Optiplex GX270 Very Slow - SOLVED

[JoeFootball]

... vs. price of a new box.

Or how about a used box? I've liberated five year old PCs for next to nothing, or even nothing, from unknowing people who have suffered with Windows rot to the point where their solution was to buy a new PC because the old one was "broken".

So I take it off their hands, wipe the drive, install Linux, and a speedy PC is revealed. I'll bet you can find the same.

Joe

[Arch_Enemy]

Hmmm....nothing about memory...

Memory: 906.3/2012.2MB

Oops.

OK Thanks. I think we found the biggest problem with the box!

[Arch_Enemy]

This is the 'best' CPU you can install
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Intel-Pentium-4 ... SwCQZZC2Db

We'll definitely take a look at this and the RAM upgrade, as well as your other recommendations for the BIOS, etc. If it all comes to less than a new box, we can have some fun replacing hardware. I really appreciate the extra steps you've taken to sort this out for me. Thanks.

NP. I was a Dell Factory Tech for 12 years, and I like Dell boxes. Especially the older ones. This was a good computer, made to last. The only real issues was it was a Chinese capacitor manufacturer that mislabelled capaicotrs for a long while and it hit the computer industry hard, especially Dell and HP. If it hadn't been for that this model would have been nearly flawless. I still see a lot of these in use in applications that do not require a great deal of computing power, like running remote apps from a server or "mainframe", including hotel reservation desks, auto parts stores, hospitals, etc. Once you get past the capacitors, it just keeps going and going.

I'm a firm believer in, if it works for you, use it as long as you can. When I worked for a computer service company that also had a storefront (it started as a software retailer, then service provider, but kept the store) a woman came in and wanted a computer to write letters, balance her checkbook and do email (the "Internet" was still a glimmer to the public and reserved for geeks and techies...) and he sjowed her the latest Pentium clone with a separate video card, etc etc, for $3200.

She came back in and I was in the front of the store, she told me what she wanted and I sold her a slightly used Leading Edge 386 for ~$600...she walked out happy. She also gave us a lot of referrals, since we didn't try to "take her in".

[Arch_Enemy]

... vs. price of a new box.

Or how about a used box? I've liberated five year old PCs for next to nothing, or even nothing, from unknowing people who have suffered with Windows rot to the point where their solution was to buy a new PC because the old one was "broken".

So I take it off their hands, wipe the drive, install Linux, and a speedy PC is revealed. I'll bet you can find the same.

Joe

I have a hard time charging people. Most computer repair is so mickey mouse I feel guilty charging people. That's why I worked for Dell for so long. Let them pay me, and I don't have to bill anybody.
I mostly do side work for friends and friends of friends, and we are ALL poor, so I either take a few bucks for vaping supplies, or take it out in trade. I fix my friend's daughter's laptop, he installs the new shocks in my car.
I always keep a few old machines on hand (mostly Dells, for obvious reasons...) so if I have to keep their box for diagnosis/waiting for parts they have something they can use while waiting. Some of them are approaching 20 years old, although those are more for just playing iwth.

[benali72]

Run System Monitor while you perform your normal workload to determine which resource is causing your slowdown.

Most likely it is memory, given this -- Memory: 906.3/2012.2MB

But only System Monitor will tell you for sure. You might be out of CPU as well.

I work with a lot of old boxes. IMHO a P-4 w/ 1G ram is often still adequate for tasks requiring low-ball resources (eg, office work, light duty email, etc) but inadequate for video, heavy graphics, games, and the like.

[Arch_Enemy]

Oh...

Also, look in the BIOS for a setting called "Hyperthreading". (May not be available on BIOS Rev A03). If it's on, turn it off...if it's off, turn it on.

What you do depends on whether you should turn it on or off. It may not be there, or may be greyed out.

At any rate, update the BIOS to A07 before doing anything else hardware wise.

[DarkReader]

... vs. price of a new box.

Or how about a used box? Joe

New to us means "newer than our current old one." We always buy used, refurbished. It just makes sense. Thanks.

[DarkReader]

Oh...

Also, look in the BIOS for a setting called "Hyperthreading". (May not be available on BIOS Rev A03). If it's on, turn it off...if it's off, turn it on.

What you do depends on whether you should turn it on or off. It may not be there, or may be greyed out.

At any rate, update the BIOS to A07 before doing anything else hardware wise.

