Older Dell XPS 7100, curious about options for upgrading..

H

HyperTension

[H]ard|Gawd
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Dec 23, 2002
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Ok, granted it's an older PC, but I figured it would be an ideal "starter" for my son to use.

Setup:
  • Phenom x4 945
  • Stock Memory, Hynex 1.5GB PC3-10600, 240 Pin, 1.5V
  • Mobo & Chipset: 786G SB710
  • PSU: Craptastic OEM 460W
Upgrades so far:
  • HD: Samsung HD502 (Primary OS) & WD 150 Raptor (Gaming, Steam)
  • Windows 7 Pro (SP1)
  • AMD HD 7700 (Updated1.5yrs ago)
I'd like to do the memory next, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to suffer from OEM selectivness in this process. I'm putting this as first due to the degree of HD usage with gaming, or any other process running in the background. This MB does support dual channel. Any suggestions or recommendations?

Can I use / upgrade using the latest chipset drivers from AMD, or am I stuck from the ones from Dell (dated 2010)? I know & have updated the video card drivers without incident.

Any other suggested upgrades?

Thanks in advance!
 
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This thing must be awful slow with Win 7 installed. The sweet point for Win 7 is 4 or more GB. Any of the Linux distro's would fly on that machine as is.
You can go to crucial.com and use there memory compatibility tool to find out how much the mobo will accommodate, just buy elsewhere as newegg is usually cheaper for Crucial memory than Crucial itself. Maybe one of the [Horde] could sell you something cheap.
AMD drivers should work fine!
 
Weird, most reviews say that, that system came with 6GB of RAM. Which makes sense if you have just a single stick of 1.5GB. What happened to the other three 1.5GB sticks? Looks like nearly any DDR3 1333 RAM will work. So grab you an 8GB kit (2x4GB) and install it. You could even keep the 1.5GB of RAM in there since I do believe you have 4 slots for RAM.

It appears that you can upgrade to at least a AMD Phenom II X6 1055T CPU. I'd keep an eye out for a used one on the forums here, eBay and Craigslist. (as well as any other tech forums you're a member of) although I wouldn't pay more than like $90 for one.

I think you're gonna be stuck with whatever chipset (I'm assuming you mean the BIOS for the motherboard) drivers Dell offers. It seems they did release one back in 2011 for that computer if you go look here. Not real sure what it upgrades as their is no real list of improvements other than it stating "Enhanced Windows Support" whatever that may mean.

I would also look into getting an SSD for the system. They've been coming down in price on them at a rapid pace lately. I picked up a 512GB unit for $165 shipped a month ago. I think Newegg is currently offering a 500GB Samsung 850 EVO for $190. Good price for a very good SSD.
 
Chuckles... It gets worse... apparently we got this as a "refurb" from Dell from a local vender.. current memory specs as listed by HWiNFO..

Stick1: SK Hynix HMT 112U6TFR8C 1GB, DDR3-133 / PC3-10600
Stick2: Kingston DP223C-ELF 2GB...

WTF.. no wonder this this is a memory turd....

Going to check Crucial next...
 
7...

Likes to play TF2, ABC mouse...

Chuckles... This thing has been running in single channel.... sigh... :rolleyes:
 
Honestly running in dual channel probably wont make much of a difference anyway. Back during the DDR1 and DDR2 days it was a big deal, but DDR3 even in single channel is still fast enough that it's not really the bottle neck anymore.
 
I went with this.. 8GB Kit (4GBx2) DDR3 PC3-12800 Unbuffered NON-ECC 1.5V 512Meg x 64 part # : CT3730160

That should make a bit of an improvement... Next step will be a cheap-o ssd..
 
"Ok, granted it's an older PC"

That's a solid machine. Any XPS desktop is dell premium system and is expected to be upgraded.
 
lodoss900 said:
"Ok, granted it's an older PC"

That's a solid machine. Any XPS desktop is dell premium system and is expected to be upgraded.
Click to expand...

True, I also used an XPS 7300 to upgrade, put mobo and cpu in another case and replaced all the rest. Gpu even got an OC on it. And I just installed the CPU loop for my custom watercooling loop that will include the GPU.
Probably upgrading to X99 or Skylake anyway, but I got a lot of performance out of this machine.
 
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