E-SATA external enclosure holding the fourth operating system Windows 2008 Enterprise Server SR2 x64.
- Internal (on motherboard ) E-SATA port unutilized. (was a question in my mind is it port multiplier enabled, might not be).
Thanks
October 1st, 2010 03:47
So it has been a while but now it seems a couple of my friends are impressed with my machine and while they are going to go a cheaper route (Core2 Duo, less ram, smaller SSD), they want me to help them.
This is my current system:
Dell 960 MT case/mb $115
Dell 425w PSU (C921D) $40
Dell heatsink (J9161) $25
Q9650 quad 3.0ghz proc $265
6gb RAM PC6400 (already have 2gb) $108 (local with tax),
OCZ Vertex SSD 120GB $365,
2x 1.5TB 7.2krpm HD’s (alreadh have ST31500341AS),
24x DVD burner, $42 (local with tax)
HIS HD 5770 1GB $152
I’d like to have them keep the PSU they have and I was wondering what the is best ATI video card I can use assuming the following:
Core2 Duo 2.8ghz
4GB of RAM
120GB SSD
1x 5400 rpm 1TB drive
22x DVD burner
It seems I can go with a crappy 5450 512MB 64bit card but I’d rather go with a 5670 if possible. like… http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102902
Thoughts?
October 1st, 2010 15:09
@a-lex – That board has an interesting passive cooler – I’d be concerned about the plumbing hitting the CPU shroud assembly in either the O755 or the O960. It might clear, it might not. So you should consider Newegg’s return policy and restocking fee if it doesn’t fit.
The two HD 5xxx cards that I have personally tried in both those systems are the HIS H575FN1GD (that’s a 5750) and the Powercolor AX57701GBD5-H (a 5770). Of my two, I’d go with the HIS card – the Powercolor’s fan is very noisy (verified on 3 different cards). Note that these cards have different video connectors, so make sure the output(s) you need are present on whatever card you purchase.
The problem with the two cards I tried are that they both require a PCI Express additional power connector, which the stock power supplies don’t have.
Unless you want to upgrade the power supply, I’d say you’d probably be better off taking a chance on the Sapphire card you linked. If you try it, post back here and let us know if it fit or not.
October 1st, 2010 15:28
@AlterEgo – Dell motherboards and cases are generally peculiar to each other. In the case of both the O755 and the O960, the case / power supply / motherboard are all built in one factory (Foxconn) and shipped to Dell.
Since you’ve replaced just about everything else, I’d suggest just getting a new case when you get the new motherboard. You’ll need to use the Intel boxed CPU fan (if you bought a CPU + fan combo) or purchase a fan to go with your new case. The heatsink assembly in the Dell system is peculiar to Dell and won’t have sufficient airflow in a generic case.
You can probably sell the old case / motherboard / heat sink for more than the new case will cost you.
Yes, you will need to re-activate any software that relies on activation. In addition to Windows, that means Office, Adobe products, and others. Some of those will let you deactivate and then reinstall and activate on another system by yourself (be sure to deactivate before chopping up your old system!), while for others you will need to contact the software company for a new activation. Also note that OEM Windows (such as comes on Dells) is not transferable to new hardware.
November 5th, 2010 09:19
Hi Terry
Greetings from (not so sunny) Scotland, and what a great blog on the 755! I have owned a number of Optiplex’ systems over the years, and never really had any major troubles (well, apart from a domed capacitor on a 1 year old SX270, but this was covered under warranty!). They are certainly more robust than some of the other brands out there
My system is the SFF Core 2 Duo E6550 (2.33ghz), with 4gb DDR2 RAM, 250gb HD running Windows 7 Home Premium.
My questions are (sorry if these have been covered many times in the above posts… I can be a little blind!)…
1. What is the maximum spec of Quad-Core CPU I can install in this board, and what other implications are there with regards to the Heatsink/Fan etc?
2. Im assuming from the fact the board supports a maximum 8GB of RAM, that is can also handle a 64bit OS?
3. Graphics cards… I don’t play a lot of games, but like to dabble with them here and there. Could you recommend a suitable mid-range low profile card, preferably around £50 ($80) that should do the trick?
and finally…
4. Optical Drive… my system has the laptop-style drive fitted, which is as basic as they come. Standard DVD-ROM with CD/RW capability. I have an external USB DVD Writer that I use, but I was planning on turning my 755 into a Media Centre system, as its dimensions are ideal for sitting behind the TV. Do you know of any Blu-Ray optical drive that would just fit straight in with minimal modification? or would you recommend an external solution instead?
Thanks in advance!
Steven
November 6th, 2010 01:58
@madstiv – I’m not too familiar with O755 form factors other than the mini-tower. I’ll do my best to answer your questions, but I can’t guarantee 100% accuracy.
1. The E6550 is a 65W product. I don’t know if the SFF heat sink will support a 95W CPU, so it would be best to stick with the 65W parts. I believe the top-of-the-line 65W part is the Q9550S.
2. It should. The BIOS is common across all of the O755 form factors, and I’m typing this on an O755 MT w/ 8GB running Windows 7.
3. The add-on “premium” video card for these systems was the Radeon HD2400. I’ll post another reply with a link to the various Dell part numbers. A HD 3xxx card will probably not overload the power supply, but I would be careful with anything newer than that. And of course you need to make sure the card will fit in the chassis – just because it is “low profile” doesn’t mean that it won’t be too long, or have a fan / heat sink that sticks out too far.
4. This is the easiest part. Just about every notebook drive made today uses a standardized connector location and type, so you could use almost any drive. The main thing to look out for when shopping is that a number of these drives come without a faceplate and unfortunately there isn’t really a standard for faceplate mounting, so you can’t just re-use the one from your old drive. Lots of HTPC people like slot-load (instead of tray-load) drives, since there’s no tray to pop out and you can mount the computer in any orientation. Slot-load drives may be somewhat less reliable than tray-load models, though perhaps some of that comes from the way the disk is handled – you’re more likely to get fingerprints on the data side of the media with a slot-load drive. If you want a slot-load Blu-ray burner, there’s currently only one choice – the Panasonic UJ-235A. You could also get a drive that burns CDs and DVDs, but only reads Blu-ray media. A tray-load example would be the LG CT21N. IMPORTANT NOTE – since you mention Blu-ray and HTPC, be aware that some player software requires a certain level of video card or above. For example, PowerDVD 10 needs a Radeon HD2400 or above.
November 6th, 2010 02:05
Here is a link to the complete list of Optiplex 755 components, with Dell part numbers and descriptions: http://www.tmk.com/blog/O755-parts.txt
Note that these are not the only parts that will work in the 755 – it is just a list of the parts that Dell shipped with the 755. Other parts may be compatible, but if Dell never shipped them in a 755, they won’t be on this list. Also note that not all of these parts apply to every form factor – many will list the chassis type in the description. This is also the US parts list (despite listing a power cord for Brazil) – systems delivered in other countries might have different parts.
November 9th, 2010 17:00
Hi Terry, here’s a quick question from Holland: I have an Optiplex 755 (for myself) and an Optiplex 760 (USFF – for my wife). I’m thinking that maybe I will at some point in time upgrade the processor in my 755 and was wondering if the old one might work in the 760?
My 755 is now running on a E6750 (respectable performance, but there’s room for improvement)
The 760 came this week with a E5200 and 1 Gig RAM. I upgraded that to 4 immediately, of course
If the Windows performance Index is any indication, improvement (IF possible to swap) would not be much: 5,9 (for the E5200) to 6,2 for the E6750, but I’ll take anything I can get for “free”
For my own box I’m thinking of something cost-effective; I’m no gamer and I suspect I’ll most likely not notice much improvement in day-to-day use from a Core2Quad over a good Core2Duo… Am I right? So I’m guessing the E8600 would be a good choice? Of course there’s the 12MB cache on the Q9650 but is that really worth the big wad of extra bucks?
I’d really appreciate your input on this, a well-considered “second opinion” will be a big help come decision time!
BTW, in my 755 I changed the video card to a nvidia GeForce 210; it has DVI, analog as well as HDMI (which might interest one or two other posters). Gaming graphics Index for that one is 5,9 (but that card is probably only available in full height so you’d need a tower cabinet).
November 9th, 2010 17:23
@Superfly611 dated Sept 26th…
I regularly do recoveries for people having their data on (a) USB external disk… so I’d be wary of using the setup you mention! If you want to cut your power consumption (you mentioned the XPS @ 750W running 24/7) may be you should look at a NAS for storage instead?!
I use a Thecus N0204 miniNAS (about the size of 2 packs of cigarettes) with 2 2,5 inch hdd’s for 1 TB storage: MUCH less risk than external USB disk(s), no fans & no heat issues, extremely low power consumption & Gigabit LAN speed (much higher than USB 2.0!)… Maybe give it some thought?
November 9th, 2010 20:05
@Fastbreak – I’m not sure if the E6750 will work in the 760 USFF – the Dell literature isn’t consistent. The spares matrix for the 750 lists an E6550 and then skips to E7200. The 760 customer brochure lists “E6000 series Intel® Pentium® Dual Core 2M, 1066 FSB:, while the 760 technology guide skips from E5300 to E7200. I’d say try it if you want to (after making sure you have the latest BIOS in everything) as long as you don’t mind wasting some thermal grease if it doesn’t work.
