Solving Dell Optiplex 780 SFF with a Q6600 overclocking guide
Solving Dell Optiplex 780 SFF with a Q6600 overclocking guide
If the label is correct, it's a GTX 970 which is significantly more powerful than a 1030. The main issue is the single slot GPU limitation—having a tower version would have allowed you to install a 970. A power supply upgrade would also have been straightforward. Since you don't have these options, you should weigh whether to invest further or consider spending around $75 for a better system that would still be a big improvement even with the 710.
I'm checking online for an i5 system. I found some promising offers. I was thinking about maintaining my current setup, but it seems clear I should consider upgrading. That would let me get a 1050 ti or better CPU, possibly a better PSU, and avoid worrying about a CPU upgrade later. Any suggestions for systems?
I understand some i5 models differ mainly due to age (similar to Core2Quad). I've heard positive feedback about the Optiplex 3020. I don't need much RAM as long as it's DDR3—my SFF already has 10GB, which would be sufficient—and I already have an SSD with Windows 10 installed, so I can access anything easily.
Thanks again for your assistance.
I discovered this on eBay:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/USED-Dell-...c3...3021!US!-1
Is it a scam? I haven't encountered anything like this before at this price.
Yeah, you can get something cheap and then upgrade it with what you have and some other stuff. Like this complete system for $66+shipping:
https://www.pcliquidations.com/p24275-de...lex-390-mt
It comes with 4gb, which coupled with your 8gb, would give you 12gb. You could sell the 4+2 and get another 8 and you'd be running dual channel. The processor is easy to swap to an i7-2600/2600k/2700/2700k (max it can take), and there's good room for a 1660 or even a 2060/2070 as long as it isn't long enough. The power supply is standard so you can upgrade it with regular parts, and even though the cpu heatsink is little, it's more than capable for the i7 so you don't need anything more. And you can easily upgrade the fan on it as this motherboard uses the standard 4-pin vs dell 5-pin power connector for the cpu fan.
So $66+shipping, $15-$20 for 8gb (optional), $50-60 for the i7, use your own boot drive and you're at i7 performance for under $150. Then you can upgrade power, gpu, etc as you wish.
That's a great find! Nope, that's probably real. Prices have really crashed on those generations and even the one after. If you got that with the i5, you don't even need a cpu upgrade and you're ready to go!
Getting one of the lga1150 generations opens up the possibility of an i7-4790k, which starts into modern performance numbers. But right now that processor is 2x as expensive as it was the end of last year, so demand is currently high. I got an i3-4130 system at a decent price and have been wanting to upgrade it to the 4790k, but only when the price is right:
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/compare/Int...5vs1vs2275
And the great thing is that you can sell your existing system with the leftover parts from the i5 for $25-30 locally and someone will have a great productivity machine and you effectively got your i5 for the cost of just the cpu.