Added: 3 years ago
From: thejoshman117
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  • Can I tell u something do u no the bit u toke out the two screws well u don't have to do that if u look u will see the black clip just push it and it pops out with the metal bit most dimension ar like that

  • i still have a e521 with 4gb RAM and a ATI Radeon HD 4830 ( rates 7.2 in 7 x64 ultimate) , it has the 3800+ dual core and i can play just about anything at max settings...i frequent all the Crysis games.

  • wow your a pretty stupid to tell us that it doesnt matter which way to put the ram in, theres only one way.

  • This was my first comp in 07. :)

  • Do you recall the voltage of the ram?

  • the big black box in the centre is blocking the 2cm at the end of the HD5670?? what should i do?? can i cut a bit off the case

  • After you install the video card which slot do you plug the DVI cable to? (i have two slots one from my motherboard and one from my video card)

  • you know that black thing in 2:20 i hate to tell you think./ there a button that unlock that black thing -.- that will let you add and remove card. you did not need to remove"black thing that is call a card lock...

  • my dad has this computer i use it more than him im getting my own 8gb ram i5 for xmas this has 1gb of ram hahahahahahahahaha no wonder his pc is shit

  • Actually nevermind xD nice video

  • Does anyone know what kind of graphics card he used

  • haha thats exactly my rig cept i got a 550w psu, I wanted to know if the mobo on the e521 could handle or fit say a 9800gt of gfx260? I want to jam skyrim if possible. my computer holds up well as long as its a console port. thanks

  • i wanna upgrade my e521's video card with a 9800gt but the card comes with two metal brackets, the top one with an airway grill and the bottom with a dvi and vga and i have the install the card facing up making it impossible to put in i can only put a card with a single slot...what can i do please help

  • @blayx You're out of luck, the E521 uses BTX layout which reverses the position of expansion slots preventing you from using dual-slot graphics cards.

    In any case, the CPUs it can take would bottleneck that card like crazy, anything more than a 7900GT\X1800XT is pointless really...

  • still an ok system in 2011

  • 2:20 thats what she said

  • harddirve?

  • Thanks buddy for the 411...

  • Thanks for uploading this video joshman. I'm new to upgrading and it was very helpful. I noticed when you upgraded the memory, you just added the two new modules while leaving the original RAM in place. According to what I have learned you should upgrade the RAM in matched pairs because, if you don't, the computer will run at the speed of the slower modules.

  • I just wanted to lit the world know. I noticed that in the bios version 1.1.11 bias says 16 gig max memory even though every sorce in the world says 4. So I dropped a 4 gig stick of ddr2 600 and it worked like a charm. So to anyone fooling with this you can run 4 meg sticks of memory on this machine

  • holaamigo nesesito tu Ayuda tengo Una Dell E521 de 4GB de ram y prosesador Athlon 64X2 5200

    El Problema Que Tengo Que Quiero es Change El Ventilador Delantero por Uno Con luses Pero No Se Como Hacerlo

    tb me gustaria saver komo le Puedo poner luses Por Dentro te agradeseria Mucho

  • Kid, you did a good production job here. Very clear with explaining what you were doing. My daughter just picked one of these up for a hundred bucks. So, I need to jack it up for her. Grandson wants to play World of Warcraft. But, might ease into Rift. So, would need a faster system for the Rift graphics.

  • i heard a click noise from my ram when it bent in half from me buying the 'right' type from the local computer shop.

  • 2:30 is when he puts in his video card. i bought a bfg geforce gts 250 and everytime i try to fit it in, it wont. the reason why is because of that huge black plastic thing that holds the heatsink for the cpu. im gonna need a different heatsink so i can fit my graphics card in. any suggestions?

  • Great video man! Is this power supply a standard? If so, could it use an atx psu? Thanks!

  • Can you give show me what site or page or what exact type of RAM you bought?

  • What sound card did you use here?

  • I do not care when you made this video, I am just glad you did. Thank you. I still own a Dimension E521 and have had it for 4 years without any problems. I am not a gamer so I guess that makes a difference. I have the geforce 6150 le but would like to upgrade it somewhat since I watch mostly movies on my computer and recently bought a 22 inch widescreen. What do you suggest? I did upgrade the RAM from 1 to 3 gb.

