Upgrading Dell inspiron Zino HD 400

[Biomecanoid]

Hello, 

 

I recently got a Zino HD 400 mini PC and I thought it would be a nice candidate to run Libreelec and upgrade my old ugoos UT4 android and also replace my NAS.

 

Here are the original specs:

 

RAM

• Memory Speed
  800 MHz
• Technology
  DDR II SDRAM
• Installed Size
  3 GB

 

PROCESSOR

• Athlon X2
• Processor Number
  3250e
• Clock Speed
  1.5 GHz

 

VIDEO OUTPUT

• Graphics Processor
  ATI Mobility Radeon  Discrete Graphics Card

 

 

* So far I have replaced the 1gb stick with a 2gb one for a total of 4gb.

 

* I also installed an old sandisk ssd that I had and installed Libreelec.

 

* I am also waiting for an HDD Caddy:

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/9-5MM-Caddy-SATA-2nd-HDD-SSD-Hard-Drive-For-CD-DVD-ROM-Optical-Bay-adapter/313044582435?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

 

to install my SSD in to make room for a 6TB 3.5'' HD for my movies ( to help me get rid of my NAS )

 

 

* I also plan to upgrade my CPU to an AMD Athlon II X3 420E :

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/AMD-Athlon-II-X3-400E-405E-415E-420E-Socket-AM2-Triple-Core-CPU-Processor/173991219166?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&var=472782518588&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

 

* And finally install a cheap Atheros WiFi:

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Atheros-AR5B95-150Mbps-PCI-E-802-11a-b-g-n-Wireless-Mini-WiFi-Card/233831338041?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2PCS-WIFI-2-4G-3dbi-PCN-Antenne-IPEX-IPX-WLAN-Laptop-Bluetooth-Wirele-WCY/353007321081?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

 

 

 

With only the few minor upgrades that i have done the Zino runs Libreelec like a dream and far better than my ugoos UT4 which has lost HDMI audio passthru in Libreelec and i have to run Kodi on android now for passthru to work. The Zino seems to have no issues with audio passthru and can actually run HVEC 265  ( but slow hopefully the upgraded CPU will allow for better performance ) something that my ugoos UT4 could not and would play the videos with green colors and eventually lock up.

 

I will keep upgrading with photos and other material. Advice and recommendations are welcome. 

 

 

Thank you

 

[Biomecanoid]

Here are some photos ( not mine i will take actual photos of my device soon ) and PDF documents on the Zino mini PC.

inspiron-zino-hd_service manual_en-us.pdf 1011173332_inspiron-zino-hd_setupguide_en-us.pdf inspiron-zino-hd_user's guide_en-us.pdf

[Biomecanoid]

Anybody knows where I can find 1 stick of DDR2 4gb pc2 sodimm for a reasonable price ?. All I can find is way over-priced

[Skells1986]

On 12/31/2020 at 10:00 AM, Biomecanoid said:

Here are some photos ( not mine i will take actual photos of my device soon ) and PDF documents on the Zino mini PC.

inspiron-zino-hd_service manual_en-us.pdf 1.08 MB · 0 downloads 1011173332_inspiron-zino-hd_setupguide_en-us.pdf 2.25 MB · 0 downloads inspiron-zino-hd_user's guide_en-us.pdf 50.97 kB · 0 downloads

 

Thanks for posting all of this info!

 

I am also upgrading a Dell Zino HD 400.

 

Mine currently has 3GB of RAM, an Athlon ii X2 260u, a PNY CS900 120GB SSD attached to an Inateck mounting frame, and Windows 10 Pro installed (for now).

 

Runs perfectly fine, but the CPU performance is still a bit lacking, the RAM is simply isn't enough by modern standards, and the GPU performance is shockingly poor.

 

Planned next steps:

1. to install an Athlon ii X3 415e 

2. to upgrade the RAM to 4GB (DDR2 prices are ridiculous so not going any further than this for now)

3. to install a miniPCIe-to-PCIe 16x Riser and a small form factor graphics card (90 degree USB 3.0 adapter required to fit the miniPCIe card inside the Zino case; hoping to fit the graphics card inside the case too (where the HDD was originally mounted).

 

Any ideas what this 3 pin header is for: (image attached)

 

 

[Biomecanoid]

30 minutes ago, Skells1986 said:

 

Thanks for posting all of this info!

 

I am also upgrading a Dell Zino HD 400.

 

Mine currently has 3GB of RAM, an Athlon ii X2 260u, a PNY CS900 120GB SSD attached to an Inateck mounting frame, and Windows 10 Pro installed (for now).