I find the quads to be very useful. I figure Windows itself will chew up one core, and antivirus another, leaving 2 for useful work. On the other hand, I have been known for crazy experiments:
(Click on the image for an enlarged version.)
I’m not that familiar with nvidia products – I’ve been using ATI exclusively for years. The HD 5750 scores 7.2 on both graphics and gaming graphics. There are a huge variety of card to choose from, so you can get pretty much whatever combination of outputs you’d like. I assume the same is true with nvidia.
November 11th, 2010 16:51
Thanks Terry, I’ll think about it some more! Thermal grease should not be a problem and the latest BIOS is S.O.P. here
Have to be a bit careful though; the 760 box is still under warranty as is the 755… I’m not sure messing with the processors is acceptable to Dell. Ill read their stuff a bit more careful first 
November 24th, 2010 13:23
Hi terry
Iam Planing to buy XFX GTS250 please tell me that it will fit on my optiplex 960 Chasis or not. I already have 500 PSU on my PC please do let me know that is it possible, because i have just seen some pics of this graphic card and dont know weather it will gonna fit or not
Thanks
Ali
November 26th, 2010 03:20
@ali_asgher789 – I don’t know if it will fit or not, as I haven’t used any Nvidia cards in many, many years. Other than saying “try it and see if it will fit”, I don’t have a lot of useful advice. Since you already have the O960, there’s no point in my posting pictures of the inside of it with a tape measure – the only issue is the size of the GTS250, which I don’t know.
However… the only pictures I could find of this card (for example, at http://xfxforce.com/en-us/products/graphiccards/GTSseries/250GTS.aspx), show a double-slot card. That by itself makes the card unsuitable – every double-slot card from both ATI and AMD that I’ve seen has the actual card in the higher slot number (in the O960 chassis, that is toward the bottom of the case) and the empty slot in the lower slot number. Since the O755/O960 have their only PCI Express X16 slot in their lowest available slot number, there’s no opening for the bracket.
As I mentioned, even in the ATI 57xx range most cards don’t fit, as they’re either dual-slot or have their fan / heat sink trying to occupy the same space as the CPU heatsink.
November 29th, 2010 10:50
hmm u r quite right i have tried but wont fit, thanks for your advise instead of GTS 250 i have now 9600GT 1gb without 6pin connector, little bit higher in performance then my previous card 9500GT
December 23rd, 2010 13:40
Hey Terry!
Question: I have a Optiplex 755 and im trying to put a QX6700. Its a Quad core extreme @ 2.66ghz running at 1066mhz. My Dell has the A17 bios and im getting an incompatible processor message.
As i read this post, the more advance q9650 works. I dont see why my cpu dont work. Any suggestions?
December 23rd, 2010 13:47
@ivtecc – the Extreme processors report a different ID, so getting the error isn’t entirely unexpected. This CPU is also wasted in a Dell – the Extreme Intel (and Black Edition AMD) processors have an unlocked clock multiplier to allow overclocking. Dell systems (other than their Alienware line) don’t provide any tweaks for overclocking, so the CPU doesn’t provide any advantage over the non-special edition version, but costs substantially more than the regular version. It may be possible to cross-flash the motherboard to the generic Foxconn BIOS. However, I don’t know what Foxconn model the O755 uses, nor whether there is an end-user flash program that will allow cross-flashing. Lastly, I don’t know if that hypothetical Foxconn BIOS allows overclocking. Given all of that, you’d probably be better off switching to a different motherboard (which may mean a different case) to use the Extreme Edition processor. In general, I suggest people sell the Extreme CPU, purchase a top-spec standard CPU (like the Q9650) and have some money left over.
December 25th, 2010 11:50
The QX6700 was from my other computer (ASUS P5k-e) and i wanted to upgrade to the Q9650 or even the QX9650. Leaving me with the QX6700 laying around. I was hoping that it would work in my dell.
I will look into flashing the bios. Thanks.
Btw. Im running OSX on both of these systems. =]
January 15th, 2011 23:07
Hi Terry, I’ve enjoyed reading through the posts on upgrading your Optiplex 755 systems. I bought an O755 MT system on Ebay a couple weeks ago. There seem to be a significant number of off-lease systems showing up. The 755 seemed to be a good (upgradeable) choice since it can handle the Core 2 Quad processors. A couple questions: 1)I see you ordered your systems with PC2-6400 memory, and said that it was the fastest which would work with the Q35 chipset. I looked at crucial.com and it lists DDR2 PC2-8500 memory as option for the O755. I assume the 8500 memory would be faster than 6400? 2) At some point I’d like to change my CPU from an E6750 to a Q9650. I see you changed to a Q9650. My heat sink/shroud is listed as Dell part number HR004. Could you tell me which heat sink/shroud your machine shipped with? Maybe a J9761 – with the heat pipes? 3) Did your machine come with a 3.5 floppy? If so, could you pass along the part number? Like I said thanks for all the work. The Dell business machines – especially the off lease business models seem to have good bang for the buck. It just takes time to dig through the non-standard equipment to figure out what works. Reading through your experiences was a big help. Thanks Again!
January 15th, 2011 23:29
@LarryL – Regarding the memory, the Dell BIOS doesn’t allow control of the advanced timing, so faster memory won’t provide any higher performance. However, it may be usable in other systems down the road if you think you might swap it out later on. I wouldn’t pay much of a premium for memory faster than the system can use, though.
My 755′s heat sink / shroud was the GX003. The HR004 has a description of “Heatsink & Shroud Assembly (for Conroe & Celeron CPUs), Mainstream, MT, V2″ while my GX003 is “Heatsink & Shroud Assembly (for Kentsfield CPU only), Mainstream, 3.0″. The E6750 is a 65W part while the Q9650 is a 95W part, so you’ll probably need to upgrade your heat sink assembly. I don’t see a J7961 listed for any of the O755 models – where did you come up with that part number?
The floppy is Dell part UH650 which is a Sony MPF920. The cable is Dell part W5824. Make sure you have the shoulder screws (either from whatever is in that bay now, or on the bay filler panel). The optical drive filler panels only come with 3 shoulder screws and the floppy drive needs 4. Personally, I’ve given up on floppy drives – there is very little that needs them these days, now that BIOS updates run from Windows and you can boot MS-DOS from a USB drive if you need to run something under DOS. My drives were getting so little use that the heads were getting contaminated by dust and would ruin any media inserted in the drive.
January 16th, 2011 16:18
Hi Terry,
Memory – I was hoping that one of the later BIOS updates would let the 8500 memory be properly recognized. Sounds like it isn’t.
Heat Sink – I had found the J9761 referenced as one of the heat sinks which was usable with the O 755 (http://www.sportslinkup.com/shop/0-j9761-1-GALLERY.html) However, I’d rather buy one I know will work.
3.5 Floppy – I don’t use it much for new storage any more, but our first digital camera was one of the Sony Mavica’s which used floppies, so we are transferring our pictures on floppies to something more modern/permanent. Thanks for mentioning the screws. I looked inside the drive cage, and there are 4 shoulder screws in the 3.5 cover, so that shouldn’t be a problem.
Thanks for the help.
Larry
January 16th, 2011 20:46
@LarryL – It isn’t a case of “recognizing” the 8500 memory – the chipset won’t make use of it at that speed, and the Dell BIOS doesn’t support timing tweaks so you can’t take advantage of it since you can’t change the CAS latency values – that’s the same reason that CL5 6400 memory doesn’t do any better than the standard CL6.
That heat sink shows up in the official parts list for the Optiplex 745 and GX620, but not for the 755. It might fit, it might not.
January 29th, 2011 22:21
Hi Terry, great to see someone with so much knowledge about these old Dell systems!
We have various models of Optiplex at work, I’d guess at around 900 desktops in total and some of them are nearing their 5th birthday.. I’m always impressed by how they’ve lasted so long without too many failures. Sure there’s the odd issue with PSUs and HDDs but in general they just keep going!
Most of our machines are GX520s but my personal favourite is the 755 with the lovely Q35 chipset, so I’ve bought an Optiplex 755 (Desktop form factor) to use as a media PC, the spec and layout is very similar to your Mini Tower so your blog gave me some really useful tips, thanks
I’ve gone for a Nvidia Geforce 9800GT “Low power” edition, which draws a maximum of 65W and doesn’t need any additional power connectors from the PSU. I did quite a bit of research looking for a low power graphics solution which was still fast enough to play games like COD Blackops with reasonable quality settings, this was the fastest card I could find which doesn’t exceed the PCI-E power spec… Hopefully it should fit into the desktop chassis without any issues :S
I’ll report back when it all turns up and let you know
January 30th, 2011 14:36
@Ten98 – Thanks for your kind words. I had no idea when I posted it that this article would turn out to be the most popular one in my blog. It has 25000 views, not counting any that saw it when it was on the first page of my blog.
