Tech Forum

I just unboxed the first of our new Optiplex 740 admin computers. It seems to run fine, but the specs really seem low. I guess the Church must have got a bargain price.

AMD 2.5GHz Athlon Dual Core Processor 4850e
1GB RAM (single DIMM)
80GB SATA
SATA DVD ROM
4GB USB flash drive instead of a diskette drive.
and yes, a dial-up modem

It just seems to me that these specs are not very much better than those of the GX-270s we are sending to the junk yard.

Dana

Dana.Repouille wrote:It just seems to me that these specs are not very much better than those of the GX-270s we are sending to the junk yard.

While the specs are not impressive, they are still substantially better than the older GX-270s. The dual-core processor and 1GB of RAM yield substantially better performance than the Celeron processor with 256MB of RAM (I guess some GX-270s had Pentium 4 instead of Celeron, but that wasn't a huge difference).

I haven't done any formal benchmarking, but it feels at least 3-4x faster to me, and for some operations as much as 10x faster.

Even though there are certainly faster systems out there, I'm sure the Church is still very concerned about costs. I am very much happier with our new 740s.

There is a significant difference in specifications.

Side-by-side comparison -
System -GX270 ///740
Operating frequency -2.4 GHz ///2.5 GHz
L1 cache -8 KB ///2 X 128 KB
L2 cache -256 KB ///2 X 512 KB
Frontside bus speed -133 MHz ///1066 MHz
RAM -128 MB ///1 GB


The RAM displayed is how much was delivered with the system. Many units have upgraded the the GX270 RAM to improve performance.

These numbers alone indicate that there is a dramatic performance increase from the GX270 to the 740. The dual core capabilities of the 740 are not utilized in any of the software the Church runs on the administrative computers.

The performance difference I have witnessed is substantial.

I agree with Alan that all the GX-270s we received in 2004 had two 128MB sticks of DDR. That was enough until Desktop 5.5 and SAV ate up all the memory.

Dana.Repouille wrote:I agree with Alan that all the GX-270s we received in 2004 had two 128MB sticks of DDR.

We received our GX270 computers in November 2004 with one 128MB stick. We upgraded in in mid 2008 to 512MB.

To compare with what the FHCs are receiving right now, see the thread: New FHC 780 computers.

jdlessley wrote:Frontside bus speed -133 MHz ///1066 MHz

That's a significant increase. I'm sure the bigger cache helps too.

I think the old admin GX270 did OK once the memory was upgraded, but some GX270 in a tower box I've got in the FHC seem downright poky.

Do you know which version of the Optiplex 740 you received? There appear to be three form factors:

- Desktop
- Mini tower
- Slim form factor

Just curious.

Also, what size of monitor does it come with?

Jerry

I believe it is the desktop. It is the same size as the GX-270s and GX-280s that it replaces. The monitor is an 18" LCD flat panel.

Gee, it must be pretty nice to be in some of the more favored areas of North America. I can be much more tolerant of less spectacular "performance" in the clerk's office than I can at home. But it's the tiny hard disc that really bothers me. It just seems that 8.76 GB isn't quite up to even the MLS needs today. But I'm keeping the faith. As in, "Faith Precedes The Miracle" (of replacement). Here in the Pacific Northwest we are blessed in other ways. Count your blessings, all of them.