 

Runs perfectly fine, but the CPU performance is still a bit lacking, the RAM is simply isn't enough by modern standards, and the GPU performance is shockingly poor.

 

Planned next steps:

1. to install an Athlon ii X3 415e 

2. to upgrade the RAM to 4GB (DDR2 prices are ridiculous so not going any further than this for now)

3. to install a miniPCIe-to-PCIe 16x Riser and a small form factor graphics card (90 degree USB 3.0 adapter required to fit the miniPCIe card inside the Zino case; hoping to fit the graphics card inside the case too (where the HDD was originally mounted).

 

Any ideas what this 3 pin header is for: (image attached)

 

 

 

What GPU are you going to try ? that sounds like fun fitting it in the case.

 

I have 4gb in mine an ssd and i have ordered an AMD Athlon II X3 420E an atheros wifi adapter and a HDD caddy to replace the optical drive so i can fit a 6tb hdd for my movies. My Zino is now running libreelec successfully and its a big upgrade from my android box.

 

As far as the stock gpu is concerned seems to be able to play the new x265 HEVC codecs but not in full speed, i guess with the upgraded cpu it will be fine

 

I guess since you want to change the GPU you want to game on it which will be difficult for the Zino 

 

 

 

[Biomecanoid]

54 minutes ago, Skells1986 said:

 

 

Any ideas what this 3 pin header is for: (image attached)

 

 

As stated in the manual: 1011173332_inspiron-zino-hd_setupguide_en-us.pdf  / page 45 and since its next to the battery it looks like being the cmos reset jumper

[Skells1986]

12 hours ago, Biomecanoid said:

 

What GPU are you going to try ? that sounds like fun fitting it in the case.

 

I have 4gb in mine an ssd and i have ordered an AMD Athlon II X3 420E an atheros wifi adapter and a HDD caddy to replace the optical drive so i can fit a 6tb hdd for my movies. My Zino is now running libreelec successfully and its a big upgrade from my android box.

 

As far as the stock gpu is concerned seems to be able to play the new x265 HEVC codecs but not in full speed, i guess with the upgraded cpu it will be fine

 

I guess since you want to change the GPU you want to game on it which will be difficult for the Zino 

 

 

 

 

I haven't completely decided on a GPU yet - it's gonna have to be pretty small though and I am concerned about cooling. I'm thinking just a GT 710 - it's low wattage at ~20W.

 

I've got a 130watt power supply from a dell 7559 laptop; with the proposed 415e CPU drawing about 25W more than the stock CPU, I figured I have about 30watts spare for a card.

 

I've changed my mind on the setup, I now think I need a mPCIe-to-PCIe 1x adapter instead of 16x, just simply because of space constraints inside the case. I also don't see any point in going for anything bigger than a PCIe 1x card because the mPCIe slot only offers 1 express lane (unless I'm mistaken).

I know I'm mainly CPU bottlenecked with the 260u at present, but I think it will be a fun experiment to improve upon the existing radeon HD 3200 graphics. I don't think this rig will ever be capable of gaming

 

I believe the PCIe 1x slot in the example adapter below needs power via the 4 pin - just need to look into this a bit further before committing to it. I also need to figure out how to pass a display cable through the case to connect a monitor to the card... (fyi I also haven't checked and confirmed that the graphics card will fit yet)

 

 

 

 

[Biomecanoid]

Interesting mini-pcie adapter, is the floppy style power connect enough to provide power to the pcie ?.  Also I would say if you can fit a 16x pcie go for it so you have room to upgrade in the future.

 

The 710 might be small enough to fit if you take off the metal bracket and screw the vga connector that is on a ribbon on the plastic casing.

[Skells1986]

Honestly, I didn't have a clue this adapter existed until today... I had my mind set on a 16x riser, but the only one I could find that connects to an mPCIe port used a USB2.0 type B mini to USB3.0 type A lead... 

I imagine the bandwidth of the type B mini (60MB/s I think?) not being particularly good for the demands of a graphics card.

PCIe 3.0 1x should be capable of speeds up to 1GB/s, so this adapter seemed like a more logical option.

Good idea regarding removal of the metal bracket and using the ribboned VGA connection - thanks for the suggestion. I'll let you know how I get on with this workstream - not much else to do during lockdown!

 

[Biomecanoid]

10 hours ago, Skells1986 said:

Honestly, I didn't have a clue this adapter existed until today... I had my mind set on a 16x riser, but the only one I could find that connects to an mPCIe port used a USB2.0 type B mini to USB3.0 type A lead... 

I imagine the bandwidth of the type B mini (60MB/s I think?) not being particularly good for the demands of a graphics card.

