Dell Dimension 4600

[wege12]

I have question about this old Dell Dimension desktop I have collecting dust in my closet: http://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/19/product-support/servicetag/9mczv41/configuration?s=BSD

I was wondering if it would be possible to use the included motherboard to upgrade the and RAM to something more modern and GPU to a AMD 7850? Or is it too outdated?

Thanks

 

[redzo]

It's a DDR1 P4 and too outdated, yes.
The best you can do is probably to throw it away.
Technically, if it works, you could install some current lightweight linux distro and use it as a typewriter or surf the web.

 

[wege12]

It's a DDR1 P4 and too outdated, yes.
The best you can do is probably to throw it away.
Technically, if it works, you could install some current lightweight linux distro and use it as a typewriter or surf the web.

Bummer, but it was expected. Thanks for your help, redzo!

 

[wege12]

Okay, I found another desktop of mine. It's an HP P7 1520t: http://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c03653388

Same question as before: Is it possible to use the included motherboard to upgrade the and RAM to something more modern and GPU to a AMD 7850? Or is it too outdated? Below is a picture of the motherboard:

[/IMG]

 

[LTC8K6]

http://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c03135925

Yes, that can be upgraded.

 

[Burpo]

A 130 watt Radeon HD7850 for that box & power supply? Good luck..

 

[LTC8K6]

A 130 watt Radeon HD7850 for that box & power supply? Good luck..

Well, the PS can be replaced.

 

[redzo]

A 130 watt Radeon HD7850 for that box & power supply? Good luck..

http://www.anandtech.com/show/5771/the-intel-ivy-bridge-core-i7-3770k-review/20
Total system power consumption should be lower than 300w(7850 included), at least 10% lower I think. The rest is a matter of that OEM PSU quality in general / its ability to provide 130w(cpu)+130w(gpu) of power.

 

[LPCTech]

a 400$ cheapo pc would work better and probably cost less. Unless you just wanna tinker.

 

[Ketchup]

The HP would be a good machine, and you have a good list of CPU upgrade options if you want to upgrade.

GPU is another story. Most manufacturers were recommending a 500-watt power supply for those 7850s. So you would either want to go with an Nvidia card that draws much less power (a GTX 950 will do fine on 350 watts, for example) or get another power supply (just make sure you get one that fits).

 

[tcsenter]

Okay, I found another desktop of mine. It's an HP P7 1520t: http://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c03653388

Try to find QuickSpecs or Technical Guide for that model. Some of these OEM boards are power limited on the PCI Express X16 slot to 50W max. If the card requires the Full Monty allowed by the PCI Express specification, which I think is 75W, then it could be a problem even if the GPU uses an aux. power cable.

 

[wege12]

So installed a 270x into HP p7 1520t and when I go to boot it up, all I get is a black screen. No picture is received at all. Any ideas?

 

[CorsairDemon]

Check to see if your BIOS is set to PCIexpress instead of on-board.
Plug into on-board video while it is black screened to see if the on-board is enabled and taking priority and not recognizing the new card.

 

[wege12]

Check to see if your BIOS is set to PCIexpress instead of on-board.
Plug into on-board video while it is black screened to see if the on-board is enabled and taking priority and not recognizing the new card.

I did what you recommend and no picture is sent via on-board to the second display.

 

[LTC8K6]

Are the video card power connectors plugged in?

 

[wege12]

Are the video card power connectors plugged in?

Yes they are. The 270x is plugged into a 500w PS.

 

[tcsenter]

Remove the card, configure with built-in graphics, grab the latest BIOS update for this model. Release 8.20A is the latest I could find. A prior BIOS release has the following remark in the change notes:

- Resolves boot issues when system configured with add-in graphics card

 

[wege12]

Remove the card, configure with built-in graphics, grab the latest BIOS update for this model. Release 8.20A is the latest I could find. A prior BIOS release has the following remark in the change notes:

- Resolves boot issues when system configured with add-in graphics card

Nice find! How ever I can't seem to find the BIOS update for my motherboard anywhere. I've looked at hp's support page for this specific PC and it's not there. Do you happen to have link to the BIOS update you mentioned?

 

[tcsenter]

Nice find! How ever I can't seem to find the BIOS update for my motherboard anywhere. I've looked at hp's support page for this specific PC and it's not there. Do you happen to have link to the BIOS update you mentioned?

In the downloads page, select Windows 8 (original) as your OS, not 8.1, then click apply/change.

 

[wege12]

In the downloads page, select Windows 8 (original) as your OS, not 8.1, then click apply/change.

I updated the BIOS, reinstalled the 270x and got the black screen again. However, when the black screen is displayed I tried plugging another display via on-board graphics and that worked. So then I tried booting into the BIOS to see if any settings jumped out at me that might remedy this. The only options I found regarding PCI were bus options and security.

I'm starting to get frustrated lol

 

[CorsairDemon]

This may not have anything to do with your model, but I've ran into some of the HP of this generation having issues with Secure Boot and PCIexpress graphics. I don't have any information as it was discovered during a diagnostic. I had to disable Secure boot to install a GTX 650 for a customer. I don't know if it will mess with your activation though.

EDIT: Do you have another card to test in this system.

 

[Burpo]

Yeah, sounds like you got a bad card..

 

[tcsenter]

I updated the BIOS, reinstalled the 270x and got the black screen again. However, when the black screen is displayed I tried plugging another display via on-board graphics and that worked. So then I tried booting into the BIOS to see if any settings jumped out at me that might remedy this. The only options I found regarding PCI were bus options and security.

Test the card in another machine. Even if the slot power is limited to 50W as I referred to in post #11, that should cause problems only under much higher loading (e.g. 3D rendering) than init and POST would require. So I am leaning more towards you got a bad card. The primary display adapter setting in BIOS shouldn't matter, anymore. It just tells the BIOS where to first look for a bootable VGA adapter, in order to save some time of having to then query the entire bus if none is found on "primary".