I’ve been very happy with my O755′s as well – in 3 years I think I had one memory problem and one noisy fan. I’ve since upgraded to Optiplex 960′s and have donated most of my 755′s to a local non-profit where they’ll get many more years of use. The 960 is a slight evolution from the 755 (Q45 instead of Q35) and has a few more things standard (DisplayPort, PS/2 keyboard and mouse ports) but other than that it is very similar internally. I really like the 960′s case – while the 755 had a reasonably generic-looking case, the 960 is really attractive. I actually built my 960′s from parts (thank you eBay and all of the Round Rock dumpster divers!) instead of ordering them new from Dell. The original plan was to move the components from the 755′s into “barebones” (case / power supply / motherboard) 960′s, but I decided to build whole replacement systems instead, once I decided to upgrade components (Q9650 CPU, Blu-Ray burner, solid state drive, etc.)
February 9th, 2011 16:16
Well, I have the 755 now, it’s a desktop chassis so I thought it would fit full-height cards. I was wrong, sort of. It does support full height cards but only through the use of a riser. So I bought the riser on eBay and guess what, my 9800GT low power edition is approx 7mm too long to fit in the case D:
There are smaller cards which look like they might fit, but they are either lower spec than my beautiful 9800GT or require additional power connectors or have a large sticking-out portion on the heatsink :/ A Low-profile GTS250 might be my best option, or I may be forced to consider an ATI card…
I’m also considering extreme options like using a Dremel to modify either the card or the CPU cooler so it all fits in there.
I’m so close yet so far.
March 16th, 2011 03:25
Hello Terry,
I a planning to add PCI-X Esata controller to my Optiplex 755 with stock motherboard. The card links is as follows :
http://www.sybausa.com/productInfo.php?iid=585
For the Power over Esata/USB combo port it need power from a molex pin and also connected to USB header PIN on the motherboard to enable the hybrid PoEsata/USB ports.
Is there USB PIN header available on stock motherboard which can be connected and does it needs any special sort of cable.
Thanks for response.
March 20th, 2011 09:36
Hello Terry,
Does the stock motherboard on Optiplex 755 support Intel Core2Quad Q8400 processor. I am planning to upgrade it but I cannot explicitly determine whether it would be supported or not from the technical guide document.
I can see that you have even tried it with Q9650 successfully which isnt even list as well.
So any hunch that I should give it a try, cause I cannot return the processor once I buy it in a deal without knowing if it will work or not.
Thanks.
March 23rd, 2011 23:39
I’m about try upgrading my 755 SFF’s E2160 with an E5700. I know, it’s not on the list, but a Dell technician told me that the processor just needs to be a “Wolfdale”, which mine is (was in the product description on Tiger Direct). Anyway, I see that the machine has a custom CPU cooling solution. I’m sure I’ll find out, once I get it open, but does the heat sink or fan make contact with the CPU and will I be needing some thermal paste? Looking in the machine, it appears that half of the CPU isn’t even covered by the fan/heatsink (whatever it is…I haven’t even removed the cooler’s cover).
Thanks.
March 23rd, 2011 23:48
Just found the manual online. Yep, I need to get some thermal grease. Duh! Thanks anyway!
March 24th, 2011 18:27
Back again! I put in the new E5700 processor, which, according to cpubenchmark.net, should make my computer a little over twice as fast. At first, after putting it in and turning on the computer, I got the message “system does not support current processor” (or something very similar to that). I went into the setup utility and saw that the processor was recognized just fine, so I exited and Windows 7 booted normally. The whole time, the CPU fan was spinning like mad and was super noisy. Windows 7 automatically updated some driver for the E5700 and I rebooted. Same problem: “system does not support processor” message and fan spinning out of control. So, I then updated the bios to the latest version (my old version was A10, the newest, A17) and voila, it’s running like a champ!
March 25th, 2011 16:42
@AlterEgo – The O755 Mini-Tower doesn’t have any Molex (legacy 4-pin drive) power connectors. You might be able to locate a SATA-to-Molex adapter, but be aware that the normal one adapts a Molex power supply connector to a SATA drive, and you want the opposite (SATA power connector to Molex drive).
The O755 M-T has a USB connector on the motherboard, but it is an unusual one which may be unique to Dell. It is a 9-pin header (4+5) located between the parallel port connector and the large integrated circuit. Dell uses it for their USB N-in-1 media reader (instead of a floppy drive). That cable is part number GH483, and the other end is a normal 4-pin USB.
For the Q8400, there’s no Dell part number for that CPU in an O755. So it might work, it might not. You’ll want to upgrade to the latest BIOS before replacing the processor, or you may not be able to boot. Some of the “unsupported processor” messages hard-stop the computer, while others (like the previous post) can be worked around by entering and exiting setup.
April 15th, 2011 04:58
Hi,
I’ve an Optiplex 755 USFF with stock E7200 fitted. BIOS is at latest of A17. Want to upgrade processor but struggling to identify which processors are supported.
Can anyone please suggest processors that work in USFF other than E6x50 and E7x00 ranges.
Ideally I’d like to Quad Core the computer but would rather have some confidence this may work before purchasing.
Any help/info/pointers appreciated.
Ta,
Chris
April 18th, 2011 00:09
@chrisH – Here is the list of officially-supported CPUs. Unfortunately, the list doesn’t indicate which ones will work in the USFF chassis. The E7200 is a 65W processor, so to be safe you probably want to stay with the 65W models.
Click here for the full-sized image.
June 1st, 2011 03:18
chrisH, Terry;
I can tell you that a Q9550S will definitely not work in a SFF O755. I lurk your blog and have a O755 MT as well as the SFF version. I tried the Q9550S in the SFF version before installing it in the MT. I got the ‘incompatible CPU’ message. I think it’s more a marketing decision rather than TDP. The TDP for the Q9550S version is the same as the C2D. That’s why I thought it would work.
The Q550S works great in the MT version though. I upgraded to the XPS 420 PSU and am running a 9800 GT. Also have a 80Gb Intel X-25 (gen 1) as boot (Win7x64Pro), and two 1TB Seagates as data, media, storage. It’s my current game machine.
I just ordered a T7500 from the outlet with dual X5660s, 48Gb ram, Quadro 4000, and a C2050 GPU to do some crunching on BOINC. So that will be a new experience!
Keep up the good work, I like following mods on Optiplex and Precision topics.
I’ve lost the link to the Dell parts spreadsheets, if you have that and can post it would be appreciated. Thanks!
Schmagagled
July 2nd, 2011 09:14
Thanks for the information here I have upgraded my 755 with the Dell 420 watt power supply.
Recently I have upgraded my graphic card to a single slot Asus HD 6670 1GBDDR5. It has a huge powercooler fan so that it cannot fit into a 755. So what I did were: I cut away the 4 small “wings” on the CPU fan duct pipe, and also, the graphic card PCB was so big that it hits the metal bar nearby the chassis slot opening so I have to use a plier to bend the metal bar a bit so that I can fit the card into the PCI-e slot. At 1st, the power supply sounds quite noisy (about 5 minutes) handling the 6670 which I understand is 66 watt rated, then the power supply settles down and stays quiet afterwards and never sounds noisy again in the subsequent power-on’s. This is certainly not for the faint-hearted but I have no choice as here in Hong Kong I cannot return the graphic card for refund so I have to try my best to fit the card in. Everything seems to be OK. Most of the cases, the graphic card is running at 48-54C so it is not hot.
I am very happy about this upgrade because the 755 stays very quiet. With Q6600 + 8GB ram + 6670 running Win7 64 bit, the Windows Experience Index’s are 7.1 for the Processor/Memory/Graphics. Eventually I hope to find a cheap Q9550S to improve performance and also to lower the system temperature then the 755 should last a few more years.
July 13th, 2011 20:02
Hi Terry,
I bought an Optiplex 755 SMT last year as a back up to my laptop. Low and behold my laptop developed issues and had to be put down however I liked the desktop so much that I decided to make it my only computer. I recently moved and found out that my 755 doesn’t have an internal wireless card. It wasn’t an issue at the time I bought it because I got such a good deal on it and I had an ethernet only connection in my house. Now however I need a wireless connection. I bought a NETGEAR Wireless-N 300 USB Adapter but the connection seems weak at best even though the apartment is quite small. Can you recommend a better option?
July 14th, 2011 16:13
@oliver – What sort of wireless router / access point do you have? Wireless N 300 will require a compatible router / access point for full speed. There are further restrictions as well – in order to get full speed, it has to operate in N-only mode and with particular encryption types. For lots more details, look at the articles at http://www.smallnetbuilder.com.
I generally recommend USB or standalone cabled wireless network adapters (a “reverse access point”, if you will, which converts wireless into copper Ethernet for your desktop). The advantage of these is that you can move them around to find the best possible reception (you might need a USB extension cord). A wireless card inside a desktop PC is a lot harder to move around.
I can’t give more detailed advice without knowing what sort of base station you’re accessing, as well as the Windows version and whether you’re using the built-in Windows wireless networking support or if you are using software that came with the USB network adapter.
July 14th, 2011 21:52
Terry you seem to be very knowledgeable, I have come across a 755 with a 2.33 Intel core 2 that I am upgrading to Windows here is what I want to do:
-Add this 1 TB harddrive do you forsee any issues with it?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002MQC0P8/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER
-And replace the floppy drive with this
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004FREI16/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&m=A10KOAR5YA65RL
-And upgrade memory to 4 GB
Any issues? Anything else I should consider right now? I was most worried about whether that HD will work or not.
Thanks!!
