need help with dell p3 550

[timewarped72]

i'm building a new computer, the old dell is going to the folks, but before it does i wanna install better memory, and a new hard drive.
i bought this computer refurbed and while i received some general specs about it i dont have all the nessesary specs as to exactly what it is i have. it is an optiplex gx1, p3 550mhz with 128 ram and i think ( not positive) 1.6 ghz cpu. the dates on the board and case i think read 1999 ( year ).
so i'm kinda clueless about if this is the slot 1 type processor, or the 370 socket, and will this board support larger cpu's?
ok and i think it's 168 pin dimm memory, but do i have to get the memory thats compatible with dell 9 seems like those memory sticks are more, i'd like to upgrade to 256 ) and then theres is it pc 100 or 133??
next is the hard drive, do i need a 100 or 133 hd??
also, is the fact this computer has a main board with a smaller bottom board ( pci slots etc )plugged into it a dell specific thing or is this just how they made them at that time?
last question, on the lower corner of the mother board theres some jumpers marked it looks like in mhz, 350, 400, etc.....my jumper is on the 350 setting is that correct??
any answeres to any of my questions appreciated........

[thefultonhow]

Originally Posted by timewarped72 so i'm kinda clueless about if this is the slot 1 type processor, or the 370 socket, and will this board support larger cpu's?

I wouldn't bother upgrading the CPU -- the GX1 maxes out at 600 MHz. It's a Slot 1 CPU, though.

Originally Posted by timewarped72 ok and i think it's 168 pin dimm memory, but do i have to get the memory thats compatible with dell 9 seems like those memory sticks are more, i'd like to upgrade to 256 ) and then theres is it pc 100 or 133??

Your board should accept either PC100 or PC133, but just to be safe I would use the memory configurator at crucial.com and then buy the RAM from there. I remember we upgraded the RAM on a bunch of GX1s at my school, and they wouldn't take the 256 MB sticks that we bought.

Originally Posted by timewarped72 next is the hard drive, do i need a 100 or 133 hd??

You can buy any parallel ATA hard drive. Technically I think the GX1 used ATA33 hard drives to begin with, so you won't be utilizing the full performance anyway. I would recommend getting a 10 GB or smaller drive, so that you don't have to deal with the 137 GB size limitation of the older LBA addressing scheme.

Originally Posted by timewarped72 also, is the fact this computer has a main board with a smaller bottom board ( pci slots etc )plugged into it a dell specific thing or is this just how they made them at that time?

That's specific to the older Dell Optiplexes. Furthermore, they use different ones for different models of Optiplex -- I upgraded the motherboard in my GXa to a GX200 board, and I had to get a new daughterboard too.

Originally Posted by timewarped72 last question, on the lower corner of the mother board theres some jumpers marked it looks like in mhz, 350, 400, etc.....my jumper is on the 350 setting is that correct??

Wait, you said you have a PIII 550 installed -- if that was so, it would have to be set on the 550 setting. Either it's configured wrong, or the guy who sold it to you lied and it's only a 350 MHz PII.

[timewarped72]

as for the memory, i'm thinking it does take the dell specific or one that will work with dell, thats whats popped up in a couple memory configurators i tried, i was wondering because that memory is more money than regualr 256 168 dimm.
i bought the computer from a place called deals depot, so all i have to go on is what they said the pc was. as for the hard drive, it was supposed to come with a 6.4 gig hd but it came to me with a western digital caviar wd 20 gig hd. so are you saying this pc wont work well with a larger hd of some kind???
as for the jumper settings in mhz, i cant remeber exactly how their graduated but they go maybe up to 500.that what the last spot on the board says........will it screw anything up if i set it to the higher jumper if the cpu is a smaller mhz??? ..............lemme see, in the bios and other places it says its the 550 so......it would have to be a 550 right..in which case i'd want that jumper on 500 not 350??

[thefultonhow]

Originally Posted by timewarped72 as for the memory, i'm thinking it does take the dell specific or one that will work with dell, thats whats popped up in a couple memory configurators i tried, i was wondering because that memory is more money than regualr 256 168 dimm.

It's not really Dell-specific so much as 440BX-chipset-specific. It's an older chipset, so it can't handle higher-density RAM.

Originally Posted by timewarped72 i bought the computer from a place called deals depot, so all i have to go on is what they said the pc was. as for the hard drive, it was supposed to come with a 6.4 gig hd but it came to me with a western digital caviar wd 20 gig hd. so are you saying this pc wont work well with a larger hd of some kind???

It will work with hard drives up to 120 GB. It should theoretically work with hard drives beyond that if you get the Intel chipset drivers installed, but I wouldn't tempt fate. But frankly, if it has a 20 GB drive in it, that should be enough for your parents unless they're like my dad, who has a huge MP3 collection.

Originally Posted by timewarped72 as for the jumper settings in mhz, i cant remeber exactly how their graduated but they go maybe up to 500.that what the last spot on the board says........will it screw anything up if i set it to the higher jumper if the cpu is a smaller mhz??? ..............lemme see, in the bios and other places it says its the 550 so......it would have to be a 550 right..in which case i'd want that jumper on 500 not 350??

It theoretically shouldn't work if it's set to the wrong jumper setting, because the multipliers are usually locked, but you might have gotten an unlocked chip. You might want to run CPU-Z just to check that it really is a 550 MHz chip.

[timewarped72]

thanks for all the info so far.......
i ran that system check cpu-z and it IS the correct cpu, so as for what the deal with the jumper is i'm not sure what to think, don't know if i should leave it or try setting up too 500.
crucial has the memory but i did'nt find alot of specs on it as to what brand and part number it is. i like to try and find it on new egg because i think they have it and it's cheaper....i'm just going to get another 128 stick and put itwith the one thats in there.