PCIe 3.0 1x should be capable of speeds up to 1GB/s, so this adapter seemed like a more logical option.

Good idea regarding removal of the metal bracket and using the ribboned VGA connection - thanks for the suggestion. I'll let you know how I get on with this workstream - not much else to do during lockdown!

 

 

Nothing to do with the USB bandwidth. The designers just had to use a connector and they just went with a readily available USB.

it does not use the USB protocol its just a connector and a cable the end performance is based of the quality of the cable. 

[Skells1986]

That makes a lot of sense, thanks for the info.

 

I've just been looking at how to power the eGPU... I think I'm gonna need an additional PSU.

 

My original plan was to disconnect the CD/DVD drive and use the power from the the 2pin header... but I've realised that's outputting just 5V.

 

I've then looked at the 12V 5pin header for the HDD to see if I can double-up the connections to it... I've replaced my HDD with an SSD which has saved about 4.5Watts - the graphics card needs an additional ~20Watts at 12V - so I guess that's out of the question too.

 

I went as far as thinking I could wire up a few of the ports in a combination of series & parallel to achieve the required wattage at the correct voltage... but then my sanity kicked in and I realised it wasn't worth the effort and I'd probably end-up frying the whole lot. 

 

Please let me know if you can think of any other ways for me to power the card?

[Biomecanoid]

15 minutes ago, Skells1986 said:

That makes a lot of sense, thanks for the info.

 

I've just been looking at how to power the eGPU... I think I'm gonna need an additional PSU.

 

My original plan was to disconnect the CD/DVD drive and use the power from the the 2pin header... but I've realised that's outputting just 5V.

 

I've then looked at the 12V 5pin header for the HDD to see if I can double-up the connections to it... I've replaced my HDD with an SSD which has saved about 4.5Watts - the graphics card needs an additional ~20Watts at 12V - so I guess that's out of the question too.

 

I went as far as thinking I could wire up a few of the ports in a combination of series & parallel to achieve the required wattage at the correct voltage... but then my sanity kicked in and I realised it wasn't worth the effort and I'd probably end-up frying the whole lot. 

 

Please let me know if you can think of any other ways for me to power the card?

Well usually when we think of something its been done before. So studying the past prepares for the future.

 

In olden days when the 3dfx ruled the GPU world. Their GPUs where so powerful for the time that a normal pc could not power them and they needed an external PSU. So do the same.

 

I though of doing that do but since my zino is in the living room it won't look nice if I "Frankenstein" it lol. In its stock form it almost doesn't look like a PC.

 

[Skells1986]

Thanks for suggestion regarding an external PSU, it's probably the route I will have to take.

 

I was also hoping to avoid creating a monster because mine too is sat in the living room. I currently have it hooked up to a 40" 1080p TV - the idea is to just watch movies and use it for some light internet browsing. But with a 260u CPU it seems to struggle with just these simple tasks (simple by modern standards). It previously had a 2650e CPU and OMG it was painful to just switch on and boot to Windows - granted there are probably more efficient OSs out there that would better suit this machine's limited resources, but I like the idea of keeping this machine as a backup for when my other Window-based machines are out of action.

 

Anyway, the 415e is now on order and should be here by Friday - stepping up from a 2650e to a 260u was a vast improvement. I believe stepping up from a 260u to a 415e will double the performance again.

 

FYI, whilst watching a movie through Prime with the 260u installed, CPU usage stabilized at ~96% and CPU temp didn't exceed 44degsC. I'm quite impressed with how efficient the cooling is (assuming this figure to be accurate). I presume you're still running the 3250e? - what are your thoughts on how it performs? What made you decide to upgrade to a 420e instead of a 425e?

 

Do you know if anyone has tried to run any of the X3 95W processors? Or any of the X4 45W/95W? Your thoughts? 

[Skells1986]

12 minutes ago, Skells1986 said:

Thanks for suggestion regarding an external PSU, it's probably the route I will have to take.

 

I was also hoping to avoid creating a monster because mine too is sat in the living room. I currently have it hooked up to a 40" 1080p TV - the idea is to just watch movies and use it for some light internet browsing. But with a 260u CPU it seems to struggle with just these simple tasks (simple by modern standards). It previously had a 2650e CPU and OMG it was painful to just switch on and boot to Windows - granted there are probably more efficient OSs out there that would better suit this machine's limited resources, but I like the idea of keeping this machine as a backup for when my other Window-based machines are out of action.

 

Anyway, the 415e is now on order and should be here by Friday - stepping up from a 2650e to a 260u was a vast improvement. I believe stepping up from a 260u to a 415e will double the performance again.