July 15th, 2011 00:27
@Brad-IA – I don’t see any reason why that drive wouldn’t work in the mini-tower, though I have no experience with that particular model. If you are adding a drive rather than replacing one, you’ll need a SATA cable (the O755 mini tower has an extra drive slot with a power connector, but the data cable isn’t pre-installed). You need a cable with a right-angle connector on one end, or you won’t get the side cover back on. Obviously, things are different in the other chassis sizes – in particular, some of the small chassis versions use 2.5″ notebook-style drives.
Regarding the media reader, you’ll want to make sure that it comes with the appropriate USB cable. The internal USB connector on the motherboard isn’t the normal one that you find on the external ports. For the mini-tower, the Dell part number for the cable is GH483. For the small form factor and desktop, it is part FH439. You’ll need to re-use the screws that hold the floppy in the drive cage – they’re a rather unusual “shoulder” style and you won’t find them at your local hardware store.
Will you be installing a 64-bit edition of Windows? If so, the O755 supports up to 8GB of memory. Ideally, you want to install memory in matched pairs, so if you think you might upgrade to 8GB in the future, I’d suggest 2 2GB modules. Otherwise you’ll need to remove the modules already in there and install 4 2GB modules to get to 8GB. If you won’t be running a 64-bit edition of Windows, remember that Windows will only see 3.something GB of memory (the exact amount depends on the system configuration, but is unlikely to be more than 3.5GB.
What sort of optical drive do you have in the system now? This could be a good time to upgrade it if it is an older drive. Dell sold these systems with various types of drives, such as one that can burn CDs and read (but not burn) DVDs. If you have one of those, you could upgrade to a DVD burner, or even to a Blu-ray drive. If you get a Blu-ray drive, see if you can find one that includes player software – a retail copy of something like PowerDVD can cost more than the drive, so a bundled one will save you q good deal of money.
Make sure you update the BIOS before installing a fresh copy of Windows. If you will be using Windows 7 (or Vista), you will get better performance by setting the disk controller to “AHCI” in the BIOS. You can do this under Windows XP as well, but XP setup CDs don’t know about AHCI, so you can get all the way through setup and then have the system bluescreen with a STOP 7B code, which means Windows can’t find the disk device. To get around this, you’ll need to download the AHCI “F6″ driver from Dell or Microsoft. Additionally, Windows XP setup discs don’t have drivers for some of the other hardware (but you can download and install those drivers from Windows Update, Dell or Intel’s web site, etc.). The only trouble spot is that one of the missing drivers is for the network chip, which makes downloading a drive for it rather difficult. Download the driver, either from the Dell support site or directly from Intel (look for “PROSet”, and make sure you get the regular one, not the wireless one) and burn it to a CD so you have a local copy before installing Windows. Windows Vista and later (7) have the driver built-in.
July 15th, 2011 07:55
Thanks so much!! That’s what I was looking for info from someone that has done this and know’s all the little things like the different cords I need for this model etc….lifesaver!! And thanks for the bios tips!!! It comes with a DVD burner drive as well, right now I think I am going to stick with that as the monitor I am currently using with this isn’t good enough to really let blueray make an impact….(Upgrade mini-project 2? haha)
Also, do you think it would be better to do 32 or 64? I was thinking 32, but maybe I am wrong. It is coming to me with Vista Business so I was going to get an upgrade disc and just upgrade it before I started installing and putting files on it and such.
Thanks!!
July 17th, 2011 08:04
@Brad-IA – 32 vs. 64 is probably not a big difference on a system with 4GB of memory. As I mentioned, 4GB on a 32-bit system will only utilize 3.something GB. Going to 64-bit would allow the system to use all of that memory, but the somewhat larger size of 64-bit code means that the amount of free memory won’t be much different from 32-bit. The only compelling reasons to go with 64-bit would be if you plan to increase memory further in the future (you can’t do an in-place 32-to-64 upgrade, so you’d want to start with 64-bit in that case), or if you plan on running an application that is only available in 64-bit mode. One example would be Adobe Premiere Pro CS5 – if you don’t have a 64-bit install, you’re limited to using the older CS4 version.
You’ll probably want to do a clean install of Windows 7. Depending on what type of upgrade disc you have, that might not be possible. Assuming the system has a valid Vista product key (if Dell sold it with Vista, there will be a sticker with the key on the case), and you have a valid product key with your Windows 7 upgrade disc, you should be able to get an activation override from Microsoft (you’ll need to use the telephone activation for this) once you have Windows 7 installed. The install will proceed without a product key (and also un-check the “Activate automatically when I’m online” on that screen as well), and act as a 30-day trial until you activate it.
August 16th, 2011 14:42
Terry, I have a Dell Optiplex 755 mini from factor. I would like to have a dual output monitor feature. Both monitors can use VGA or DVI connections. I intend to use it for work only (read no gaming) and each monitor is 19×19 inches2.
I recently bought an ASUS 5450 PCI exp x16 2.1. The card unfortunately did not work with my system. I had green vertical lines running over my screen and it got worse as the OS was loading.
I know the Dell optiplex 755 has PCI express 2.0, but according to the Dell tech guy, the 2.1 video card should be back compatible.
I think I got a DOA, but just to be sure, what would be a cheap card to allow me to have dual output monitors. Thanks and cheers!
Hydro
August 16th, 2011 16:35
I don’t see any reason why the ASUS 5450 wouldn’t work. That’s an ATI card and I’ve successfully run cards in the HD5xxx series in the Optiplex 755.
The dual-monitor option that Dell offered was based on an ATI HD2400 card (older technology) and used a “Y” splitter to provide either 2 DVI or 2 VGA outputs. Most of the newer ATI cards support at least two monitors out-of-the-box, though it varies by model.
September 11th, 2011 12:06
Re: hydrocynus –
The problem could be that for the SFF and Mini desktop versions of the Optiplex 755, Dell limited the amount of power passed to the PCI-E slot to 25W. So if your card draws more than that, it could be the reason why you are having these issues.
October 4th, 2011 17:48
Dumb Question.
Since there is a lot of interesting stuff about the oplex 755 I have a question. My 755 is about 4 years old and has the Q35 intel chipset (I thnk it is q .. I know it is 35) with pcie version 1.0a. According the the PCI e x 16 spec, version 2.1 should be backwards compatible … like version 2.1 cards should work. I ordered this comp with the hd 2400 XT. It said on the ati mgmt software that it was an hd 2400 Pro. By fiddling about and remoiving the card completely from the machine and getting a new one from Dell, I got it to say XT on the system information. First time I updated the drivers (yes I deleted the old ones first) it cam back up as an HD 2400 Pro again. I just sort of gave up on that.
kk Then I decided I wanted to get a better video card. The HD 5570 is low power and got pretty good reviews, so I started looking for forums and techie sites that would tell me if the ver 3.1
October 4th, 2011 18:02
oops i hit the space bar and submitted my query before I was done.
Actually the hd 5570 is pcie ver 2.1 and I was trying to figure out if it would work on my 1.0a PCIx16 slot before taking the plunge. I found people hat said 2.1 cards will not work with 1.0a slots, people that said they worked fine, people that said you might have to upgrade your bios to get them to work …. and so on. So my confidence level is kinda low (I already have I 150 dollar pci card that would not fit in the machine …)
I am running q6600 at 2.4 ghz and the afore mentioned video card. My pci slot is empty (The pcice card reader gizmo I bought for it wont fit cause capacitors are too tall). My Bios is version A19. I was just wondering if anyone here has any hands on experience with installing a 5570 in this machine. I live on a boat and so need the small form factor to fit the computer in a convienient place.
I am tempted to just buy and try … but my luck has so far been not too good. Thanks in advance for any help any one cvan offer.
October 4th, 2011 18:15
@wahala99 – I’ve run HD 3600 cards as well as HD 5750 and HD 5770 cards in the 755 with no problems. That’s on the Mini Tower version – the smaller chassis are somewhat more limited in what cards will physically fit. Back around the time the 755 came out, ATI changed from “Made by ATI” to “Powered by ATI”, where the video card companies started making their own board designs and putting ATI chips on them, rather than everybody using the ATI reference design board. This means that what a board is called on the label may be different from how the drivers identify it (though the underlying model, like 2400 in your case) should remain the same.
Since you say you have a small form factor system, the biggest issue is physical compatibility, not the slot itself. I’d suggest purchasing your next video card from a seller with a liberal return policy – check carefully before ordering. Most of my recent ATI cards have been from HIS Digital, though I have no experience with their low-profile models.
Regarding drivers, I suggest you download the latest video driver directly from ATI / AMD. Currently, the download landing page is here, though they tend to rearrange their web site rather frequently.
November 14th, 2011 16:54
Well I took the plunge and bought a saphire radeon hd 5570 with 1gig ddr5 ram. I had a little trouble getting it to work when I first installed it, but about the third try It booted up in vga. I downloaded the latest driver from amd and all seemed hunkey dorie. According to my temp monitoring software, the 5570 was running way cooler than the 2400 hd.
I used the card about 3 weeks then had to take a trip to st, louis to visit my mother. I unplugged all the 110v plugs on the computer stuff (I live on a sail boat with a 60 ft. mast in the lightening capital of the US … florida) to be safe.