  • @Nissi210 Radeon HD4550 or Geforce 8400GS, they have better HD\bluray video acceleration features. Anything more is overkill.

  • i don't need to upgrade my cpu?

  • @scottiZepidemic you can if you want... this video is pretty old now and I honestly don't personally think an E521 is worth upgrading anymore.

  • My system specs Name: Dimension e521 CPU: AMD 6000+ 3.0GHz 90mn (Max supported) GPU: 9800 GT EE 1GB (75watts) RAM: 3GB PC 6400 extreme performance 800MHz PSU: 305 watts ISSUES: PC shuts down about 2-6 times a month due to low PSU What games runs nicely (that I own) Call of duty MW2 (40-60+ FPS) online or offline Left 4 dead 2 (40-60+ FPS) online or offline Dirt 2 (36-63 FPS) Online. Under 25 Online Team Fortress 2 (50+ FPS) Bad Company 2 (32 and under FPS) online under 22 (Game needs quad core)
  • Hey dude whats up I have the same dell E521 with a factory Amd 64 +3200 cpu and I was wondering if I can get a graphics card but I Don't know whats a good one for the price do u know of any ....

  • Comment removed

  • A full fucking upgrade is where you get a video card so beastly you got to get a whole new fucking PSU, THATS WHY I AM PUTTING AN EVGA GTX 460 2GB WITH A 600 WATT PSU, YEAHHH!!!

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  • Ohhh you call that upgraded Huh, well ima come back here in a few days and im going to have a video to show you! My E510 has absolutely nothing stock except for the motherboard heatsink and cpu

  • Huh. I use a Dimension E521 as well, I was looking at video cards but most of the ones that were halfway decent did require a PSU upgrade. I'll look around for the card that you mentioned. I upgraded to 3gigs of ram from Crucial, I don't think the sound card needs any upgrades (Win XP Media is alright I spoze) but... I do use a USB wireless adapter. Is there any advantage to your method of adapting to wireless?

  • @ParadoxPerspective i also have a e521, i didnt upgrade sound, or wireless as i have ethernet right by my desk and dont ever move it, i did some ram from crucial, but can use more soon, i went with a NVIDIA GeForce 6150 LE and i can do cod4 with not the greatest graphics, ut its fine, but World Of Tanks is laggy and i cant sufice graphics for the game so i lag like a bitch.

  • @domiNATEshots12

    I went with a GeForce 8600 GT 512MB. The card in this video is the same, but with 256MB of ram... and I think DDR3 memory in stead of DDR2. Mine uses DDR2. My card has yet to arrive, but if it's awesome when it gets here I can get you a link to buy one yourself. They're like 50$. 512MB of video ram means you'll be able to play every game on the market. . . . I think, as long as the AMD 64 2.00 Ghz processor in the E521 isn't shy of the requirements as well...

  • I am trying to take out my CPU to replace my motherboard, do you know how I do that without breaking the CPU?

  • Well, I have been looking around for the Card you recomended. Turns out that No one is selling it brand new anymore. If they are its places I never heard of.

    My question is, have you upgraded since then to a newer GPU and had good results? I am definetely looking to buy a new GPU but dont want to fork out the money and not be able to play GTA IV. I could play on lowest settings and still be happy. If you could recommend a new GPU that would be great. I trust you since our PC = same.

  • Cool video man, I was wondering if you installed a new Power supply to work with the videocard? Last time I went to Best Buy the guy was saying I need a new Power supply but I didnt have the money so I just went without a new video card. Seeing your video has made me feel optimistic about my system again. haha.

  • @SevereIDAHO haha, I work at best buy too :P what kind of card were you looking at? and for the love of god do not buy a power supply from best buy. I don't know about where you live but where I am we only have Dynex and Rocketfish PSUs. Go to a good computer store and get yourself a coolermaster or any other good brand. Most of the time there is almost no price difference. But ya, if the card requires more than 305W you may need a new PSU.

  • @thejoshman117 I dont remember which video card it was. Im sure it would have been fine with the 305w PSU. So, have you played GTA IV at all with this setup? Or any other graphic intensive games? Im starting to really wonder if I can ever play it on this system, even with a new Video card. It requires at least 2.5 GHZ PCU. I thinking Im barely pushing 2.1. I looked online for new PCU's but the AM2 socket PCUs are pretty much extinct now and arent being made anymore. What are your FPS?

