Jasin Natael wrote on 2025-08-29, 18:24:

I had this same dilemma recently, I ended up using a Q6600 overclocked to 3.33GHZ, I paired it initially with a GTX750, I later upgraded to a GTX950.
I then proceeded to never use the machine, 🤣. Per my usual.

Oh dear....

Ahoy! those that contributed to this thread, the video on which your advice is based, will be published soon.
I just have a few things to sort and then ideally it will be published (publicly) tonight.
For those who ARE members, or who wish to become members, here is the members only version

Archer57 wrote on 2025-08-28, 16:36:

DudeFace wrote on 2025-08-28, 15:42:

what motherboard has the dell got? it seems the Dimension E520 came out around 2006, some boards around this era are not the bes […]
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what motherboard has the dell got? it seems the Dimension E520 came out around 2006, some boards around this era are not the best for higher powered parts as they will be limited by cpu choice due to lack of bios updates and even more so if its 1066fsb, the later wolfdale cpus (pentium E6700) most likely wont have support unless dell kept up with the bios updates which i highly doubt, so you may be limited to conroe and kentsfield so you may have to settle for a core 2 E6700 instead,

also boards from around this time might be pci-e 1.0 so may only support up to pci-e 2.0, meaning the 750ti wont work as its pci-e 3.0, for £28 im guessing you got a 4gb from CeX, i was looking at one at a local store a couple of days ago as it seems like a good deal, just checked and they are now all out of stock 🙁

anyway ive got an MSI P4M900M2 from 2005/2006 and have issues with all of the above, i tried updating microcode for later wolfdale cpus but encountered the speedstep bug, which meant the cpus would run at half multiplier at 1.2ghz, so im just gonna settle for what it can officially support.

as for gpu i tried out a 640gt which is pci-e 3.0 and i got a blank screen, as the board is pci-e 1.0 it will only support gpus up to pci-e 2.0, i had the 640gt lying around and figured is a good choice as its on par with a 9800gtx and a modern card will draw less power and reduce heat. i think the gtx580 is the limit for this board, i went with a gtx460 gs which is more powerful than the 640gt.

if you want a board for overclocking go for a gigabyte, ive been using a GA-G31M-ESL2 for the last 7yrs, its a basic board but will support all 1333 core2/quads, i managed to overclock a low end E5400 from 2.6ghz to 4.09ghz, which is a 1.5ghz increase and it hasnt burnt out yet. 🤣

Pci-e 3 cards work just fine in pci-e 1 boards. There probably are some other compatibility issues which prevented it from working in your case. There were a few of those in early times of pci-e.

I have a couple of GTX660 cards, i use one with G31T-M3 board, another one i've recently plugged into A8N32-SLI Deluxe and it worked without issues. In both cases - pci-e 1.

I have tried the 750ti, and, well, for now I cant say, as the video in which this is tested is about to drop. Here is the members version
https://youtu.be/5u70igG_ceQ

However, I will say this, it APPEARS the E520 came out in 2004-2005, so its possible that Dell saw it as more of a long term platform, and actually did a reasonably decent job of giving it some longevity. I know it launched PRE Core 2 Duo, but then went on to support those CPUs and even, apparently, the Quad Core Core 2's. Yes, it is PCE-E 1.0, but I have been assured by others that the 750GTX (3.0) does work on it, so again, somewhat future proof. As for power, I have the 400w PSU, but its only issue is its extra cables, which makes it a bit of a case stuffer.

Anyway, the public version of the video should be out tonight, so have a watch if you have time. I'll post a link to it here once it is public.

And thanks EVERYONE for the advice and comment etcs. Its all a bit vague, which is what makes this project fun 😀

Can this Vintage Dell XP PC rise again like a Phoenix? - Members Edition
And as promised, here is the full video

This 20 year old Dell E520 Windows XP PC, was abandoned on a kerb side and does not work. Can it arise from the flames? Maybe, but we will have to fix its broken wings! We will repair it's bulging and leaking caps, upgrade its PSU and fit a powerful nVidia graphics card (or two!). The mission is to restore this old PC and make it into an era busting vintage XP gaming power-house. But first we must get some kind of pulse from this vintage DELL.

Retronaut wrote on 2025-08-25, 14:49:

Hey, I am part way through trying to get a kerb sids found Dell Dimension E520 buffed up to be an XP gaming machine. =https://yo […]
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Hey, I am part way through trying to get a kerb sids found Dell Dimension E520 buffed up to be an XP gaming machine.
=https://youtu.be/XEbO5vNhAfAI have the ... lick here)

Apart from having issues with no GFX in the machine, and the custom heatsink being a PITA, I have a quandary as to which CPU to use in it....

To hand I have....
Its original Core 2 Duo @ 1.86Ghz
a Core 2 Duo E7500 @ 2.93GHz
a Core 2 Duo E6700 @ 3.2Ghz
a Quad Core Q6700 @ 2.66Gz

Bear in mind, the machine is aimed at later stage Windows XP gaming, I have another machine from the beginning of the XP era, with a suitable spec for that time.

Is there ANY reason to go with the E7500? I'm assuming that just clock speed matters so the E6700 seems to be the best dual core CPU?
And then there is the Q6700 with 4 cores at 2.66Ghz. I am assuming most games of this era (all?) will not really make use of the extra 2 cores.

All viewpoints welcome 😀

I’m actively using the E6700, and its single-core performance is excellent. You can clearly see this in CPU benchmark single-core tests. Other CPUs may perform better in multi-core, but since single-core performance is what really matters here, I think the E6700 is a very solid choice.