I came back 4 days later, plugged everything back in and hit the on button. All I got was a black screen and a beep beep beep (pause) beep beep motherboard error code. I tried removing and reinstalling the card … checked the MB battery and the bios settings … and etc.
Finally I plugged my monitor into the on board graphics vga plug and tried again. This time I got a meessage telling me I had a discreet card plugged in the machine, but that my monitor was hooked to the internal grephics. … and that that wont werk.
OK so after trying the discreet card a couple more times, ans then tryijg to reinstall my hd 2400 with the same results, I removed the card from the pciexpress slot and plugged the monitor back into the on board vga plug. The computer booted up normally. well at a different resolution.
I have come to the conclusion that the hd 5570 overloaded my pci express slot (either during the start up when only 25 watts are available, or when the card was running near 40 watts. Maybe the dell 755 MB wi9th pci 1.0a does not support the supposed 75 watt capacity for high power pci devices … dunno.
I have had many black screens since … some with the beeping alarm. Have gotten the computer working again by replugging the power supply cable to the MB (once) by re-plugging the Sata cables (once) and the last time when neither of those worked, I just unplugged and replugged in the 110v power to the power supply … been working ever since .. I do not touch the box except gingerly on the on off switch. On this same motherboard, the realtec sound died and was locking up the computer. I disabled it in bios and bought a usb soundblaster. I suppose the problem could be in the power supply, but have given up. Am getting a new computer that will actually fit better in the small space on my boat, tomorrow. And has better gaming performance than my 755 with the 5570 in it. It is a Lenovo all in one IC B520 I5 2500 23WLED BLK and will fit just right on my monitor mounting arm. Just hope it works … my luck has not been going too good with computers lately. Last 2 I bought bit the dust within 4 years … riht after the 3 year warranty / lol.
November 14th, 2011 16:59
oh PS My Radeon HD 2400 XT was an actual ATI card in an ATI box though the 557o was a saphire.
November 14th, 2011 23:14
@wahala99 – I don’t have any personal experience with the 5570 cards. Once you get up into the 5700-class, the cards require a separate expansion power connection, beyond what the PCIe bus can supply, even on high-end systems.
Dell also builds the Optiplex systems for a particular market segment (business) which generally doesn’t use add-on graphics (stats I’ve seen show that something like 70% of Optiplex systems ship with base graphics only, with the main reason for buying add-on graphics being the purchase of a monitor with a higher resolution than the on-board graphics support). And many of those systems get traded in when the warranty expires (which could be 3, 4, or 5 years, depending on how the system was ordered).
Anyway, the power supplies Dell uses are powerful enough for the configurations they sell. On the Optiplex 755, that’s a maximum of the base system, add-on video, N-in-1 media reader, and a 1394 card.
Replacement motherboards are available on eBay pretty inexpensively (some as low as $15) if you wanted to resurrect the system and give it to a friend or something.
November 23rd, 2011 14:02
The HD 2400 certainly isn’t a fast video card by today’s standards, but for Photoshop and watching video it should be fine. When you move up to newer and faster video cards, you’ll need a heavier power supply. I’m currently running a Radeon 5750 in one of my 755′s and it requires an auxiliary power connector not present on the stock Dell power supply.
December 4th, 2011 01:11
I’m grateful to have found such a website where I can ask such specialized questions. Thank you Terry! Now for my own rambling…
I currently have a pair of Dell GX520s each with a single 2TB secondary drive running Windows Server 2003 to serve up most of my multimedia collection. It works, but my office now feels like a sauna with 3 computers running 24 hours a day (the third is my personal machine). I was hoping to replace the GX520s with my latest acquisition – a Dell Optiplex 755.
I realize these machines weren’t intended to serve such a purpose, but why not push the limits. The only issue I have is that I can’t physically fit 3 hard drives (and a DVD-ROM drive) into the chassis. Oddly enough, this was the same problem I had with the GX520s – which is why I have 2 of them in my office and a bead of sweat dripping down my forehead.
I’ve considered replacing the 80GB 3.5in boot drive with a 2.5in notebook hard drive coupled with a slim DVD drive to free up an internal bay, but I haven’t found a bracket or tray that would work with this configuration. Not to mention the lack of adequate power cords for all 4 devices.
Any information on where I can find a bracket or tray or a particular configuration of drives for the 755 would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again!
December 4th, 2011 01:39
@dvigano – which 755 form factor do you have? The mini-tower supports two 3.5″ had drive bays and two 5.25″ CD-ROM bays which can be re-purposed to hold hard drives using most generic 5.25″-to-3.5″ adapters. You might run into issues with the stock power supply.
Why not put the hard drives into one of the BYOD (Bring Your Own Drive) NAS units? They’ll run a lot cooler than a general-purpose computer, give you a decent web-based management interface, and (in many cases) let you add a variety of add-on software packages. You might look at the SmallNetBuilder NAS section to get an idea of what’s available, with performance / price / etc. info.
I build my own NAS devices, but I’m not exactly the target market those companies are aiming at. These are 32TB each, and can do 500MByte/sec (yup – bytes, not bits) I/O continuously for days at a time:
These aren’t the ones shown on my RAIDzilla page, but a newer generation I haven’t written about yet.
December 6th, 2011 14:14
This is a great source of info on the 755. I have the SFF version and was trying to figure out the processor upgrade path and a video card that will not exceed the PS. It currently has an E2220, 2.4, 1MB Pentium Conroe (M0). What is fastest processor I can get for this model?
December 6th, 2011 20:39
Back in comment 127, I posted the official list of supported CPUs. Unfortunately, that list doesn’t indicate which ones are supported in the smaller chassis. You might also need a different heat sink. To be safe, you can select a processor with the same thermal profile as your existing CPU. The Intel ARK site has this information. Your E2220 is a 65W part (look for the “Max TDP” value in ARK). You can get a replacement CPU which has any/all of faster clock, more cores, and more cache.
As you correctly determined, the issue with the video card is going to be the available power. And, of course, whether or not it fits – even the minitower version has trouble with some cards, and the HD 57xx series is about the fastest card that will fit in the minitower. You could look at the HIS Digital web site as they have the largest variety of cards that I’ve seen. Be sure to check the specs for physical size, power supply requirements, etc. before ordering any video card.
December 26th, 2011 23:08
I own an Optiplex 755 as well, and here are some things I’ve found that you might find useful
:
1) You can adjust the fan speed of the standard ATI HD 2400 Pro/XT card using SpeedFan.
Using SpeedFan, one can set the fan speed to “0%,” which makes the fan speed at a very slow speed (0% doesn’t quite stop the fan!). Nonetheless, 0% makes the HD 2400 – otherwise a rather noisy card – silent. You can also set the fan speed to 100%, but I don’t understand why anyone would want to do that – it sounds like a helicopter taking off.
Get SpeedFan here:
http://www.almico.com/sfdownload.php
http://i.minus.com/jvqfZ14bfGKNJ.png
2)
December 26th, 2011 23:50
Continuing from my last post …
2) You can adjust the CPU fan using HWiNFO.
There are three settings – a faux 0 RPM mode, a 1200 RPM mode, and a 2400 RPM/”jet engine” mode. 0 RPM actually forces the fan to ~700 RPM, which is almost inaudible.
Get HWiNFO here:
http://www.hwinfo.com/index.html
Screenshot:
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/846/fanyk.png/
3) You can overclock your discrete graphics card. I use RivaTuner and I can easily overclock my HD 2400. Keep an eye on temps though and get GPU-Z at the same time.
GPU-Z:
http://www.techpowerup.com/downloads/SysInfo/GPU-Z/
RivaTuner:
http://downloads.guru3d.com/downloadget.php?id=163&file=4&evp=b0d1360d4d6f6dc2017ceaf2b4e67ad7
When installing RivaTuner, leave everything at its default. Ignore any warning messages about drivers.
I find that the memory can be easily overclocked by a tremendous amount (100+ MHz). The core clock can similarly be O/C by a healthy amount. Note: I am talking about the HD 2400 here. RivaTuner, however, should work with any discrete card that you have in your 755.
Screenshot:
http://img819.imageshack.us/img819/4116/overclockingo.png
4) You can also control the acoustics of your hard drive and its seek time. Get HD Tune:
http://www.hdtune.com/
Screenshot:
http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/5478/74505390.png
Note: an AAM of 254 is pretty noisy. 128 is dead silent.
5) I saved the best for last
. My Dell Optiplex 755 came with a Q6600 (2.4 GHz). I managed to overclock it to 3.0 GHz … 
.
Proof:
http://i.minus.com/iI4MJpnGfutFM.png
How? With two pieces of tape. I used two pieces of tape to force the FSB of the Q6600 up from 266 MHz to 333 MHz. Remember, clock speed for chips with an FSB equals:
FSB * multiplier
Q6600 at default: 266 MHz FSB * 9 = ~2400 MHz or 2.4 GHz.
Using the two pieces of tape to ground two pins on my Q6600, I forced the Q6600 to run with an FSB of 333 MHz. Therefore:
Q6600 with “pin mod” = 333 * 9 = ~3000 MHz or 3.0 GHz.
This “pin mod” applies to ANY LGA 775 processor and even older Intel mobile processors.
Here is the guide I referred to. All you need are two pieces of tape to ground the pins on the Q6600 and then you can run your Q6600 at 3.0 GHz!