  • ok this is my situation. i just got a dell dimension xps t500. old ass clunker that my uncle gave me. who ever had it loaded windows xp professional to it and a secondary 20 gig hard disk. it needs more ram but the max ram my computer holds is 768 Megs. i know i need to basically gut this thing out and change everything but what should i choose? i know i need a new motherboard/soundcard/videocar­d/processor setup but what should i get. im an entry level computer dude with no REAL knowledge.

  • @yomomma93635 If your going to be replacing all those parts I would just either buy a new computer or build one. Building a new one will open up many more possibilities in terms of what parts you can use. Do a bit of research if your worried your not knowledgeable enough , anybody can build computer these days.

  • @yomomma93635 get these parts they are good and low cost..you going to spend around 500 to 600.

    mid tower- Cooler Master RC-430-KWN1 Elite 430 Mid Tower ATX Case

    motherboard -Gigabyte 890GPA-UD3H Motherboard

    cpu - AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition AM3 CPU HDZ955FBGMBOX - 3.20GHz

    memory - Patriot PSD34G13332H Signature PC10600 4GB DDR3

    video card - Asus EAH5770CuCore/2DI/1G Radeon HD 5770 Video Card [get two of these and crossfire them.

    psu - OCZ ModXStream Pro Power Supply - 700-Watt,

  • @grekodave dude sick! thanks a bunch... where should i get all this stuff at...? lie newegg er something?

  • @yomomma93635 look around see who is selling cheaper try newegg frys tigerdirect

  • @yomomma93635 You can get a pretty decent setup from bestbuy. Now Dells can be pretty tricky to get a new motherboard for, so I can't guarantee that this will work, but you can do the research on your own

    Motherboard- Asus - Micro ATX Motherboard 2600MHz (Socket AM3) goes for like 75$

    Processor- AMD - Athlon™ II X3 Processor 450 for 90$

    RAM- Memory Master - 2-Pack 2GB PC3-10666 DDR3 DIMM Memory Kit for 42$

    Video Card- Asus - NVIDIA GeForce GT 240 1GB DDR3 PCI Express Graphics Card for 90$

  • I got my video card and everything is working perfect. Thanks a lot for making the video, I wouldn't have an awesome graphic card without you.

  • Thanks for the video. I have a very important question though, will the 300w PSU be enough for the GeForce 8600 GT ? You have the 512mb version of the video card, right ?

  • @Yugz13 I had the 256mb factory overclocked version. If you want to know if any card will work with your PSU, just google "8600 GT 512mb PSU minimum requirements" or whatever model you are looking at.

  • @thejoshman117 Yeah well I already ordered the damn thing, thinking all the versions were the same, haha, so we'll just have to pray it works.

  • Hey, I was wondering how much did you pay for all of the upgraded parts? I've done a quick search online and it seems that some have been discontinued. I know it's been a few years since you bought everything haha thanks!

  • @McCoy2991 I really don't even remember :P if they still produced all those parts (which i don't think they do) you could probably score them all for under $100

  • @thejoshman117 Oh ok, thanks man! :D I'll keep a lookout for em.

  • whats the difference between this and the E520?

    looks the same

    and my max was 4gb ram too until i got windows 7 and now its 8gb max

  • @saqibd123new not sure, probably just the processor and possibly a slightly different mobo? And the max should still be 4gb, the motherboard is physically limited, even if windows is capable of handling more.

  • @thejoshman117

    hmm :/

    crucial.com now tells me i have a max of 8gb ram :/ i dunno

  • Are you fucking kidding me? You don't have to unscrew the expansion slot lock. It has a release on it. Oh and if you were going to "upgrade" your RAM, you might want to swap out the slow-ass PC5300 RAM that comes from Dell. Oh yeah, dual channel... You won't be having any of that with that config. I won't talk shit about your video card because by now you know that sucks as bad as you do.

