Optiplex upgrades

[jefire411]

hello, what cpu, ram, and stuff like that. Does it support sata 6 gbs? Is it worth putting a small ssd in it?

 

https://www.dell.com/downloads/global/products/optix/en/opti_745techspecs.pdff

 

Just remove the second F at the end to access the pdf.

[Electronics Wizardy]

sata 6 vs 3gb/s makes a tiny speed difference for a ssd, dont' worry about it.

 

The optiplex 745 is a very old model, get a newer one like a 7010. 

[TheGlenlivet]

7 minutes ago, jefire411 said:

hello, what cpu, ram, and stuff like that. Does it support sata 6 gbs? Is it worth putting a small ssd in it?

 

https://www.dell.com/downloads/global/products/optix/en/opti_745techspecs.pdff

 

Just remove the second F at the end to access the pdf.

PCI Express 1.0a PCI Express x1: 5 Gbps PCI Express x16: 80 Gbps

SATA 1.0a and 2.0 SATA: 1.5 and 3.0 Gbps

 

Kinda old.  PCI 1.0 and sata 2.0.  An SSD will improve speed but be limited by the SATA port.  If you haven't bought this already I would try and get something newer.

[jefire411]

2 minutes ago, TheGlenlivet said:

PCI Express 1.0a PCI Express x1: 5 Gbps PCI Express x16: 80 Gbps

SATA 1.0a and 2.0 SATA: 1.5 and 3.0 Gbps

 

Kinda old.  PCI 1.0 and sata 2.0.  An SSD will improve speed but be limited by the SATA port.  If you haven't bought this already I would try and get something newer.

 

3 minutes ago, Electronics Wizardy said:

sata 6 vs 3gb/s makes a tiny speed difference for a ssd, dont' worry about it.

 

The optiplex 745 is a very old model, get a newer one like a 7010. 

I was given it for free. Looking to "speed" it up and do something with it.

[TheGlenlivet]

1 minute ago, jefire411 said:

I was given it for free. Looking to "speed" it up and do something with it.

A cheap SSD would speed it up.  Just don't put a 1080 in it and expect it to run crysis or anything. hehe

[jefire411]

2 minutes ago, TheGlenlivet said:

A cheap SSD would speed it up.  Just don't put a 1080 in it and expect it to run crysis or anything. hehe

I was thinking a gt 1030/9~~/7~~ or even a gtx 1050. Would there be an upgrade path with this computer on the cpu? Doesn't matter if its super old as the thing itself is a dinosaur, 80 gig hard drive. I have a 320 gig har drive from another old (maybe older than the optiplex) with 16 megs of cache, wonder how it will compare to the one in the optiplex.

[TheGlenlivet]

5 minutes ago, jefire411 said:

I was thinking a gt 1030/9~~/7~~ or even a gtx 1050. Would there be an upgrade path with this computer on the cpu? Doesn't matter if its super old as the thing itself is a dinosaur, 80 gig hard drive. I have a 320 gig har drive from another old (maybe older than the optiplex) with 16 megs of cache, wonder how it will compare to the one in the optiplex.

 maybe.  But I don't know how well modern GPUs would run on PCI 1.0

[jefire411]

2 minutes ago, TheGlenlivet said:

 maybe.  But I don't know how well modern GPUs would run on PCI 1.0

oh yeah, I forgot about PCI. I saw on a forum that a user put this cpu in it and it worked fine, no bios tweaks, nothing: intel Extreme QX6700

I see these go for about 10-50 bucks on eBay, might pick on up and see.

[JoostinOnline]

20 minutes ago, Electronics Wizardy said:

sata 6 vs 3gb/s makes a tiny speed difference for a ssd, dont' worry about it.

It makes a HUGE difference for large files. You're cutting your speeds nearly in half.

[jefire411]

1 minute ago, JoostinOnline said:

It makes a HUGE difference for large files. You're cutting your speeds nearly in half.

About how long would boot times be with an ssd?

[dalekphalm]

30 minutes ago, jefire411 said:

hello, what cpu, ram, and stuff like that. Does it support sata 6 gbs? Is it worth putting a small ssd in it?

 

https://www.dell.com/downloads/global/products/optix/en/opti_745techspecs.pdff

 

Just remove the second F at the end to access the pdf.

I have extensive experience with these. We used to have about 100 of them at work.

 

They take LGA 775 CPU's, and DDR2 RAM.

 

What CPU and RAM does the one you got for free have?

 

I would suggest installing an SSD, and trying out Windows 7 or Windows 10.

 

Please note: driver support for either is going to be flaky at best. You might be better off running Linux instead.

 

You could use it as an old Windows XP machine for old games, but Windows XP doesn't support TRIM, which means over time your SSD will slow down and require manual maintenance (usually done via manufacturer software, such as Samsung Magician).

[jefire411]

1 minute ago, dalekphalm said:

I have extensive experience with these. We used to have about 100 of them at work.

 

They take LGA 775 CPU's, and DDR2 RAM.

 

What CPU and RAM does the one you got for free have?

 

I would suggest installing an SSD, and trying out Windows 7 or Windows 10.

 

Please note: driver support for either is going to be flaky at best. You might be better off running Linux instead.

 

You could use it as an old Windows XP machine for old games, but Windows XP doesn't support TRIM, which means over time your SSD will slow down and require manual maintenance (usually done via manufacturer software, such as Samsung Magician).

Not quite sure but I do know it came with a pentium, and windows 10 pro 32 bit even though the windows settings state the processor is 64 bit. It does have 4 gigs of ram, I think I might add another stick of 4

[JoostinOnline]

2 minutes ago, jefire411 said:

About how long would boot times be with an ssd?

