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Upgrading a Dell Optiplex 790


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I've got an old Optiplex 790 that was sitting in the office forever and a day. I could probably go buy a new stand, but I'm wondering if it's worth my time to just upgrade this one. I've got No Man's Sky but can't run it, and I'm thinking of trying Mordhau but I doubt I can run that either. 

My specs are: 

Processor: Intel i7-2600 CPU @3.40 GHz

Card: AMD Radeon HD 4650

RAM: 8GB of DDR4 memory

Hard drive: 512 GB

PSU: 240W

 

I'm pretty ignorant when it comes to PC specs. What upgrades would I need to run newer stuff like Mordhau in decent graphics? 

 

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Hello, I would first upgrade your

 

PSU: https://www.newegg.com/p/1HU-009N-000B7?Item=9SIA85V3J88620&source=region&nm_mc=KNC-GoogleMKP-PC&cm_mmc=KNC-GoogleMKP-PC-_-pla-OutletPC.com-_-Power Supplies-_-9SIA85V3J88620&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIvaCUscbB4gIVVx6tBh1hFA4oEAQYASABEgI3sPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

RAM: upgrade to 16GB if you can but 8GB is decent

 

GPU: 1060 3GB, 1060 6GB, RX 580 8GB (All of these can be bought for good prices used

 

SSD:(Boot Drive): 120 GB or above Sandisk, Crucial, PNY 

HDD: The Current Hard Drive you have is good as storage drive for games

 

 

Depending on how you go you can beef up that system with used parts, if the prices are too much for you online through Ebay, Newegg, etc. used look local such as Offerup, Craiglist, Facebook Marketplace, LetGo.

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What form factor is it?

s-l300.jpg

If it's anything other than MT your upgrade options for GPU and PSU are effectively non-existant unless you replace the case and even then I don't know if the motherboards in these things are a standard form factor.

 

Probably best to build something new or buy something else used

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As a person who has refurbished the exact system you are talking about, I agree that you should IMMEDIATELY replace the power supply. Power supplies from the 790/390 series can be troublesome under sustained heavy loads or extreme environments.

Lucky for you those units use common ATX standards. 20/24 pins and a 4-pin ATX12V supply for the CPU.

The system also supports Ivy Bridge CPUs, so that will upgrade your primary PCIe x16 slot to 3.0 since it comes from the CPU, but your motherboard BIOS will need to be upgraded first. 

I would suggest you do limit the power of the hardware you put in though, as the tower only has limited negative pressure cooling from a 92mm PWM fan in the rear, but you can easily bolt another fan to the perforated side panel with little trouble. The PCIe expansion slot covers are also covered with cut-outs so even if you don't add a fan your GPU would still receive adequate fresh air.

While we are on the subject of cooling, the cooler that comes with these is bolted to the chasis but standard M2-threaded screws, so any LGA 115X cooler that uses M2 screws to mount can be used without the application of a backplate. Push-pin mounting is not supported. I would suggest you replace the CPU cooler as it is a simple chunk of machined aluminum. The use of watercooling AIOs is not feasible for this chassis.

As far as GPUs are concerned I would limit your chosen model to a maximum TDP of around 175 watts, so the 1060, 1660, or 2060. Anything above that will cause thermal issues in that case. Use exposed AIB partner coolers so that the exhausted hot air will not get sucked back in to the GPU via the perforated PCIe brackets.

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17 hours ago, xxBonsai99xx said:

What form factor is it?

s-l300.jpg

If it's anything other than MT your upgrade options for GPU and PSU are effectively non-existant unless you replace the case and even then I don't know if the motherboards in these things are a standard form factor.

 

Probably best to build something new or buy something else used

It is an MT, actually. 

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20 hours ago, &gt{GHS}&lt Bob said:

Hello, I would first upgrade your

 

PSU: https://www.newegg.com/p/1HU-009N-000B7?Item=9SIA85V3J88620&source=region&nm_mc=KNC-GoogleMKP-PC&cm_mmc=KNC-GoogleMKP-PC-_-pla-OutletPC.com-_-Power Supplies-_-9SIA85V3J88620&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIvaCUscbB4gIVVx6tBh1hFA4oEAQYASABEgI3sPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

RAM: upgrade to 16GB if you can but 8GB is decent

 

GPU: 1060 3GB, 1060 6GB, RX 580 8GB (All of these can be bought for good prices used

 

SSD:(Boot Drive): 120 GB or above Sandisk, Crucial, PNY 

HDD: The Current Hard Drive you have is good as storage drive for games

 

 

Depending on how you go you can beef up that system with used parts, if the prices are too much for you online through Ebay, Newegg, etc. used look local such as Offerup, Craiglist, Facebook Marketplace, LetGo.

This is great, thanks. I'll snatch up the PSU right away. About the GPU - I should probably be expecting that to be in the $90 - $120 range, right?

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14 hours ago, SoranoGuardias said:

As a person who has refurbished the exact system you are talking about, I agree that you should IMMEDIATELY replace the power supply. Power supplies from the 790/390 series can be troublesome under sustained heavy loads or extreme environments.

Lucky for you those units use common ATX standards. 20/24 pins and a 4-pin ATX12V supply for the CPU.

The system also supports Ivy Bridge CPUs, so that will upgrade your primary PCIe x16 slot to 3.0 since it comes from the CPU, but your motherboard BIOS will need to be upgraded first. 

I would suggest you do limit the power of the hardware you put in though, as the tower only has limited negative pressure cooling from a 92mm PWM fan in the rear, but you can easily bolt another fan to the perforated side panel with little trouble. The PCIe expansion slot covers are also covered with cut-outs so even if you don't add a fan your GPU would still receive adequate fresh air.

While we are on the subject of cooling, the cooler that comes with these is bolted to the chasis but standard M2-threaded screws, so any LGA 115X cooler that uses M2 screws to mount can be used without the application of a backplate. Push-pin mounting is not supported. I would suggest you replace the CPU cooler as it is a simple chunk of machined aluminum. The use of watercooling AIOs is not feasible for this chassis.

As far as GPUs are concerned I would limit your chosen model to a maximum TDP of around 175 watts, so the 1060, 1660, or 2060. Anything above that will cause thermal issues in that case. Use exposed AIB partner coolers so that the exhausted hot air will not get sucked back in to the GPU via the perforated PCIe brackets.

Most of the abbreviations here don't mean much to me, but that's something I can easily learn. This was the advice I'm looking for. Thanks so much!

With an MT case I should have room for a 1060, right?

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You will have room for a 1060, yes, but you can easily accommodate some larger cards. The primary issue will be cooling.

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