  • @Jasmir1988 Wow man, your a fucking cockbag. This video was made almost two years ago. Not only was It supposed to be an extreme budget mod but I was still just getting into computers so I didn't exactly know a shitload about them. Just made a small video to help a few people out and seeing how many comments I've responded to and the fact that it's been viewed over 10,000 times I'd say I have. Never said it was a supercomputer. I hate pointless internet attackers. Post your shit elsewhere.

  • @thejoshman117 Alright man, maybe I was hating on your computer for no reason. My bad. But... you really don't have to unscrew that black piece on the back. That just comes off.

  • Well i ahve one of tehse with a crappy nVidia geforce 6150le abd 1 gb of ram.

    What should i do? to upgrade it, like what video card do u recommend something that isn't expensive and works, (just got a 1200$ guitar), i play pc games and stuff

  • how do you remove the heatsink 

  • ok what do i do with the graphics card. do i take the old one out and put the new one in the old ones spot? or do i leave old one in and just add a new one??

  • What motherboard is it in E521? And what graphic card do you recommend if i just wanna play the new black ops?

  • what would u recommend for a new processor for this pc? i have the same one and the processor is too slow for the sims 3...just wondering if you know what could work.

  • @JPopRainbow For the amount of work involved and the money required to update the Proc, your better off getting a new computer or using all the parts from you E521 and getting a new Mobo and processor.

  • I've read the specs on this computer on DELL. I own this computer and I have 4 GB of RAM but I was wondering if it were possible to go 8 GB of RAM.

    What does that entail? Just curious.

  • how can it run a 8600 video card i just checked the requierments for it. this pc (E521) has a 300watt power suply. the 8600 needs at least 500 watt power suply or it can overheat light on fire

  • so can u tell me how much u paid for the video card and ram cause thats what i want to upgrade

  • Do all graphics card fit into any type of computer, or do they have to be a certain kind. CauseI need to find a cheap one that I can get int he same computer you have.

  • got the same computer!! I subscribed :)

  • hey... can i have ...the name of all the parts that you upgrade to... plz.. !! .. i will be ungrading my to 4 g ,,  n i want to put more hard drive ... ! would you like to give me the info about the parts you upgrade thanks.. !!

  • i thanks for you tutorial , i have a question , do i need any upgrade for conect the computer to my tv. do you have any tutorial about that?

    if you can help me please .

  • will the amd 64 3200+ run all of this upgrades properly or will i have to upgrade the processor as well?

  • Does it have a Pentium 4?

  • @s8erboii30 seriously dude? read the specs at the end of the video (amd)

  • The only upgrade I've done so far, is replaced the RAM so I got 4 GB, and I have an AMD 64 X2 6000+ CPU, have you had any problems with heating, because right now I have taped (yes pretty bodged but it works) a miniature fan facing the Graphics card and the heat sink above that, the weird thing is I though I'd have to replace the main fan but the CPU is running perfect temps. The card I have is a Nvidia GeForce 7300 LE and seems to be dieing, everything is jumpy and not nice.

  • can you tell my the names of the up grades.

  • Use Fraps...lol

  • Will a radeon 4670 work for a e521? Does the e521 take any kind of ram? Sorry im new to upgrading

  • Thanks for the video mate, really helped. 10/10!

  • could you tell me the specific name of the wireless card plzz. thx

  • hey i have the same computer, i want to be able to play cod4 mw2 and battlefield on my comp with out lagging. what graphics card should i buy and sound card? do i need to replace my power supply? i have 80 gig plus extra 250 gig hard drive that im putting tommorow.

  • you need at least 1GB of RAM, 2GB if your running vista, a video card with at least 256mb of vram, pixel shader 3.0 and vertex shader 3.0 and at least 12GB of free HDD space. you should be able to run a video card that can handle that game without upgrading the PSU although you could get a much more powerful card if you do upgrade the PSU. shop around for a card with the minimum specs i listed or higher as long as it requires less than 315W.

  • @thejoshman117 uhm no u need at least 1gig for vista not 2. i have 1 gig in mine but it is extemely shity!

  • @jdm27ef I have a 3GHz x2 cpu and a PNY 9800 GT EE 1GB

    The Dimension E521 can only take up to a AMD am2 6000+ 3GHz cpu

    It wont take a triple or Quad core and those are AM2+ and AM3 Cpu

    Ram is also very important.

