Can I upgrade a 2011 Dell PC?

[SamuraiSalesman]

I've decided to finally put what I have and take the plunge into PC gaming by upgrading my 2011 Dell Vostro desktop. I have already installed 12 gigs of ddr3 at 1600 MHz (yes, 12 GB of ram, I'll get to that later) and have selected a Core i5-2500 from Ebay since it's the best the LGA 1155 socket in this motherboard supports, or so my research has led me to believe. The problem I have is the VRMs on the board; I've seen some people online say that mismatched RAM modules (especially uneven RAM quantities) can place a significant strain on the VRMs and short the board. The RAM I have installed is a duo: one 4 gigs and the other 8 gigs. Maybe for a motherboard with a beefy heatsink this might not be a problem but my motherboard has none, like so:

 

My question is: am I running a risk of shorting the board and if so, is there anything I can do to remedy that. Before someone comments what I believe to be the obvious: I got the RAM from a friend for $45 total and took the risk of mismatching the sets since none were similar and that was all I could afford. I appreciate any advice you guys can give me. PS: Tips on how to make a better looking/more appealing post are also welcome.

[xriqn]

Well, I upgraded my 2006 Inspiron 530 to around 2009 ish specs with no trouble, probably could go further if I were to max out to a core 2 extreme, go for 8gb ram (max the 0RY007 would take), go for a reasonable PSU (CX450M) and a gtx 960 without blowing it up. Your system can be upgraded without worry provided you have a good PSU.

[wojtepanik]

socket compatibility is one thing, but look up if your board supports this cpu, could have proper socket but wrong chipset

[flibberdipper]

If anything, the VRM in my OptiPlex 7010 is as weaksauce or weaker, and running an identical RAM config (one 8GB and two 2GB) I've been fine for quite a while.

[SamuraiSalesman]

Just now, wojtepanik said:

socket compatibility is one thing, but look up if your board supports this cpu, could have proper socket but wrong chipset

I checked the chipset and the best it supports is a Core i5 2500. Not the 2500K because... well... obvious reason is obvious but I believe the chipset type was an H61.

[SamuraiSalesman]

Thanks for all the feedback. Just one final question I forgot to ask: is there a potential bottleneck when running all this and an rx 570? I figure the PCIe 2.0 won't do much to hurt bandwidth but is the ram speed a limiting factor here?

[wojtepanik]

ram speed won't bottleneck at all, but the cpu... it won't stand up to the gpu in performance 

[asand1]

I would get an i7 2600 for $70. The RAM will be fine. Upgrading Sandy bridge is so cheap you might as well go bananas and Max it out.

[wojtepanik]

i use gtx 970 with i7 920, it runs finee

 

[SamuraiSalesman]

1 minute ago, wojtepanik said:

ram speed won't bottleneck at all, but the cpu... it won't stand up to the gpu in performance 

What kind of framerates can I expect from the 2500, then. I'm only upgrading my potato so that when RAM prices come back to normal I can build a new system and transfer the GPU or replace it since I'll be buying one from Ebay and I don't expect the fans to last at all. *cough* miners *cough*

[SamuraiSalesman]

2 minutes ago, asand1 said:

I would get an i7 2600 for $70. The RAM will be fine. Upgrading Sandy bridge is so cheap you might as well go bananas and Max it out.

Unfortunately, I don't think my motherboard's chipset supports Core i7 CPUs...

[wojtepanik]

buy a newer one, it isnt expensive, come one

[SamuraiSalesman]

Just now, wojtepanik said:

buy a newer one, it isnt expensive, come one

I'm sorry, but I can only afford $100 on myself. If I had the disposable income to buy a newer one this thread would never exist.

[wojtepanik]

why then you bought rx if you have a bad motherboard

[wojtepanik]

buy gtx880 + best i7 you could find in that budget and puff, really nice daily 1080p gaming pc

[SamuraiSalesman]

Just now, wojtepanik said:

buy gtx880 + best i7 you could find in that budget and puff, really nice daily 1080p gaming pc

That is still above my budget because it doesn't include the motherboard and a copy of Windows.