Guide:
http://alumar.hubpages.com/hub/Get-more-from-your-Quad-Core-Q6600
Tips from a veteran “pin modder” :
1) Here’s how to get to the processor on a Dell 755:
http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/op755/en/UG/HTML/index.htm
Basically, you have to remove the heatsink and fan combo. There are 4 philips screws holding the heatsink and fan combo down. That’s it. Then, you remove the processor. Make sure to remember how the processor fits into the socket. You do not want to put the processor back in incorrectly!! Tip: take a picture of the processor in the socket before removing the processor!
2) After you remove the heatsink/fan, clean it. It is probably filled with dust. Try not to touch the thermal grease on the bottom of the heatsink. And do not remove the thermal grease as the manual states, unless you have new thermal grease to use.
3) To cut two pieces of tape small enough, use a nail clipper. I used a nail clipper and easily got two slivers of tape.
4) Put the tape on the processor pins as specified in the aforementioned guide.
5) Reinstall. Make sure you put your processor back the right way!
6) Start up computer. Your computer should be perfectly stable at 3.0 GHz. If not, you can up the voltage to the processor by putting more tape on the bottom of the processor … google “bsel volt mod” for more information. Still, the Q6600 is known to be a good overclocker and numerous people have overclocked the Q6600 to 3.0 GHz on air with no voltage increase.
7) Too much speed? Simply remove the two pieces of tape from the Q6600 and it will run at 2.4 GHz again.
8) This “pin mod” is 100% legitimate. I have been running my Q6600 with the “pin mod” for a month now, and I have encountered no stability issues. I initially expected a ton of more heat from overclocking, but my temps are 40-45 degrees Celsius idle, which is completely within reason. Under load, the temps jump to 60-65 degrees, but that’s reasonable as well.
Someone try the pin mod out and let me know how it goes!
December 27th, 2011 00:05
This is less of a Dell Optiplex 755 specific mod, but if you have an external hard drive lying around, you can easily set up a RAID array with your 755.
I set up a RAID 0 array with a 160 GB 7200 RPM Seagate hard drive and a 640 GB 7200 RPM Seagate hard drive. I think that the Raid 0 array has provided the biggest performance boost – even more than the pin mod
.
Not quite SSD speeds, but I’m getting there
. I probably should have RAIDed two identical drives also, but whatever … the read speeds are double of what I got before … can’t complain 
.
http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg13/scaled.php?server=13&filename=89035188.png&res=medium
Be sure to get the Pre-OS Intel RAID install driver, and to turn on raid in the BIOS.
December 29th, 2011 13:42
Everyone: what is your GPU temperature? You can check your GPU temperature using GPU-Z.
http://www.techpowerup.com/downloads/SysInfo/GPU-Z/
Mine is around 59 – 66 degrees Celsius idle, even though it is winter and the ambient temperature is about 22 degrees Celsius. I have the standard HD 2400 Pro.
And another question: have you guys encountered any memory failures? My 755 came with 4 sticks of RAM, and 2 sticks have already bit the dust … :\. The memory is Samsung-brand.
My next project with my PC will be the following:
1) “Lapping” the CPU and heatsink. Lapping means polishing/sanding the CPU/Heatsink. Apparently, most CPUs and heatsinks are not perfectly flat, and this hinders the ability of the heatsink to conduct heat away.
2) Adding new thermal paste to the CPU. The thermal paste present on the processor is pretty low-quality – it’s some greasy pink silicone-based stuff. Plus, the thermal paste isn’t even spread evenly over the CPU. It’s not as if my CPU is running hot at 40-45 degrees idle, but I wouldn’t mind a drop in CPU temperatures.
3) Add new thermal paste to the GPU/HD 2400. I’m pretty sure thermal paste will help the temps drop on the HD 2400.
December 29th, 2011 14:00
4) I also want to upgrade to one of the 80 Plus PSUs. My PSU in my 755 has a minimum efficiency of 65%, which is horrible. I’ll probably be getting one of the 380 Watt Antec EarthWatts. If anyone has any experience upgrading PSUs, let me know.
And I also cracked open the stock Dell PSU and took a peek inside. Link below to the gallery. It looks to be a Lite-On PSU, so the PSU is of relatively high quality – for computer OEMs. Lite-On is apparently well-known in the server market.
Here is a link to pictures of the inside of the Dell PSU!
http://minus.com/mBIoZcAqM#1
January 13th, 2012 01:42
help! will pcie 2.1 cards work in optiplex 755 minitower
January 13th, 2012 02:13
@billa18 – The chipset in the Optiplex 755 is the Q35 Express (Dell link – PDF). According to Intel, the Q35 Express is a PCIe 1.1 chipset (Intel link – PDF).
While PCIe is generally backwards compatible, there have been issues where older systems didn’t understand cards using newer versions. This can often be fixed with a BIOS update.
I have used various ATI Radeon HD 5xxx-series cards, which are PCIe 2.1, in the Optiplex 755 without any problems.
January 13th, 2012 06:25
thx thx thxxxxxxxx
January 13th, 2012 11:12
his hd 6670 work on optiplex 755 with 305 watt?
January 13th, 2012 13:10
@billa18 – I don’t know about the 6670. The 5750 that I’m using requires an additional power connector not found on the stock 755 power supply. The 6670 doesn’t seem to need that, but their web page says “400 Watt or greater power” so you may need an upgraded power supply.
February 6th, 2012 09:49
Hail good citizens!
HD 6670 works fine even with a weaker PS! Here is a link . Someone confirmed that work with 235W and fits into Optiplex 755 SFF. Please read Feedback section on this page! I think this is the best card for Optiplex 755/760 SFF.
Here is a video of this card too: http://www.hitechlegion.com/reviews/video-cards/14694-sapphire-hd-6670-single-slot-low-profile?start=1
You can see that isn’t higher-wider than metal low-profile PCI bracket.
The following cards also works with Optiplex 755: HD4670, HD 5450, HD 5570, HD 6570, HD 6670, Nvidia GT430…
March 4th, 2012 10:13
Hey Terry, this is great! I’ve enjoyed the posts and all the useful information. I wanted to ask for your suggestions. My O755 is a MT, Bios ver. A20 with an E6550 processor. I have 2 questions:
1) I want to upgrade the cpu to a Q9400, but I specifically need to know– do I need to change my heatsink if I upgrade the processor? The current heatsink in my machine is Dell part no. HR004. I noticed in response no. 115 LarryL asked about heatsink of Dell part no. J9761. And you mentioned it’s not on the part list. But I also see all through ebay that an O755 MT heatsink are the HR004 and J9761. I have a J9761 I had planned to use, but…. do I need to change the heatsink if I upgrade to a Q9400 processor? And what thermal paste brand do you recommend, Arctic Ice? another?
2) I also want to buy a card reader for my O755 MT. You mentioned about a card reader in response no. 125, “N-in-1 media reader”. I cannot find that on ebay, I searched by nomenclature, maybe just none available, but…. should I search by dell part no.? What’s the part number for the “N-in-1 media reader”? I assume it just slips into the floppy drive external bay?
Thanks for your help!
April 3rd, 2012 00:00
@Corey – sorry for the delay in approving / answering your comment.
Your HR004 heatsink is listed as “Heatsink & Shroud Assembly (for Conroe & Celeron CPUs), Mainstream, MT, V2″. Looking at the O755 parts list, the Kentsfield and (Core 2 Quad Q6x00) CPUs use a GX003 heat sink / shroud. The J7961 doesn’t appear on the O755 parts list, but it is on the O745 list. The HR004 does appear on the O960 parts list (the 960 is an improved 755) with a description of “Heatsink & Shroud Assembly, 95W (Performance BJMT) V2″. So it appears that the HR004 is good to 95 watts, which conveniently is the TDP of a Q9400. The Kentsfield CPUs are 105W parts, so the GX003 probably has slightly better performance than the HR004. Your existing E6550 is a 65W part, by the way.
To answer your second question, the media reader is a TH661 or GT399 (interchangeable) and the cable is a GH483. If you’re replacing a blank filler, you’ll also need the shoulder screws if your filler doesn’t have them stored on the back. If you’re replacing a floppy drive you can just re-use the ones from there. I see a few on eBay that have the drive + cable + screws.
July 5th, 2012 01:16
Hi,
Re: the HD 6670 in the Optiplex 755.
Have run up 2 of the 755 SFF with the HD6670 and they are both running great. Reading a few of the reviews i managed to set the card to run very stable at 865 MHz and the memory at 1150MHz.
No problems with the 275W PSU
Also running them with 8gb ddr2 6400 and Q9550 CPUs. tried the ddr2 8500 but the MB only read it as 800MHz and when i tried the Q9650 CPU there was no marked improvement.
I have now installed a 120gb SSD for giggles and love the 30 second startup.
The Windows Experience Index
CPU = 7.3
Ram = 7.3
Graphics = 7.1
Gaming Graphics = 7.1
Primary Hard Disk = 7.4
So thanks to Terrys Random Ramblings and all the contributers
July 5th, 2012 14:51
its a PC too old but would you suggest me to buy it? the tower one?
can i upgrade its RAM, what type of RAM does it have ddr2 or 3? and would it be possible to move the system to another casing in order to make room for a Graphics card?
thanks in advance.
