Planning to upgrade my CPU

[Thomas92]

Hello ComputerForums, I have a question and want to know what CPU is compatible with my motherboard. Unfortunately I do not know what kind of motherboard I have, but I can my computer model is a Dell Inspiron 560 and everything i'm sure is stock except the graphic card. So if anyone can tell/show me how to find out what motherboard I have and what to look for when upgrading my CPU, i'd greatly appreciate it. Thanks guys!

 

[Hameister]

Since it's an OEM machine, the motherboard is most likely proprietary.

I suggest you go to Dell's website, and look up your exact computer, and it will tell you precisely what processors were used in that model. Anything else would be a guess.

 

[Thomas92]

Yea thanks for the help, I was able to find processor upgrades and was perplexed by the prices. I finally deemed it more valuable to just build a new pc. Thanks for the help.

 

[BikerEcho]

An old inspiron you say.
don't buy from the dells home site. those CPU's used for there socket T is expensive.
back when your machine was launched, Dell had renamed the socket LGA775 to socket T.
that is to confuse costumers into buying from DELL directly. i had that problem with my DELL Demension 5000. Back then i was not so much into computer as i am today. so i called DELL to hear what CPU i could get as an upgrade. they showed me some WAY TO EXPENSIVE cpu's with the socket T. i search for a cheaper socket T CPU, but didn't find much outside DELL's homesite. so i gave up.
I later on figured out that it was just a LGA 775 socket.
It's just typical DELL. they are getting better now, but they have been some assholes.
they once had there own RAM's, and there cases only support there own PSU's.
DELL are also the inventer of the BTX formfactor.

 

[Thomas92]

If the chance my processor is a LGA775 socket, It can be easier to find what kind of processor I want within that socket type?

 

[BikerEcho]

as far i can see in the manual: http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/insp560mt/en/cs/cs_en.pdf
the Dell Inspiron 560 linup all has the same motherboard just with different CPU's. (so you can choose how much money to spend)
If the socket on the motherboard is the same as the CPU, it will most likely work. but it's not always the case.
Like the first lga-1155 motherboards did not support Ivy-bridge CPU's before a BIOS upgrade.
Your motherboard will be able to use all from the Pentium-4 lineup to the core-2-quad lineup, because the Dell Inspiron 560 model already have support for the core-2-Quad CPU's. i don't know about core-2-Extreme btw, but don't bother looking into that, those are very expensive.

My Dell Demension did not have support for a pentium D, because no Demension 5000'ens did have a Pentium D.
so Dell didn't make the support for it. (they did later on via a BIOS update)
The best demension 5000 had a 3,2ghz pentium 4 and mine had a 2,8 pentium 4.