[SamuraiSalesman]

2 minutes ago, wojtepanik said:

buy gtx880 + best i7 you could find in that budget and puff, really nice daily 1080p gaming pc

PS: GTX 880 doesn't exist.

[i_got_laid_by_a_dragoness]

35 minutes ago, wojtepanik said:

socket compatibility is one thing, but look up if your board supports this cpu, could have proper socket but wrong chipset

Some Dell motherboards have GPU whitelists.

 

Source: I used to work for Dell and some XPS systems had this problem. A BIOS update usually removes it.

[i_got_laid_by_a_dragoness]

8 minutes ago, SamuraiSalesman said:

That is still above my budget because it doesn't include the motherboard and a copy of Windows.

Dude, it's super easy to get Windows for free. Just don't activate it. There are tons of legal ways to remove Microsoft's activation promotion (like that dumb watermark in Windows 10), and Windows Server versions give you 180 day trials versus consumer Windows versions 30 days.

 

You can download a Windows 7 ISO straight from Microsoft's website - I have some spare keys if you want them.

[i_got_laid_by_a_dragoness]

9 minutes ago, SamuraiSalesman said:

PS: GTX 880 doesn't exist.

You can get a 680 for about $140 on Amazon, great 1080p beast

[SamuraiSalesman]

2 minutes ago, i_got_laid_by_a_dragoness said:

You can get a 680 for about $140 on Amazon, great 1080p beast

My problem is not the GPU, I just want to know if adding a new GPU to it won't destroy the VRMs. I plan to eventually sell the system to build my own Ryzen system (probably the 2200g) when prices come back down. Also, I previously stated that I wanted to get an RX 570 when that happens used off of Ebay. The way you said it's easy and then explained the Windows stuff make it seem extremely convoluted to me.

[asand1]

53 minutes ago, SamuraiSalesman said:

Unfortunately, I don't think my motherboard's chipset supports Core i7 CPUs...

If it'll run a locked i5 it will run a locked i7.

[SamuraiSalesman]

18 minutes ago, asand1 said:

If it'll run a locked i5 it will run a locked i7.

I'll have to look further into that but from the site I got it listed none of the i7 CPUs. One of the people above mentioned that Dell "whitelists" certain processors and that a BIOS update could fix it but I haven't the slightest clue how to update the BIOS of this motherboard because it's so rudimentary.

[asand1]

6 minutes ago, SamuraiSalesman said:

I'll have to look further into that but from the site I got it listed none of the i7 CPUs. One of the people above mentioned that Dell "whitelists" certain processors and that a BIOS update could fix it but I haven't the slightest clue how to update the BIOS of this motherboard because it's so rudimentary.

 

1 hour ago, i_got_laid_by_a_dragoness said:

Some Dell motherboards have GPU whitelists.

 

Source: I used to work for Dell and some XPS systems had this problem. A BIOS update usually removes it.

No, he said GPUs. I don't know why yup are looking at 10 year old lists. They are outdated. Tell is what model Vostro you have. Look on YouTube and Google for examples of your machine running i7s. I am positive it will work.

 

GPUs have their own on board VRMs. The motherboard VRMs are not related to the GPU in any way. 

[SamuraiSalesman]

3 minutes ago, asand1 said:

 

No, he said GPUs. I don't know why yup are looking at 10 year old lists. They are outdated. Tell is what model Vostro you have. Look on YouTube and Google for examples of your machine running i7s. I am positive it will work.

 

GPUs have their own on board VRMs. The motherboard VRMs are not related to the GPU in any way. 

I was worried about the VRMs because of the mismatched RAM and people online speculating that it could stress them significantly. I have looked up all I can about my current desktop and the only related articles and videos I can find are Dell product archives and CNET reviews / spec sheets and none of them list a core i7 model or any support for it. The most they say the Vostro 260 can be paired with is the 2500, which they do not even offer themselves.