Precision Tower 3420, upgrade from i7-6700 for Windows 11?

Question

Have a Precision Tower 3420 Small Form Factor and would like to upgrade to Windows 11. Upgrade advisor says not possible due to "TPM" warning and processor incompatibility. Is there an i7 CPU that Dell recommends? I would like to keep the same fan/heat sink. Warranty expired May 2020.

Thank you.

ejn63 · Accepted Answer

You'd need an 8th generation CPU or newer -- none of which will work on the system board you have. Neither is there a system board you can use with that case which would take such a CPU.

So --- if official Windows 11 support is your goal, a new system is the only way. The Windows 11 CPU compatibility limitation can be circumvented, but if you choose to do that be advised that Microsoft has publicly stated it may ultimately start enforcing the 8th gen minimum CPU at some point -- when your system would cease to receive updates.

speedstep · Answer

@Dell7920  Windows 11 works on most ANY dell from 2006 on as long as it has at LEAST Dual Core Pentium D 915 to 960 and 4 gigs of ram. You do need a USB2.0 FAT32 flash drive and windows 11 ISO Not supported does not mean not working.  I also recommend buying a windows 10 OEM DVD now because when they are gone they will be gone forever which is where windows XP, VISTA, 7, 8 are now. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4JMpOWPLKs TPM and CPU version are not required to get it to install.  Not supported does not mean not working.   My System:Dell OptiPlex GX620 MT (305W PSU)Intel Pentium D 960 3.6GHzGigabyte nVidia GeForce 8600GT 256MB2 x NEC DVD +-RW ND-3530A2 x Western Digital 80GB WD800JD Sata II2 x 2 GB RAM - Kingston 4GB DDR2 667MHz1 x Modem - Conexant D850 56KDell 2007FP Flat Panel Monitor 20.1 (Mini-Tower): DCSM or DCSM1F(Desktop): DCNE or DCNE1F(Small Form Factor): DCCY or DCCY1F(Ultra Small Form Factor): DCTR or DCTR1F VISTA Drivers are required SL9AP Pentuim D 960

cooperplace · Answer

Has anyone else tried to upgrade a Precision 3420 to Win 11? I'm happy with my 3420 and don't want to throw it out. Thanks.

bjr23 · Answer

@cooperplace​  I've the workstation 3420T SFF I7-6700 and would like to Update to Win11 as well. If there's any brave individuals out there that's done this let us know about your experience. bjr23

JosephGT2 · Answer

Hi. I currently have a 3420 with i5 and 8gb ram. Im waiting on i7 7700 cpu and 3 more 8gb ram sticks for a total of 32gb. After the upgrades Im going to attempt win11. I,m pretty sure that I will get it running. Even if I have to use Rufus to get around the install requirements. Theres no dought in my mind that the machine will run win11. Its just getting it installed. I will report back in a few weeks. bye Joseph.S

JosephGT2 · Answer

Well I am running windows 11 on precision 3420sff with a 6th generation i5 cpu. It installed without any problems whatsoever. I enabled secure boot, updated tmp from 1.2 to 2.0 and set boot mode to uefi and I installed from usb. Everything went smoothly and is working perfectly

JosephGT2 · Answer

Like I said, no problem whatsoever.

JosephGT2 · Answer

Hi again. I see that there is still a lot of confusion about installing windows 11 on an unsupported device. Unsupported in this case means that computer manufacturers aren't updating their drivers. But it will still work. Unsupported and unable to work are 2 totally different meanings when it comes to installing windows 11 on an unsupported device. Unsupported doesn't mean that it doesn't work. Worst case scenario you can use Ruffus to bypass the installation requirements.

JosephGT2 · Answer

@bjr23​ Hi. My name is Joseph and updating to win 11 on a dell 3420sff is no problem at all. Microsoft never said that it wouldn't work. They said they aren't supporting it. That's different from not working

JosephGT2 · Answer

I have been able to install windows 11 on many pc,s without any issues. Including, dell, lenovo, Asus and Samsung. And some of them were as old as 2008. I haven't had any issues with install or continued operation. So far all windows 10 drivers work good with windows 11. If you install windows 11 on a non supported device, then you are doing at your own risk. If you are a company then you may not want to do it. But if you want to update your pc at home to windows 11, it will work. Just remember that if someone gets past your security then Microsoft isn't responsible.

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Precision Tower 3420, upgrade from i7-6700 for Windows 11?

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