With boot times the difference between SATA II and SATA III would be imperceptible.

[jefire411]

1 minute ago, JoostinOnline said:

With boot times the difference between SATA II and SATA III would be imperceptible.

Oh, ok then I might pick up a samsung 860 evo or MX500, or perhaps a sandisk drive.

[Electronics Wizardy]

54 minutes ago, TheGlenlivet said:

An SSD will improve speed but be limited by the SATA port.  If you haven't bought this already I would try and get something newer.

Really not limited, boot times will be within a second and 4k speeds are about the same. Only sequentical speeds are effected, and not common in desktop workloads. I have tested this.

[jefire411]

Just now, Electronics Wizardy said:

Really not limited, boot times will be within a second and 4k speeds are about the same. Only sequentical speeds are effected, and not common in desktop workloads. I have tested this.

yeah this pc won't be used for such things. I have an I5-7500 ad Cryorig H7 paired with 16 gigs of ram for that.

[Electronics Wizardy]

36 minutes ago, JoostinOnline said:

It makes a HUGE difference for large files. You're cutting your speeds nearly in half.

Really it doesn't Ive tested this. Very few desktop uses needs sequentical speeds. random and 4k speeds are basically the same. And your not limited by sequentical speeds when copying files(nothing faster to copy to), loading games(they don't need that much bandwidth), booting, and most other uses.

[Electronics Wizardy]

Just now, jefire411 said:

yeah this pc won't be used for such things. I have an I5-7500 ad Cryorig H7 paired with 16 gigs of ram for that.

But just saying I wouldn't both with a new ssd for this. This will be very slow and will be much slower to basic tasks like load a web page. Your much better spending the 100 bucks on a i5 optiplex. This can't even use a core 2 duo.

[jefire411]

1 minute ago, Electronics Wizardy said:

But just saying I wouldn't both with a new ssd for this. This will be very slow and will be much slower to basic tasks like load a web page. Your much better spending the 100 bucks on a i5 optiplex. This can't even use a core 2 duo.

what about the performance with the Q6700 cpu? What should I expect?

[JoostinOnline]

1 minute ago, Electronics Wizardy said:

Really it doesn't Ive tested this. Very few desktop uses needs sequentical speeds. random and 4k speeds are basically the same. And your not limited by sequentical speeds when copying files(nothing faster to copy to), loading games(they don't need that much bandwidth), booting, and most other uses.

Read my post again, you'll notice I specifically mentioned large files.  If you're making a second copy of large file on your SSD, or transferring it to another SSD, you're going to feel a major difference.  It's also obvious if you're saving a large file.  These will likely be rare instances for the OP, but it's worth pointing out that it does have potential to make a massive difference in niche situations.

[Electronics Wizardy]

Just now, jefire411 said:

what about the performance with the Q6700 cpu? What should I expect?

This doesn't have offical support for quad cores, so it might just not work. You can try though, but even those are getting on the slow side these days.

 

Really just get a i5 box.

[Electronics Wizardy]

Just now, JoostinOnline said:

Read my post again, you'll notice I specifically mentioned large files.  If you're making a second copy of large file on your SSD, or transferring it to another SSD, you're going to feel a major difference.  It's also obvious if you're saving a large file.  These will likely be rare instances for the OP, but it's worth pointing out that it does have potential to make a massive difference in niche situations.

but in desktops that not very common

 

Also large != sequentical

[jefire411]

1 minute ago, Electronics Wizardy said:

This doesn't have offical support for quad cores, so it might just not work. You can try though, but even those are getting on the slow side these days.

 

Really just get a i5 box.

well I got the computer for free and that cpu goes for around 14-20ish dollars. 

[dalekphalm]

53 minutes ago, jefire411 said:

Not quite sure but I do know it came with a pentium, and windows 10 pro 32 bit even though the windows settings state the processor is 64 bit. It does have 4 gigs of ram, I think I might add another stick of 4

You'll want to find out what exact CPU you've got in there.

 

If you are on Windows 10, go to:

1. Settings

2. System

3. About

 

On the About screen, it will show you the Processor (model number and frequency). Once you've got the CPU model, we can look up the specs of it. We can also recommend whether you should buy a cheap upgrade from eBay.

 

FYI, if you want to install more than 4GB of RAM, you'll have to re-install Windows with the 64-bit edition of Windows 10. Windows 10 32-bit is limited to 4GB of usable memory - Anything above that, and the OS will ignore it. You may have issues with finding good 64-bit drivers for a PC that old though - especially chipset drivers.

 

But it's certainly worth a try.

[jefire411]

5 minutes ago, dalekphalm said:

You'll want to find out what exact CPU you've got in there.

 

If you are on Windows 10, go to:

1. Settings

2. System

3. About

 

On the About screen, it will show you the Processor (model number and frequency). Once you've got the CPU model, we can look up the specs of it. We can also recommend whether you should buy a cheap upgrade from eBay.

 

FYI, if you want to install more than 4GB of RAM, you'll have to re-install Windows with the 64-bit edition of Windows 10. Windows 10 32-bit is limited to 4GB of usable memory - Anything above that, and the OS will ignore it. You may have issues with finding good 64-bit drivers for a PC that old though - especially chipset drivers.

 

But it's certainly worth a try.

thats what I'm waiting on right now, for the windows setup process to finish. I have 4 sticks of 1gb of ddr2 ram I can use, giving it a total of 6gb.