I am not a serious gamer but i will play games like GTA IV, NFS Undercover etc. the BEFORE 2010 games.
if its possible to add a graphics card, suggest a good one compatible with it. im a noob about computers and the shopkeepers are always willing to get every single penny out of my pocket. I don’t trust them.
July 6th, 2012 00:21
@mikaelmoon – If you don’t already have a system, I’d suggest looking at the Optiplex 960. It is a slightly newer version of the 755 and supports 16GB of RAM compared to the 8GB on the 755.
The minitower has the most flexibility for expansion cards. As you move to smaller and smaller cases, it will become harder to find a video board that fits. This is very much a trial-and-error process as the graphics card manufacturers don’t provide all the measurements you’d need to see if a card would fit before buying it. I’d suggest staying with the cards I mentioned in my original article or one of the cards that someone else has reported as fitting into the case.
Memory is DDR2 (PC2-6400). You probably wouldn’t want to try changing the case – while Dell doesn’t do the thing with wierd, incompatible power supplies any more, the ribbon cable to the front panel lights, audio jacks, USB, etc. is still unique to the Dell and you’ll lose those functions and need to make up a special cable to use them in a different case.
I’ve been happy with the HIS 5750 cards. That’s about the maximum performance that will fit into an Optiplex 755 / 960 chassis (see my reply to another comment right after this one).
July 6th, 2012 00:30
@fredhamish – With a Q9650 CPU and the HIS 5750 card (at stock speed), I get:
Processor Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Quad CPU Q9650 @ 3.00GHz 7.3
Memory (RAM) 16.0 GB 7.3
Graphics ATI Radeon HD 5700 Series 7.3
Gaming graphics 8414 MB Total available graphics memory 7.3
Primary hard disk 154GB Free (279GB Total) 5.9
This is actually on an Optiplex 960, but I wouldn’t expect the scores to change much on a 755. It is interesting that you’re only seeing 7.1 for the graphics on a newer card which you’ve overclocked. I’ve occasionally checked to see if there’s a single-slot graphics card which will fit in the 755 / 960 with higher performance than the 5750, and I haven’t found anything better than a 10% improvement, so I’m still running the 5750′s in my systems.
The hard drive in my report above is the WD3000HLFS from my original blog post. On another 960, I’m running a pair of Crucial C300 256GB SSD’s. That system is used for heavy video editing and the SSD’s really help.
July 8th, 2012 03:45
Running all mine in the 755 Small Form Factor so i’m stuck with the low profile HD 6670.
Can’t change the PSU either unless i add in a pico 120W PSU.
Pretty happy with the HD 6670, running it through a Matrox Triplehead2go so i can run 4 monitors, The Matrox runs 3 screens as one extended screen 3840×1024 for gaming with a 4th screen so i can surf or track otherthings while gaming as well as running all 4 monitors seperately for multi tasking
http://www.matrox.com/graphics/en/products/gxm/th2go/digital/
Not sure if I can post a pic here of the display set up but it has had no problems at all.
September 9th, 2012 19:28
I got what was called a “Dell Optiplex GX755 3.0GHZ C2D 250 HD 4GB Win7 Ultimate” on ebay in July to replace my son’s emachine that died. Not sure what the GX means. I immediately yanked the power supply and put in the 500 watt supply I had previously put in the emachine. I also installed the GTX220 video card from the emachine. My son is very happy with the comp but I keep thinking of ways to do even more. I am toying with getting a 128gig SSD for OS as the hard drive occasionally gets a little noisy, and that worries me. However I am intrigued with your use of ReadyBoost. How do you think that setup would compare to a budget SSD performance?
September 16th, 2012 05:31
@msw48 – I don’t believe the GX755 was ever a model number that Dell used on their own direct sales market. The only ones I’ve seen with GX755 were ones sold at “Big box” stores like Wal-mart, generally as refurbished units. Presumably these are systems that came off short-term business leases, checked out / updated, and then sold in discount stores.
As far as ReadyBoost goes, I’m using it on 2 of my systems that started out as O755′s (they’re now O960′s, which are functionally very similar but have a much nicer case). The 3rd system (the one described in the “upgrade project” blog post) is running a pair of Crucial C300 256GB drives, one as C: and one as D:. That’s mostly because I do a lot of the video editing I capture on my race car (click here for a sample) and having 2 fast SSD’s really helps.
Since I wrote those posts, Seagate has come out with a hybrid SSD drive (the Momentus XT), where the drive attempts to figure out what should be on the hard disk part and what would benefit from being on the SSD part. Windows doesn’t have to manage or monitor it, which it does need to do on ReadyBoost-type media.
A pure SSD would be faster than either of those methods. Prices have been coming down, and I believe that the SATA interface on the 755 is only SATA 2, not SATA 3, so the highest-permforming drives would be restricted by the slower disk controller in the 755. Unfortunately, in the race to add performance and increase capacity, the SSD vendors are moving to smaller and smaller cell geometries, which means that any given cell has a much smaller write lifetime than on older SSD drives with larger cells. Some of that can be worked around with more intelligent firmware in the drive, both for smarter wear leveling and error recovery. Most people looking for pure-SSD levels of performance will probably trade their system in (or hand it down to a friend / relative) before the SSD end-of-life happens. If you’re looking for a system that you will run for many years (My Optiplex 755′s had been running since before my January 2008 review and are still running now, nearly 5 years later), you may need to be more concerned about SSD life. I believe that normal end-of-life on a SSD means that you can’t write anything new to it, but you can still read data from it. These days a cheap USB external drive caddy (like the Western Digital Passport series) would let you back up the whole system in a few hours. I believe the only warranty calls I’ve had on any of the 3 were one for a moaning power supply fan and one where support decided I might have a bad memory DIMM, so they were replaced pro-actively and closed out the service call with “if it happens again, reference this call and we’ll decide what to do next”. It turned out that there’s a default BIOS setting (SERR Enable, I think) which conflicts with add-in ATI graphic cards (including the ones Dell ships these systems with).
I’ll be doing a wipe of one of my O755′s in the next month or so, looking at changing any hardware for more modern stuff (for example, a 10-in-1 media card bay instead of the floppy drive), etc. and doing a clean install of Windows 7 Ultimate x64 on it, as part of my annual donation to a local non-profit. I’ll post a new blog article about that, documenting how well various components have held up, what is worth replacing, and so
on.
September 26th, 2012 11:27
Thanks for the reply. I have to rely upon randomly firing, surviving memory cells to remind me that I asked the question in the first place;-)
I am thinking, now, to give the ReadyBoost a try, next time I can lay hands on the O755. It resides about 1000 miles from my location. I have asked my son to “log” the start-up time so we will have an idea if there is any improvement. We’ll see what kind of attention span we get from a 14 year old.
I have hopes that this computer will get my freshman son through high school. Perhaps the SSD can wait until half way through high school, once the “newness” wears off. By then, it may need more RAM, too. For now, he is quite happy with it, as is.
BTW, do you know if ReadyBoost will run off a SDHC, assuming I installed one of those media card bays?
Thanks, and I am now looking forward to that new blog article?
November 7th, 2012 15:29
Just upgraded Optiplex GX620 MT to Optiplex 755 MT, using the board OGM819 with Core 2 Q9550. By surprise Dell changed the front panel connector on the board so CN312 front panel board with XT029 cable was needed. Also heatsink with shroud J9761 fitted. Generic PSU of 600W installed as the original one went to silicone heaven. Using it as an office computer so running with integrated VGA.
December 10th, 2012 12:39
We’ve got an O755 in a Minitower with an E8500 and 1G of PC2-5300 RAM running Windows XP… I feel like the RAM and the OS and the fact that no one has been maintaining it are what’s causing it to run the way it is (slow). Are any of the quad-core CPUs a worthy upgrade? If I do or do not upgrade the CPU, what’s the best move in RAM? I’m definitely going to upgrade the OS to a 64 bit Windows 7 install, to catch up to the rest of the office.
January 8th, 2013 20:45
Hi, Terry. I own a 755 SFF. I have added 8GB of DDR2, and a Radeon HD6670 LP (to be upgraded soon to the new HD7750 LP.) The system is currently still running the E6550 that came with it stock. I am having difficulty finding out what the max TDP the stock cooling in the SFF can handle. I would like to install a Q9550S which has a TDP of 65W the same as my E6550, but failing that, can I safely venture to 95W TDP?
January 9th, 2013 07:34
@TreyM – It looks like there are several options for the heatsink on the O755 SFF:
JP911 – Heatsink and Shroud Assembly (for Conroe & Celeron CPUs), 2 Pipe, Mainstream, SFF, V2
UP048 – Heatsink & Shroud Assembly (for Kentsfield CPU only), 3 Pipe, Performance, SFF, V2
There is only one part number for the heatsink mounting bracket, so you should be able to re-use it:
G8855 – Plastic Heatsink Mounting Bracket, SFF
All of those are in plentiful supply on eBay. The Kentsfield CPUs are 95W to 105W, so you should be Ok with the UP048 heatsink. Make sure you update your BIOS to the latest version (currently A21) so you don’t get an “unknown CPU” error when you boot. You may also need a higher-wattage power supply.
