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February 5th, 2026 17:26

Can the Dell Dimension e520 use an Intel core 2 quad q9550 cpu?

I found 3 ddr2 computers in my basement from a bit ago, and I want to make one of them, the e520 a literal tank. Have a primary 128gb sata ssd, and two hdds for storage.

It was just working with the intel(r) core(tm)2 cpu 4300 but when I tried putting in the q9550, it showed a solid amber light and the cpu fan was spinning fast.

I have thermal paste, I've tried leveling it evenly with the paste and screws, cleaned the pads with a microfiber cloth and rubbing alcohol, disconnecting the other two hdds incase it needed a little more power, same thing.

I have a 305w psu, 8gb ram, intel core 2 cpu 4300. I also have the dell optiplex 745 and 755 if those might be a better candidate than the e520. Any help and/or suggestions if possible would be appreciated.

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February 6th, 2026 13:30

@ejn63​ so what other common ddr2 motherboards support it then? And does my optiplex 755 or 745 support it?

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February 6th, 2026 15:30

The 755 will take that CPU.  Be sure the system has the latest firmware update.

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February 6th, 2026 15:35

@ejn63​ thank you, it worked!

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