 

FYI, whilst watching a movie through Prime with the 260u installed, CPU usage stabilized at ~96% and CPU temp didn't exceed 44degsC. I'm quite impressed with how efficient the cooling is (assuming this figure to be accurate). I presume you're still running the 3250e? - what are your thoughts on how it performs? What made you decide to upgrade to a 420e instead of a 425e?

 

Do you know if anyone has tried to run any of the X3 95W processors? Or any of the X4 45W/95W? Your thoughts? 

Ignore my last question - I just remembered that we discussed some chap trying an X4 processor and looking back to the youtube video, he tried a 610e (45W) and it resulted in system crashes (which may or may not be due to heat). I think I'll stick with the 415e (provided it works)...

 

[Biomecanoid]

9 minutes ago, Skells1986 said:

Thanks for suggestion regarding an external PSU, it's probably the route I will have to take.

 

I was also hoping to avoid creating a monster because mine too is sat in the living room. I currently have it hooked up to a 40" 1080p TV - the idea is to just watch movies and use it for some light internet browsing. But with a 260u CPU it seems to struggle with just these simple tasks (simple by modern standards). It previously had a 2650e CPU and OMG it was painful to just switch on and boot to Windows - granted there are probably more efficient OSs out there that would better suit this machine's limited resources, but I like the idea of keeping this machine as a backup for when my other Window-based machines are out of action.

 

Anyway, the 415e is now on order and should be here by Friday - stepping up from a 2650e to a 260u was a vast improvement. I believe stepping up from a 260u to a 415e will double the performance again.

 

FYI, whilst watching a movie through Prime with the 260u installed, CPU usage stabilized at ~96% and CPU temp didn't exceed 44degsC. I'm quite impressed with how efficient the cooling is (assuming this figure to be accurate). I presume you're still running the 3250e? - what are your thoughts on how it performs? What made you decide to upgrade to a 420e instead of a 425e?

 

Do you know if anyone has tried to run any of the X3 95W processors? Or any of the X4 45W/95W? Your thoughts? 

 

I am running libreelec on my zino and it works like a dream. I want to upgrade just because new hvec 265 encoded movies don't play well enough with the stock 3250e, the new 420e cpu will arrive around march along with the other upgrades.

 

As far as i read online X4 cpus are unstable on the zino, I don't know why but I would assume due to the psu and I don't want to buy a new psu as well. That's why i ordered the best x3 CPU

 

Since you use it as a means to watch movies in the living room your should consider libreelec too

[Skells1986]

On 1/12/2021 at 12:54 AM, Biomecanoid said:

 

I am running libreelec on my zino and it works like a dream. I want to upgrade just because new hvec 265 encoded movies don't play well enough with the stock 3250e, the new 420e cpu will arrive around march along with the other upgrades.

 

As far as i read online X4 cpus are unstable on the zino, I don't know why but I would assume due to the psu and I don't want to buy a new psu as well. That's why i ordered the best x3 CPU

 

Since you use it as a means to watch movies in the living room your should consider libreelec too

I have been thinking about putting a second SSD inside mine (just to make use of the sata connection that was formerly connected to the CD drive and to expand my very limited storage (only 120GB currently)) - Libreelec sounds like a really good option for installing on the second drive; I'll have a look into this.

The Zino 400 really struggles to run Windows, but I want to keep it on there as a backup solution when my other devices aren't working. 

 

I have thought a little more about what might cause the X4's to run badly on the Zino... I don't think it will be anything to do with power supply because the one that was referred to on our recent youtube thread was a 45W version - we know that the X3 45W versions run fine, but it seems the X4 45W versions don't. So I wonder if the 780G chipset becomes the bottleneck... it is only PCI-E 2.0.  

I guess a good test would be trying to run a 95W X3 that performs similarly to the 420e (that we know runs well) - the X3 95W 425 should be good for this... it will rule out the power as being the cause of the instability. I'll keep an eye on eBay for one. 

[Biomecanoid]

6 hours ago, Skells1986 said:

I have been thinking about putting a second SSD inside mine (just to make use of the sata connection that was formerly connected to the CD drive and to expand my very limited storage (only 120GB currently)) - Libreelec sounds like a really good option for installing on the second drive; I'll have a look into this.

The Zino 400 really struggles to run Windows, but I want to keep it on there as a backup solution when my other devices aren't working. 

 

I have thought a little more about what might cause the X4's to run badly on the Zino... I don't think it will be anything to do with power supply because the one that was referred to on our recent youtube thread was a 45W version - we know that the X3 45W versions run fine, but it seems the X4 45W versions don't. So I wonder if the 780G chipset becomes the bottleneck... it is only PCI-E 2.0.  

