i7 Builds - Specs and Results

[DonaldM]

I have a Dell XPS9000/435t running [email protected]. I've been wanting to upgrade my CPU, but the most I could do, given my MOBO is the i7-970 because of the size. (9 pins, I think).

So, now I'm wondering if I might just replace the MOBO, but I'm not sure if I can with a Dell. (I'm told they have some kind of proprietary size or something like that) Right now I have 4 HDs internal, and 1 external via USB3.
My MIDI controller is via Firewire. And the XPS has, I think, 9 USB slots.

I also need to upgrade my Nvidia, which right now is Nvidia GeForce GTS 240...a bit older!
I have 24gig ram (6slots, 4gig ram).

I have very little knowledge of how MOBOs and all that work. What might my options be? What do I need to consider?

Thanks

[albee1952]

The "latest and greatest" seems to be an X99 motherboard(socket 2011-3) with an i7 6 core(6800K in my rig) and DDR4 RAM. On a budget, a second hand X79 motherboard(socket 2011) with i7 6 core(3930K) and DDR3 RAM is a major step up from the old 920. In either case, 4x8GB(total of 32GB) of quad-channel is the sweet spot for RAM(when I upgraded my X79 rig from 32 to 64GB, I really didn't notice much improvement)

Back to the old socket 1366, I updated mine from a i7 950 to a 980X 6 core, but your motherboard might not work for that(at the very least, would likely need to update the BIOS). I can't comment much on how much improvement that was as I had already moved that machine to backup service and never really worked it hard(have since sold to a friend for running Cubase)

[DonaldM]

Originally Posted by albee1952

The "latest and greatest" seems to be an X99 motherboard(socket 2011-3) with an i7 6 core(6800K in my rig) and DDR4 RAM. On a budget, a second hand X79 motherboard(socket 2011) with i7 6 core(3930K) and DDR3 RAM is a major step up from the old 920. In either case, 4x8GB(total of 32GB) of quad-channel is the sweet spot for RAM(when I upgraded my X79 rig from 32 to 64GB, I really didn't notice much improvement)

Back to the old socket 1366, I updated mine from a i7 950 to a 980X 6 core, but your motherboard might not work for that(at the very least, would likely need to update the BIOS). I can't comment much on how much improvement that was as I had already moved that machine to backup service and never really worked it hard(have since sold to a friend for running Cubase)

Thanks for the info, Albee. My question is, though, will these fit in my Dell? I've been told that Dell uses some kind of proprietary size or screws or something like that. Do you know if that's actually the case?

[YYR123]

No you are right, your better off getting another case.

And it will be a lot cooler looking than the Dell

[DonaldM]

Originally Posted by YYR123

No you are right, your better off getting another case.

And it will be a lot cooler looking than the Dell

I don't really care how it looks...just as long as everything functions properly. In my studio, you can't see the tower, as its under the main desk.

[Bob Olhsson]

Look on the Dell site! I upgraded my Dell Precession twice.

[DonaldM]

Originally Posted by Bob Olhsson

Look on the Dell site! I upgraded my Dell Precession twice.

Bob - Were you able to get a MOBO from Dell?

[DonaldM]

So, I checked with Dell and they do not have any MOBO upgrades available for my system.

[Bob Olhsson]

I didn't upgrade the MB, just the Xeon CPUs as the price dropped.

[albee1952]

If cash is really tight and you are happy with your current case, open it up and check out the screw layout. Odds are pretty good that(given its an i7 quad) that its an ATX (size) motherboard and that's a fairly standard size for a full-sized motherboard. It should have 3 screws across the top, 3 across the middle)probably lower than the exact middle) and 3 more across the lower edge.