Yeah, about that. I searched, I read (horror stories), I downloaded the update. I know I need to have a back up of the original BIOS, JIC, but this may be beyond me. Or at least I'll need to do some further studying.

1) Can I upgrade to 2x2gb RAM without the BIOS upgrade?
2) Ditto re: CPU you recommended?

I'm not lazy, just not comfortable with the upgrade, unless you write back to say, pffft, way too easy, don't worry.

[DarkReader]

Run System Monitor while you perform your normal workload to determine which resource is causing your slowdown.

Excellent, I'll do that now. Thanks.

[Arch_Enemy]

Oh...

Also, look in the BIOS for a setting called "Hyperthreading". (May not be available on BIOS Rev A03). If it's on, turn it off...if it's off, turn it on.

What you do depends on whether you should turn it on or off. It may not be there, or may be greyed out.

At any rate, update the BIOS to A07 before doing anything else hardware wise.

Yeah, about that. I searched, I read (horror stories), I downloaded the update. I know I need to have a back up of the original BIOS, JIC, but this may be beyond me. Or at least I'll need to do some further studying.

1) Can I upgrade to 2x2gb RAM without the BIOS upgrade?
2) Ditto re: CPU you recommended?

I'm not lazy, just not comfortable with the upgrade, unless you write back to say, pffft, way too easy, don't worry.

Well, here's the deal:

I've never really had to back up a BIOS. I do get a copy of the previous one to reinstall in case the new BIOS either doesn't solve a problem, or creates a new one.

I have 2 GX270, an SX270 (Ultra Small Form Factor...the power supply in an external one from a large Alienware model) and an SX280 (ditto). All have been updated to A07 for CPU updates.

But, don't worry...if the BIOS upgrade does go bad, you have nothing to worry about! Because then there is no question it's time for a different computer!

Seriously, though, I've done all 4 of them, no issue. They all have the fastest processor I could install and the most memory as well. The CPU is one I linked in an earlier post, and the memory is 2 2G DDR400 sticks.

Just make sure the power cord is plugged in securely at both ends, the dog is outside, and there isn't a thunderstorm or windstorm that could knock the power out. If it seems like it's taking too long, be patient. Mix a batch of martinis or something. And if it fails, the machine will tell you it failed and reload the original BIOS.

[DarkReader]

I've never really had to back up a BIOS. I do get a copy of the previous one to reinstall in case the new BIOS either doesn't solve a problem, or creates a new one.

Yes, not a back up, but a copy to rollback to, in case. Do I need to upgrade the BIOS before upgrading the RAM and/or CPU? If yes, then of course I will. If not, well, maybe I'm lazier than I originally thought.

Thanks.

[Arch_Enemy]

I've never really had to back up a BIOS. I do get a copy of the previous one to reinstall in case the new BIOS either doesn't solve a problem, or creates a new one.

Yes, not a back up, but a copy to rollback to, in case. Do I need to upgrade the BIOS before upgrading the RAM and/or CPU? If yes, then of course I will. If not, well, maybe I'm lazier than I originally thought.

Thanks.

Nice try, but it won't accept the upper-end CPUs or RAM without it!

[DarkReader]

Nice try, but it won't accept the upper-end CPUs or RAM without it!

Got it. Thanks. My next post about upgrading BIOS coming up in 3, 2, 1 ...

[Arch_Enemy]

Nice try, but it won't accept the upper-end CPUs or RAM without it!

Got it. Thanks. My next post about upgrading BIOS coming up in 3, 2, 1 ...

Uh oh...that was almost 12 hours ago...

[DarkReader]

Uh oh...that was almost 12 hours ago...

Sorry, out of town guests, life, etc. I've been reading up on the steps to upgrade the BIOS and trying to understand before I start. I'll close this post and, if I run into trouble, will start again with a different question. I really appreciate all your help, Arch_Enemy. With any luck, you won't have to bail me out again.

[Arch_Enemy]

Uh oh...that was almost 12 hours ago...

Sorry, out of town guests, life, etc. I've been reading up on the steps to upgrade the BIOS and trying to understand before I start. I'll close this post and, if I run into trouble, will start again with a different question. I really appreciate all your help, Arch_Enemy. With any luck, you won't have to bail me out again.

Well, if you do need help, I'll be here. I was beginning to worry! It's rare that a BIOS upgrade fails on a Dell, and often when it does the process senses it and halts the upgrade and reinstalls the original BIOS. There have been failures, however few and far between. Just make sure your power is good!

Good luck!