    The system also can go up to 800MHz (PC6400) Ram.

    I highly recommend you going with 3GB of ram because i notice when im playing my games it uses up 1934/2046. When i have 3GB of ram it uses 2.5

    Good Luck

    I have not tried BF2 but on MW2 I get 43-73 Fps

  • @jdm27ef yea h i have this piece of crap comp. i dont know how u can even run mw2 on urs mine wont even run it

  • how much did all those parts cost?

  • is it possible for the e521 to record sound internally without ask record toolbar by downloading a driver or you gotta buy a soundcard and say I did would it then allow waveout or stereo mix? ... Ps where can I get one of those sound cards radio shack or anything other then buying online? thnx I'm not happy about it and if I'm not happy nobody's gonna be happy about it! jk mmmm ok done here time to waist more time trying to record audio,,, so long,,, cya.... bye. Yep coo!!!

  • if your looking to do any level of decent or professional recording, just buy an external audio input (look up something by M-audio, they're pretty good). if its just really really basic stuff just go to radio shack and buy a cheap computer mic

  • You know that black clip thing, ages back, i was trying to install this card on my machine and the hinge of the black thing broke, so flimsy. Ive heard that has broken for many Dell dimensions users. Mine is still broke, but ive squeezed it in somehow.

  • What does a wireless card do?

  • it allows you to use wireless internet... just like a laptop. It's great for me because I have 3 laptops and a bunch of other products that are wireless in my room and my room is about 150 feet away from my DSL modem. (By the way, I havn't owned this computer in over a year, i'll be posting a vid of my new rig soon)

  • Ya, i wasnt sure where to put my video card because its the first time i was in a computer so i used this video to install ram and new graphics card in my e521, it helped out alot.

  • What's the best Ati Radeon card I can put on my E521?

  • I'm not sure, I'm running dual 3870's in crossfire in my new rig but that is way more than this can handle, just look for the highest powered ATI card that consumes less than 315 watts (ish)

  • Well, I have stopped searching and what I found to be the best is Ati HD5670

  • where do u buy it at

  • buy what?

  • Oh man thanks for this vid, all these days..on my Dell E521 ive wanted to upgrade the graphics car.. but afgter getting a wrong car last year..and it never fit ..which really stressed me out. I didnt know which card would not only fit, but wont take up too much power. I will buy the 8600GT , if there is a newer and better option (graphics card) one that will fit in the Dell E521 ..which one shall i go for? 8600GT is a kinda old now ..best to get a more update one

  • if your honestly looking to put anything above an 8600GT in it I would strongly advise just putting the money towards a new computer or a new video card along with a new power supply so you can run a better card.

  • Damn my original post had bad spelling issues lol ..i was in a rush .

    Yeah, thats what i was thinking . My dell isnt that old but its not either brand new ..and a new er PC, a custom one, with all the gear on ..would be the best option. Ive been looking at some on ebay, intel i7 PC's seem to be the top ones now right?

  • yea the dread gta 4 i didnt like that when i tried to play it so i ordered a graphics card same as that one you showed hopefully i least i cant play it.

  • it is!?!?! i heard it takes so many watts...

  • Yeah that back black piece? All you have to do is press the little black flap on the inside and it swings open.

  • Mines got:

    PNY 9800 GT EE Edtion (no power connector needed)

    2GB 800MHz ram (Rank 2)

    2GHz AMD X2 cpu (stock)

    I get 70-90 FPS playing cod4 on max using 1208X1024

    33-54FPS on 90% max setting at 1280X1024 on COD MW2

    Dirt 2 all Max 1280X1024 36FPS

    going to upgrading to a Quad core 3.2GHZ soon

  • 02:15 is totally wrong there is actually a little thing sticking out just push that down and the cover will open up.

  • I didn't have to take the black thing off when I installed something into the slot on my pc. And yes btw, mine is just like yours but I'm not sure what you have now.

  • i put in a

    BFG geforce 9600 gt oc edition ($50-with rebate)

    different CPU fan ($30-the huge plastic thing in the middle was a tight fit for my graphics card)

    upped the PSU to a 550 watt ($30- sale thing) put a fan controller in and cut a hole in the side of my case for a 120mm fan and a 80mm fan in the back (about $40)

    and 2 2gb dual channel SLI ready 800MHz OCZ ram ($50)

    total of $200, DONT do this. only reason i did is because the base computer was free, and im building a new one.

