darrinjensen all I can offer is my opinion, as can everyone else. The decision rests with you.
A) The best Processor that a Dell Optiplex GX270 can use, is a single-core Intel Pentium 4.
The best Ram Memory is DDR Sdram at 400MegaHertz. (PC3200)
This is shown by the fact that the Northbridge chip is an Intel 865G.
Supporting Data:
1)
http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/opgx270/en/ug/specs.htm2)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Intel_chipsets#Pentium_4_Chipsets3)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Motherboard_diagram.svg[ The CPU {Processor} communicates through the Front Side Bus {FSB} to the Northbridge chip.
Think of an FSB as an 'Information Highway'.
Information {Data} goes back and forth across the FSB.
{Chip and Chipset are slang terms for I.C. Integrated Circuit}
The Northbridge chip determines what Processors are supported, what Ram Memory is supported, and High-speed graphics.
{High-speed graphics being AGP or PCI Express.
Not a graphics card installed into a PCI slot, nor Integrated Graphics.
Integrated graphics is also referred to as OnBoard graphics. ON the motherBoard. The graphics chip {GPU) is soldered to the motherboard. Not to a removable graphics adapter card. (Graphics card/Video card/Graphics adapter card, all mean the same thing)
The Southbridge chip handles the slower processes of a computer. Therefore also handling anything to do with a PCI slot, or Integrated graphics ]
A motherboard is the 'Building Block' of a computer. From it, all hardware components are supported.
Processor, Ram Memory, Graphics card, (Or Integrated Graphics), and so on.
What Northbridge chip is used determines a lot about a motherboard, besides the internal connectors used.
When buying a computer this is what you need to look at, for one.
Things have changed with the introduction of the Intel Core i3, i5, i7, and i9.
There is no separate Northbridge chip. It may be integrated into the CPU, or not used at all.
There is no FSB. It has been replaced with the Quick-Path Interconnect.
Intel rates their Processors with a star system now. The budget, or entry level Celeron is a 1 star. Pentium's are 2 stars. Core i3 - 3 stars, Core i5 - 4 stars, Core i7- 5 stars.
Point?
With the introduction of computer utilizing the Intel Core i3, i5, i7, and i9 processors, the computers that can use Intel Core 2 (Duo and Quad) processors are becoming VERY economical.
You may be able to purchase a desktop computer that utilizes an Intel Core 2 processor for around
$400 to $500. One that utilizes a comparable AMD processor for the same, or less.
And has Windows 7. (I know, do not start a sentence with And)
One example, (Not advertising for website),
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6326393&CatId=6Another example,
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6738683&CatId=6The Power Supply is probably what is bad with your GX270. Also, has it been cleaned inside on a regular basis as needed? {To include the Power Supply. A can of compressed air for computers is used. Power unplugged to computer}
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