January 9th, 2013 07:40
@EFDisaster – 1GB is a pretty small RAM size, even for XP. But it’s hard to say what is causing the system to appear slow. The first thing I’d suggest is launching Task Manager and looking to see what the percentage of “System Idle Time” is. Make sure to check the “Show processes from all users” box. The Performance tab in Task Manager will show you how much memory is used / free as well as page file usage (where Windows puts things if there isn’t enough memory for them all to stay resident).
A virus scan would also be a good idea, just to make sure you don’t have something gobbling up CPU cycles. I’d suggest one of the free standalone ones (which boot from either a CD/DVD or from a USB memory stick).
January 13th, 2013 20:02
Hello Terry,
First and foremost, mad props for your noble act of helping people out! Kudos!
I was amazed at your story that I’ve decided to go the 960 path and emulate your setup. Well, I got one at eBay for $80. I’m planning to use it for converting my Hi-8 videos into digital form(if that makes sense) and scanning more than a thousand old pictures and 35mm negatives of my family. I also plan to use this computer for some light games(scanning a 35mm negative takes 15 mins as per manufacturer, so it would be nice to play while waiting).
I know that you’re a busy man but I hope that you can find time to share your expertise and give me some advice. Here are the details of the computer I plan to assemble. My goal is to come up with a cost-effective solution… nothing OTT or fancy – just straight-forward effective approach(that’s why I admire reading your responses). So, here it is:
DELL OPTIPLEX 960 1.8GHz DUAL CORE 250GB 2GB RAM
Updrage to:
CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9400(I wanted the Q9650 but the price difference is about $100, and the speed difference isn’t much).
RAM: In the meantime, will use existing 2 GB and take 1 gig each from my two kids’ computers(755) which has 3gb each(I plan to upgrade my memory to 8GB and possibly 12 in the future, so please advise as to what RAM I should get) for a total of 4GB.
Graphics Card: XFX ATI Radeon HD6670 1 GB DDR3(I decided on this because it consumes less power and it’s cheap).
ReadyBoost: 32GB Kingston DataTraveler 410 USB memory(Hope this will help offset some of the speed I lost in not going for the Q9650)
Windows 7 Ultimate 64 Bit: 64 Bit so I would have the option to upgrade my memory if need be.(existing)
OS Drive: WD Raptor 75GB (existing)
Secondary Drive: WD Blue 250 GB(the same drive that the 960 desktop it came with) (This will be where I will save all my Word documents, downloads, music and such) (existing)
External Drive: WD Caviar Black 1 TB SATA III housed in a Rosewill 3.5″ SATA to USB & eSATA Ext. Enclosure (This is where I plan to save all my converted videos and scanned pictures).
Power Supply: I’ve been researching everywhere but I can’t seem to find a compatible and decent power supply for the 960. I’ve read about somebody going for the “425w Dell PSU (C921D)”. I plan on adding another external drive for backup purposes; may add a BluRay player, a 10-in-1 card reader or possibly a SATA replicator in the future. I also have installed a Creative X-Fi audio card. I don’t know if this would affect my choice of PSU but I’m using a DELL 2407WFP for my monitor. Based on my setup, could you please advise as to what PSU I should buy?
So I mainly need advice on:
1) What CPU to go for(is Q9400 good enough for my needs? or Q9650 is worth it)
2) Type of RAM to buy.
3) Power Supply to buy.
4) For ReadyBoost, is there a newer, better alternative to the 32GB Kingston?
I would very much appreciate a link to your possible recommendations. Here’s hoping you could find time to respond to this post. Thank you and have a nice day!
Bernie
ps: here are the link to the stuffs I bought:
Computer: http://www.ebay.com/itm/110997166657?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649
Graphics Card: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004Z5GRW6/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00
External 1 TB drive: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0036Q7MV0/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00
HD enclosure: http://www.ebay.com/itm/300842017932?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649
Canon CanoScan 9000F Color Image Scanner: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003JQLHEA/ref=oh_details_o01_s01_i00
February 5th, 2013 19:13
i was just flicking through your page, and i thought you might be able to help me out, i just bought a dell optiplex 755 with 4gb ram and 250 gb hdd, but whenever i try and open a game (rpg, combat, strategy) it just tells me it needs dx9 or higher? i dont know what that is, i’d rather buy a card and install it myself that take it to a shop, i know i need a low profile, single slot card but thats about all i know, so i was hoping you could give me some pointers on what to get and how to fit it? TIA.
February 5th, 2013 20:38
@jadelouise – I assume you are using the motherboard graphics and not an add-in card? The motherboard graphics is an Intel GMA3100 and according to this PDF, it supports DirectX 9.0c. You could try running the Intel Driver Update Utility from here, as their drivers are often newer than Dell’s, and that might fix your problem. I suppose it is possible that your operating system install didn’t include DirectX 9 for some reason. Here is the official Microsoft download link for Directx 9.0c. If you install that, you should do a check for updates with Windows Update as there are likely lots of security patches for it in the 5+ years since it was released. If you are running anything newer than XP, you should already have DirectX installed. You could also read this article from Microsoft on how to use the dxdiag tool to verify your DirectX installation.
If it turns out that you need an add-in graphic card, a large number of probably-discontinued models have been mentioned in the various replies above. The issue is that you’ll need one that’s a single slot, without a huge cooler, and that doesn’t need an auxiliary power cable (since the stock O755 supply doesn’t have one). If you have one of the smaller cases (SFF/USFF), there may be additional limitations on cards. It looks like the SFF will take some low-profile cards, but the USFF doesn’t even have an expansion slot for one.
March 31st, 2013 12:09
Several month lurker, thought I would share my experience.
Using a SFF chassis – Bios A22
Have upgraded to a Xeon X3360 (which is a 95W part, running at 2.83GHz) – 40C idle, 56 under load and full fan – would like someone to try a x3370 or x3380 and report back!
8GB Crucial Ballistix DDR2
Geekbench hitting 5300 – not the best compared to i5 and i7, but still good for a second machine
SSD is an Intel 520 (which I recommend SSD is the biggest improvement)
Next up is a Saphire 7750 when the budget allows
Thanks Terry for getting me started…. really.. thanks…
March 31st, 2013 22:58
@rgunner – thanks for the comments! I guess Dell relaxed the CPU model checking when they discontinued sales of the O755. There previously was a CPU whitelist and anything not on the list would give a BIOS “Unsupported processor” error and halt. Performance memory is not fully utilized by most Dell systems (presumably the Alienware systems differ) as there’s no way to force specific timings. In some cases, it is possible to find a generic Foxconn motherboard close enough to the Dell version to cross-flash the generic BIOS, which usually has a lot more tweaks. My Dell Studio 1558 notebook is easier to do this to, as there’s an Award BIOS mod utility which can be used to show / hide all of the menu options that are in that BIOS.
I’m a little confused as to how you’re going to get a Sapphire 7750 into a SFF box – as far as I know, those are all 2-slot full-height cards. They don’t even fit into the Desktop / Minitower versions unless you do some modifications to the bracket – and even then many of the cards hit the CPU heatsink/fan shroud.
I’m running SSD’s in my Optiplex 960′s (which is what I switched to after 755′s). Unfortunately, I’m not getting the maximum performance out of them as the motherboard SATA is only SATA 2, while most SSDs these days are SATA 3 because they can transfer data faster than the SATA 2 limit. With a video card in the PCIe x16 slot, that leaves (in the DT/MT cases) the PCIe x1 slot and some PCI slots, none of which are capable of fully utilizing a SATA 3 add-in controller (the controller may talk to the drive at SATA 3 speed, but the bus is slower than that). On my file servers (which have 7 PCIe x16 slots) I’m using enterprise PCIe flash drives (4 or 8 flash controllers per card) as cache for the main 32TB filesystems.
April 1st, 2013 08:30
Thanks Terrry for the support, yes I know the SATA port is a “2″ rev only 300MBs, but that SSD is all the difference in the world.
As for the 7750, its somewhat newly released (before Christmas), check out 11202-10-20G at Amazon or Egg, there are already user review with the 755 SFF.
You can also check out Geekbench, would like to see your 9650 scores there.
Keep up the good work!
April 9th, 2013 17:57
Terry, found you on the web and you are a true O755 guru. Ok with that out the way let me explain my problem. I bought a used O755 about 4 years ago and it died corrupting the MBR on my C: drive. So I bought a mail-order, refurbished O755 with Vista Pro installed because I know the PC and it has served me well. When the refurnb arrived I installed the old drive so I( could recover all my data files and then fired it up. Everything worked fine except I had no sound. I checked and found that the PC did not have the Dell Sound Max driver installed. I went to the Dell site downloaded the recommended driver and installed it. I still have no sound output from the sound port in the back on the PC. I do hear sound from the system speaker. Can you please tell me how to solve this problem. Thanks.
April 9th, 2013 21:38
My first guess would be that the internal sound controller is turned off for some reason. This could be because it is disabled in the BIOS menu, or it could be that Windows thinks there’s a “better” sound controller and is trying to use that instead, even though there’s nothing hooked up to it. I’ve had this happen with ATI Radeon graphics drivers, which install a “HDMI Audio Device” or somesuch. For this second case, you need to Windows Control Panel / Sound (or similar, depending on Windows version) and make sure that the selected playback (and recording, if you use it) device is set to the on-board sound controller.