# Help on upgrading a Dell Precision 390?



## _Ic3Man_

I use the computers at my office for heavy AutoCAD. They are all newer computers that run great. I have an older Precision 390 that i would like to upgrade(motherboard,CPU,GPU) so that it can keep up with the others. I would like to bring it into the new Ivy Bridge chips when they come out. Any comments/suggestions/input would be very useful and is much needed. Also if anyone knows what form factor the factory install of a Precision 390 motherboard is that would be great too.

Current Computer Specs.

-Motherboard - Dell inc. 0DN075 Intel i975x '07
-GPU - NVIDIA Quadro NVS 285 256 MBytes
-CPU - Intel Pentium 4 631 Cedar Mill Socket 775 LGA @2.4 GHz
-RAM - 6 GB installed, 3 GB useable(windows xp currently, windows 7 64x soon)


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## Masterchiefxx17

How much are you looking to spend?

Also take a look here: http://www.techsupportforum.com/for...evised-2012-and-updated-regularly-448272.html

The $800 or $1000 build would be a good place to start.


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## _Ic3Man_

Looking to spend around $800, but if its worth paying more, won't mind that much.


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## A1tecice

All depends what you want to do, Casual/Hardcore max fps gaming.... you get what you pay for really . If you can tell us what you want it to do we can help you build a system to accommodate it. 

I would stay away from IVYbridge for just now, With new hardware comes new bugs. From what i see from benchmarks i can only see a very small difference between the 2700K's and the new Ivybridge processors.

Thanks,
Altie


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## Masterchiefxx17

_Ic3Man_ said:


> Looking to spend around $800, but if its worth paying more, won't mind that much.


Ok instead of upgrading a few parts take a look at the link I posted above. It's a whole list of computers that TSF has put together for others.


The minimum system requirements for AutoCAD 2013 32bit are:



> Microsoft® Windows® 7 Enterprise, Ultimate, Professional, or Home Premium (compare Windows 7 versions) or Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional or Home edition (SP3 or later)
> For Windows 7: Intel® Pentium® 4 or AMD Athlon™ dual-core processor, 3.0 GHz or higher with SSE2 technology
> For Windows XP: Pentium 4 or AMD Athlon dual-core processor, 1.6 GHz or higher with SSE2 technology
> 2 GB RAM (4 GB recommended)
> 6 GB free disk space for installation
> 1,024 x 768 display resolution with true color (1,600 x 1,050 with true color recommended)
> Microsoft® Internet Explorer® 7.0 or later web browser
> Install from download or DVD


The good news is that you could buy the $800 Intel build can support the video and some of the CPU use.

http://www.techsupportforum.com/for...evised-2012-and-updated-regularly-448272.html


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## _Ic3Man_

_Ic3Man_ said:


> I use the computers at my office for heavy AutoCAD. They are all newer computers that run great. I have an older Precision 390 that i would like to upgrade(motherboard,CPU,GPU) so that it can keep up with the others. I would like to bring it into the new Ivy Bridge chips when they come out. Any comments/suggestions/input would be very useful and is much needed. Also if anyone knows what form factor the factory install of a Precision 390 motherboard is that would be great too.
> 
> Current Computer Specs.
> 
> -Motherboard - Dell inc. 0DN075 Intel i975x '07
> -GPU - NVIDIA Quadro NVS 285 256 MBytes
> -CPU - Intel Pentium 4 631 Cedar Mill Socket 775 LGA @2.4 GHz
> -RAM - 6 GB installed, 3 GB useable(windows xp currently, windows 7 64x soon)


EDIT: 3.0 GHz CPU CEDAR MILL


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## _Ic3Man_

Do you know if an ATX motherboard would fit inside of my case and be compatible? I know i will need a new PSU, the current one is only 375 watts. i looked at the link, and saw some merchandise that looks very good. I am not looking for a gaming PC, but i see that AutoCAD and hard core gaming use some of the same stuff.


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## Old Rich

Most newer Dells are BTX Form Factor and all Dells use a proprietary rear I/O panel and front panel connectors . . you would be much better off with a new case for that build


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## toothman

Cases are pretty cheap anyway. This one's only $40 right now and is used by the techs here frequently:
Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER Elite 430 RC-430-KWN1 Black Steel / Plastic Computer Case

For CPU, if you're doing heavy autocad, an i5-2500k might be a worthwhile investment over the i3.


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## _Ic3Man_

the computers i have now are all t5500 dell precision's, with xeon w3565 @3ghz with 18 gb ram, a v7900 firepro graphics card, and they run without a hiccup. So building a new computer would be the best way to go?


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## Old Rich

What will the pc's be used for?


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