Upgrade advice, Old Dell XPS 720

roastbeeef

roastbeeef

roastbeeef

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Hey,

Just got a few questions that I'd like to ask here regarding a PC upgrade.

When I was quite a bit younger I was always on top of the news regarding new hardware, whats hot and whats not, but last time I bought a PC it was pre-made Dell, and that was 3 years ago.

I originally bought this XPS 720 for CoD:MW as I was a bit of a hardcore gamer back then, but things wore off over time, and I havent really needed a PC to run anything apart from Pokerstars, Dreamweaver and Photoshop for the last few years, so I've been playing with Macs - until now.

I've set my PC up again over the last few days in eager anticipation of BF3, but ended up coming across Brink, which I've promptly fallen in love with. However, to play either of these games I'm going to need a few upgrades!

Spec is as follows:
nVidia 680i chipset
Intel Core2Quad Q6600 @ 2.4ghz
4gb PC 6500 ram
768mb GE Force 8800 gtx
everything is stock config, nothing overclocked

So, I need a bit of a speed boost, I've got two options. Save some cash now and buy a new PC in November, or cheer myself up by getting Brink running properly and sort my current machine out - hopefully sort it out enough for BF3.

I was looking at getting an ATI Radeon 6950 from overclockers, overclocking my CPU (I've heard it can go up to 3.2ghz quite easily on air) and possibly getting some new, faster RAM.

Is there any RAM that could be recommended? Also what brands of graphics card are better? (if any),

thanks,
beef
 
stulid said:
Q6600 @ 2.4ghz :( get it to 3GHZ with a big heatsink:)
Click to expand...

It's a DELL system so that won't be possible. Nor will overclocking the gpu I don't think.

OP, because your system is a DELL it severely limits where you can go. (non standard case etc.) I would be hesitant to buy a new gpu because your cpu will bottleneck it at just 2.4ghz.

As for RAM, your system is DDR2 which is old tech now, so costs more than it is worth (compared to DDR3) so it is a bit of a waste of money imo. Especially when you already have 4gb which most things won't max out.

To be honest I think it's best to wait and get a new system when you can.

One suggestion I would make is that, provided your motherboard has sata 2, which I think it should, you could get a solid state drive as your boot drive, they offer a nice boost in snappiness and it would be of use when you come to build your new system.
 
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I'm pretty sure my CPU can be overclocked, my BIOS isnt locked and I've read on forums about other people OCing the CPU in a XPS 720.

Also my case has plenty of room, its a beast. So if I could overclock the CPU and fit the gfx card in - is it worth it?

my PSU is 1000w
 
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I'd be wary about the PSU. Have a long look around to see what kind of PSU it is, if it's a standard size unit, and if it has standard connectors in case you need a replacement, the current PSU would probably not be able to power a 6950.
 
check out the PCIE connectors, and the motherboard connectors. 20 pins? 24 pins? 4 pin CPU power? 8 pin cpu power? :)

What's the power ratings on the side? Especially the 12V ratings.
 
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My apologies, I thought that all DELL motherboards were locked so no overclocking could be done.

In that case I would start by overclocking that cpu of yours. Which version is it (b3/ g0)? I wouldn't expect a great overclock because the 680 chipsets aren't brilliant overclockers, but you should get some free performance. You can start out with stock cooler to get the hang of it and then change to an aftermarket one if temps get too high (fairly likely, especially if you have an earlier b3 chip).

After your free (or cheap if you buy a hs) performance in the form of overclocking it's time to think about your graphics. What pci-e lanes does your mobo have? I am assuming that it has room for another 8800GTX in sli, so this is a possible upgrade path as they are available fairly cheaply second hand. You must make sure that you have a spare power connector for a second card though. If you decide you want a new card then it's budget dependent which you want to go for.

As for PSU power being an issue, most modern cards won't use much more than an 8800GTX, and a 1000W (are you sure about that one? seems high for a DELL, but obviously you know more about your system than I do!) PSU should be more than plenty (even for sli).

olivier renault said:
I'd be wary about the PSU. Have a long look around to see what kind of PSU it is, if it's a standard size unit, and if it has standard connectors in case you need a replacement, the current PSU would probably not be able to power a 6950.
Click to expand...

A GTX 8800 can draw up to 315W
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/graphics/2006/11/08/nvidia_geforce_8800_gtx_g80/18

an HD 6950 can draw up to 256W
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2010/12/16/ati-radeon-hd-6950-review/10

So I wouldn't worry.
 
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Yea its definitely 1kw :)

I'll check out the PCIE lanes and the chip SN a bit later tonight, just mashing Brink and dont want to quit just yet :) thanks for the advice so far.

There is definitely room for another 8800 gtx in there, maybe thats a cheaper option than getting a 6950... the only reason I was looking at a 6950 was because I'll have to upgrade the mobo at some point anyway and thought it might go straight into my new rig.
 
Saying all that, I've just opened it up and I'm not sure there is room for another 8800, the length is there but the cooler on my card is hench
 
Disco Boy said:
A GTX 8800 can draw up to 315W
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/graphics/2006/11/08/nvidia_geforce_8800_gtx_g80/18

an HD 6950 can draw up to 256W
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2010/12/16/ati-radeon-hd-6950-review/10

So I wouldn't worry.
Click to expand...

True. I misread and thought it was a 8800GT as I have a Dell XPS 630 unit and that's what's in it.

I would still recommend a single card option. The PSU may not have the connectors for SLI 880GTX (it may have though with that much rated power).

Should have 40A+ on 12V rail, and that should cover the CPU and GPU. More if you plan on SLI 8800 GTX.

Also note that the 6950 is a long card. How much room you have for the card if you replace it? Can't remember the dimensions of the 8800GTX, seem to remember it's not small either.

EDIT : Looking around it's massive. 10.5''. the 6950 2GB is 11'', so it's pretty much same size, would be nice to have an extra inch to spare.

This is looking like a straight swap. You will need two PCIE connectors (should be no problem since the 8800GTX also needs 2 PCIE 6 pin connectors), you may require 8 pin connector adaptors for the 6950 / whatever.
 
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The PCIE power connectors are 6 pins, from what I could see there are only 2 of these and they are both going into the graphics, there might be more tucked away but I didnt want to prod around as its still on.

I've got 3x PCIEx16 slots (2 available) but was unable to find out the length of the slot (will take graphics out later) - on the nvidia website it says it apparently has 46 lanes

There are two power connectors into the motherboard, one x20 pin and one x24 pin.

I think CPU power is 4 pin.
 
Yup, looks like you can just swap out the card for a 6950 then. As for the CPU overclocking, what does the heatsink look like?
 
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