Originally posted by raider The question i have is this - If I get the E6500, the FSB is 1066Mhz. Would the PC-5300 ram run at a bottle neck in this setup or i should really be using PC-6400 ram?
Based on persona experience, I'd say it certainly isn't easy to carry out upgrades with any degree of certainty in situations like these.
A few questions do come to mind though: Have you considered the implications of the higher power demands on your stock PSU? is the board compatible with 4GB+ or memory? is the OS needed to make use 4GB of ram compatible with the board?
I guess I'm pointing to questions like these... and the implications they may carry in the event that things don't pan out as planned.
Based on my own experience, the most approach to a core upgrade is to replace the four primary components. "PSU/Motherboard/CPU and RAM". This way you can research and establish with a level of certainty with the components you choose.
Also, many dells have proprietary case designs and dimensions(custom motherboard mounts, exhaust fans & shrouds, CPU and PSU clearance etc etc). So if you haven't already considered this, you may want to read-up on the clearance side of things(CPU cooler etc) to try and determine if the upgrade parts are going to fit.
And don't overlook the power draw on the new CPU. Most stock power supplies are rated for the CPU's they ship with and so when you place a higher end chip into the system they don't run well(unstable) or simply burn-out shortly after. This can be especially true if you're upgrading from a single core to a multi-core processor.
Hope this helps.
JB