  • Comment removed

  • Does anyone know a videocard that is the size of this one? Because according to newegg this video card isn't made anymore.

  • Im using XFX GeForce 8600 GT XXX, its overclocked. Hope it works for you :) I got 305W power supply, and I think the graphic card needs 300W.

  • probably discontinued a while ago, just look for anything with a minimum power supply requirement of 325W or less.

  • @thejoshman117 yeah, but the problem most of the time is the card doesn't fit right? Because the black fan shroud and the heatsink for the processor.

  • i meant to say is it compatible??????? i'm jus making sure

  • thx man thats awesome i jus need to know what Ram it was??????

  • Hey is it have a pci express 2.0

  • I think so, i don't remember, I sold the thing a while ago

  • i i got a dell dimension c521...i think its kind of the same...and i was wondering could you use any video card od does it matter?...like you your self...did you use just anyone or is there certain types that the computer will accept?

  • Hello! My RAM is now 4x512Mb=around 2GB, do you think I can upgrade to 4x1G=4GB ? And whats the cheapest but great memory I can get?

  • what video card u recomend for me ? i have a dell dimension E520 i want to put a GeForce 8400gs but im dont know where to look to i can buy it and put it on so tell me which kidn of video card i need ?

  • what video card would you recommend me? or what other upgrades?

    ill buy two igb ram, i have 1 with 956mb, im looking for a 2gb ram but i cant find.

    i would appreciate your response thanks.

  • you have to buy 2 1 gb ram sticks. the mobo only support a MAX of 1 gb per slot.

  • great video...helped me a lot

    but i still have some questions

    did da mother board support da graphics card?? caz its a pci card as far as i know..if not could u plz give me da link to agp..nd did da psu match?? caz it requires 325w nd e521 has only 305w

  • Everything worked flawlessly, and the PSU held up very well, i guess a 20W difference isn't the biggest deal in the work cause it worked fine.

  • thanks..one more thing

    r those pci-express 16x??

  • the one large one is PCI-E 16x, the other two smaller ones are just regular PCI slots (not for video cards)

  • oh i c...do know the website or the store where i can purchases the video card(which is geforce 8600 gt)..i found one on newegg but its only 256mb..i prefer 512mb nd cant find anywhere :(

  • nvm..i ordered that one

  • Immersing the RAM in the wrong orientation will not go in, unless you really push it down, and then breaks the RAM or the RAM holder. So to be safe, you must align the center notch with the RAM holder and then the clippers will snap in.

  • I can't verify since i've sold the thing off but as i remember, the RAM fit in either way.

  • Nice vid BTW!

  • Heh, I got this pc with the Athlon 64X2 5000+ (2.61 Ghz), I'm Gonna upgrade the GPU to a HD 4770 and the PSU to a 500W!

  • sorry to say but with the stock processor this computer is still a piece O' crap

  • It's supposed to be a very low budget computer (including the power cost) the Proc isn't great but it gets the job done. Besides, it runs so cool you can overclock the thing like crazy.

  • This system can be upgraded from a low budget to a midrange with Athlon X2 (Windsor or Brisbane). and a single slot graphics card (9800gt or HD4850). Its also got good overclocking potential [can only be done with a software]

  • Hello...my video card just went out on my Dell Dimension E521, and I would like to go ahead and upgrade the card. I do some video editing and Photoshop on my computer. What would you recommend based on power supply limitations of the E521? I was told that a 1GB GeForce Nvidia would work. Do you agree? Any suggestions?

  • I love your video :D I installed 1 gig of RAM after watching this video :)

  • Thanks, glad it helped :)

  • Do you think a GeForce 8800 GTX will work as well?

  • Unfortunately no, at least for the editions i'm looking at. Nvidia recommends a 450W PSU for the 640mb edition and I can't imagine the lesser models needing any less than 400W.

  • could you tell me what ram did you exactly put in. and what grafic cart did you put in.

