Upgrading CPU, Dell says cannot replace Motherboard? What? at DVinfo.net

John L. Miller · April 30th, 2007, 03:12 PM

I called Dell today, not that I would be purchasing any parts from them seeing that they are twice the price of everyone else, but I wanted to see if my system could benefit from Multi-Core Processing. Well, Dell says my motherboard will not support that technology, so I asked about upgrading the motherboard and they said the Dell Dimension 8400 cannot have the motherboard upgraded. What the heck does that mean? I have never heard of this before. What is to keep me from upgrading the motherboard? Will another one not fit in the dell case? Is there something attached to the motherboard that will cause my system to not work if I change the mother board? I want to upgrade to a multi-core processor, and I have to have a compatible Motherboard to do it. Any suggestions? Will my Boot-drive, which is configured for dell no doubt, not work with a motherboard upgrade? Thanks. John

Matt Newcomb · April 30th, 2007, 05:08 PM

Without seeing the case or anything I'm going to assume that could be the problem. You have to be careful when picking out new hardware to make sure all your components will work with each other. Upgrading your motherboard may make your RAM obsolete as well.

If you are still wanting to go this route, cases are one of the cheaper components you can buy so just see if you can get one that will fit.

John Miller · April 30th, 2007, 05:12 PM

The other possibility may be that if you have an OEM version of Windows (likely), it will be tied to the original hardware.

Glenn Chan · April 30th, 2007, 05:33 PM

Quote:

What is to keep me from upgrading the motherboard? Will another one not fit in the dell case?

Some Dell computers have non-standard motherboards with holes in different places.

My experience with computer upgrades is that computers tend not to be upgradeable. Your power supply may not be good enough, your motherboard's chipset may not support the new processor, the new motherboards might need newer generation RAM, the new video cards are pciE (not AGP), etc. etc. You're likely better off getting a new system and cannibalizing select old parts... i.e. the optical drives, the hard drives.

John L. Miller · April 30th, 2007, 06:56 PM

All very good points. After considering everything, I know my 3GB of Ram would be a loss. I remember that I had to order it, no one had it in stock. My operating system is OEM, so the drive probably wouldn't boot with another motherboard. I am not prepared to attempt an upgrade on this system. I am certain it would cost more than getting a new system. Right now, the system will get the job done. I will probably build my own when the time comes using the multi-core technology. I have another system I could Network Render with. But, I think I read where some of the plugins will not work with network rendering. Magic Bullet being one of those. Someone please correct me if I am wrong. Thanks. J

April 30th, 2007, 03:12 PM	#1
John L. Miller Major Player Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Huntington, WV Posts: 260	Upgrading CPU, Dell says cannot replace Motherboard? What? I called Dell today, not that I would be purchasing any parts from them seeing that they are twice the price of everyone else, but I wanted to see if my system could benefit from Multi-Core Processing. Well, Dell says my motherboard will not support that technology, so I asked about upgrading the motherboard and they said the Dell Dimension 8400 cannot have the motherboard upgraded. What the heck does that mean? I have never heard of this before. What is to keep me from upgrading the motherboard? Will another one not fit in the dell case? Is there something attached to the motherboard that will cause my system to not work if I change the mother board? I want to upgrade to a multi-core processor, and I have to have a compatible Motherboard to do it. Any suggestions? Will my Boot-drive, which is configured for dell no doubt, not work with a motherboard upgrade? Thanks. John

April 30th, 2007, 05:08 PM	#2
Matt Newcomb Major Player Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 212	Without seeing the case or anything I'm going to assume that could be the problem. You have to be careful when picking out new hardware to make sure all your components will work with each other. Upgrading your motherboard may make your RAM obsolete as well. If you are still wanting to go this route, cases are one of the cheaper components you can buy so just see if you can get one that will fit. __________________ Talenos Productions at http://www.talenos.com

April 30th, 2007, 05:12 PM	#3
John Miller Major Player Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Hillsborough, NC, USA Posts: 968	The other possibility may be that if you have an OEM version of Windows (likely), it will be tied to the original hardware.

April 30th, 2007, 06:56 PM	#5
John L. Miller Major Player Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Huntington, WV Posts: 260	All very good points. After considering everything, I know my 3GB of Ram would be a loss. I remember that I had to order it, no one had it in stock. My operating system is OEM, so the drive probably wouldn't boot with another motherboard. I am not prepared to attempt an upgrade on this system. I am certain it would cost more than getting a new system. Right now, the system will get the job done. I will probably build my own when the time comes using the multi-core technology. I have another system I could Network Render with. But, I think I read where some of the plugins will not work with network rendering. Magic Bullet being one of those. Someone please correct me if I am wrong. Thanks. J