I guess a good test would be trying to run a 95W X3 that performs similarly to the 420e (that we know runs well) - the X3 95W 425 should be good for this... it will rule out the power as being the cause of the instability. I'll keep an eye on eBay for one. 

I don't think a 95watt CPU works in the Zino.  That is why I ordered the 420e. It is OK to try a couple of CPUs just for the fun of it but I think you have done so more than that so you are starting to waste money. A 95 watt CPU may need a new PSU to work IF the motherboard can take the extra power.

 

The Zino never was and never will be a powerhouse but is an awesome media PC, best one I had so far. If you want to tinker add a 2nd HDD/SSD with a caddy. Or research how to offload movie decoding on a GPU or a media accelerator card installed in the mini-pcie

[Skells1986]

Well, I just installed the 415e: the bios definitely recognizes it and I can see all three logical processors in task manager... but I'm getting BSOD

 

I've tried the stock PSU (either 65 or 75W from memory?) and a 130W one from my dell inspiron 7559... getting the same result.

 

So, I either have a bad secondhand CPU or my system isn't capable of running it. I think it might be a little too much for the little Zino to handle. Not sure how others have managed to get X3 processors to work - any suggestions?

[Biomecanoid]

7 minutes ago, Skells1986 said:

Well, I just installed the 415e: the bios definitely recognizes it and I can see all three logical processors in task manager... but I'm getting BSOD

 

I've tried the stock PSU (either 65 or 75W from memory?) and a 130W one from my dell inspiron 7559... getting the same result.

 

So, I either have a bad secondhand CPU or my system isn't capable of running it. I think it might be a little too much for the little Zino to handle. Not sure how others have managed to get X3 processors to work - any suggestions?

Oh that does not sound good, I have ordered the 420e. Try to re-install windows and see if that makes any difference, or try to see if Linux behaves any better.

 

This is your chance to try Libreelc

[Skells1986]

10 minutes ago, Biomecanoid said:

Oh that does not sound good, I have ordered the 420e. Try to re-install windows and see if that makes any difference, or try to see if Linux behaves any better.

 

This is your chance to try Libreelc

I'm beginning to think you own shares in Libreelec haha.

 

I have a spare SSD with no OS on it, I think I will do as you suggest and install Libreelec on it and then see if it runs...

 

I'm wondering if I need to update drivers or BIOS... I am tempted to put the old CPU back in it to check versions of aforementioned items and also check it still runs ok. 

[Biomecanoid]

7 minutes ago, Skells1986 said:

I'm beginning to think you own shares in Libreelec haha.

 

I have a spare SSD with no OS on it, I think I will do as you suggest and install Libreelec on it and then see if it runs...

 

I'm wondering if I need to update drivers or BIOS... I am tempted to put the old CPU back in it to check versions of aforementioned items and also check it still runs ok. 

Sadly I haven't been able to find any updated bios.

[Skells1986]

2 minutes ago, Biomecanoid said:

Sadly I haven't been able to find any updated bios.

Same.

 

But I did find an AMD chipset driver: 1.3.1.49, A02.   I need to check what's installed on mine.

 

[Biomecanoid]

34 minutes ago, Skells1986 said:

Same.

 

But I did find an AMD chipset driver: 1.3.1.49, A02.   I need to check what's installed on mine.

 

Well that's better than nothing, but I don't have high hopes for it. What is the error message and error code of the blue screen ? Take a photo.

[Biomecanoid]

On 1/15/2021 at 7:15 PM, Skells1986 said:

Well, I just installed the 415e: the bios definitely recognizes it and I can see all three logical processors in task manager... but I'm getting BSOD

 

I've tried the stock PSU (either 65 or 75W from memory?) and a 130W one from my dell inspiron 7559... getting the same result.

 

So, I either have a bad secondhand CPU or my system isn't capable of running it. I think it might be a little too much for the little Zino to handle. Not sure how others have managed to get X3 processors to work - any suggestions?

Major update:

 

The AMD Athlon II X3 420E CPU is here. I have installed it, applied new thermal paste, booted up the Zino CPU is detected fine and Linux is performing much better.

 

I can finally watch x265 HVEC movies properly instead of stuttering. So far everything is stable but will know soon enough if it mi-behaves because I use it every day.

 

Now I am still waiting for the HDD caddy and the mini-pcie WiFi card.

 

So far I am happy the Zino is a big upgrade from the Ugoos UT4 android box that I had before that was supposed to be 4K but it reality could not even play 1080p HVEC movies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Biomecanoid]

Here is a screenshot from Libreelec.