  • newegg

    though it doesn't quite fit, had to cut a hole in the side of the case :p

  • hey thanks this was really helpful because i have the exact computer

    could you may be tell me where i can get that graphics card or possibly recommend some to me

    get back to me plz

  • You dont need to remove the Black security clip for the expansion slots, if you just push in on the inner black tab the thing rotates outwards allowing you to place in a card. And has anybody else noticed tht the Dell Dimensions from this model are BTX mobo's?

  • This is true but I thought it would make the process easier to understand for people who are new to doing upgrades. And yes, unfortunately dell and many other top manufacturers have converted to the horrible BTX setup, even in the top of the line XPS. They figure that if they make the motherboard and case useless after it gets older, you have to buy a new computer instead of upgrading.

  • who in heck needs a wireless card anyway? It's called a router!

  • Yes but when you have 3 laptops, an iPod touch, a PSP and a PS3, it just makes sense to have everything wireless. Not to mention it saves you from running 100 feet of cable up to your room.

  • my frankendell e521:

    Athlon x2 6000+

    GeForce 9600 GSO

    4gb ddr2 800

    ePower 550 watt PSU

    Hitachi Deskstar 500 gb

    Zalman CNPS9700 CPU cooler

    2x Apevia 120mm fans

  • how did you make the cpu cooler fit?

  • i cut a hole in the side

  • wats a wireless card? also thx for the help XD i gots a E521 (obviously cuz im watchin this videos lol) and i needed help upgradin also the R on the side what is it a vynil right? cuz thats a smart idea!

  • A wireless card is a card that picks up a wireless internet signal, just like laptops. And ya, the R is a vinyl, it was left over from a car vinyl.

  • tyz =) nice ida also paint or vinyl? paints for eva wish is good and bad but vinyl can be peeled off if im correct O_O

  • Vinyl, and yes they do peel off, in fact I did peel that one off.

  • can you tell me what kind of processor I can upgrade my Dimension C521 to? right now it's the factory AMD Sempron 3400+ 1.80 GHz

    I want to upgrade to something at least 2.4 GHz

  • it should be able to handle anything in the AMD sempron or athlonX64 dual core lineup. i'm not sure what the difference between the E521 and the C521 are but you might want to check and see if the C521 came with any higher end CPU options close to what your looking for. If so chances are you can upgrade to any AMD AM2 socket CPU. Let me know if you need clarification.

  • im thinking of just getting a whole new computer, since I have to replace everything on my current C521 (hardrive, cpu processor, video card, network card etc.)

    but I have no idea what comp to get =\

  • well if you were planning on replacing most of the computer yourself, why not just build a rig from scratch? If your looking to buy a name brand system, I would try to stay away from Dell, HP, compaq and Gateway. They use BTX motherboards making it hard to upgrade the way you want later on. Not all computers by these companies use BTX but just make sure when you do decide to buy a new computer, make sure the motherboard is on the right hand side of the case (if its on the left, its BTX)

  • TheJoshman117 i wanted to no how much this cost you for the video/graphics card

  • it cost me about $200 when I bought it but you could probably pick it up for under $100 now.

  • Hello again thejoshman117! I have 4x512 Mb RAM do you think I can buy from dell 4x1 GB and put in all at a same time? so upgrade from 2GB to 4Gb should it work?

  • if it's from dell and the specs are compatible, i will work, you may have to put 2 in, boot, shut down and put the next 2 in but it's pretty rare that you would have to do that. Otherwise, it'll work perfectly.

  • can i put in this pc a

    Gigabyte Geforce GTX260 896MB

    Corsair 4096MB,XMS2-8500,DDR2

    AMD PHENOM 9950 2.8GHZ AM2+ BOX or Intel Core 2 Q8300 2.50GHz, 4MB

    thanx

  • As for the video card, no, not without upgrading the power supply substantially. As for the RAM, The motherboard supports up to 4GB of RAM, (1GB per slot) but if i'm not wrong only supports RAM speeds of up to PC2 6400. As for the processor, your board is either intel or AMD, not both. Also, i'm not sure if the boards in this computer support quad core Processors, i may be wrong though.

    if your looking at putting this amount of money into it, just build a custom Rig instead.

  • can you put a graphics card in it? as again i dont know much about cause i dont look inside it much.

  • yup, its really simple