Released in 2005, Dell's OptiPlex 745 series computers are a business line of towers, desktops and thin clients that were once well-suited to an office environment. Sizes of the OptiPlex 745 include the mini tower, desktop, small size and ultra small form factor, or USFF. Due to the variety of sizes, the motherboards for this series also vary in size as well as number of ports and connectors.
Processor Support
The socket type on the OptiPlex 745 motherboard is a 775. Processor options for this model included Intel's Celeron D, Pentium 4, Pentium D and Core 2 Duo lines. The lowest option was the Celeron D 300 series with a 533 MHz bus speed. A Core 2 Duo with 1066 MHz bus speed and two cores was the most high-end option. The other processors have 800 MHz bus speeds.
Memory Bays
All but the USFF version of the 745 model have four memory bays that support up to 8 GB of memory. The USFF version has two bays and supports up to 4 GB of memory. The memory type is Double Data Rate 2, and supported speeds include 533 MHz, 667 MHz and 800 MHz.
Graphics
Graphics are handled by Intel's Q965 Express chipset and the Graphics Media Accelerator 3000. The onboard graphics include 256 MB of shared video memory. The USFF offers one built-in DVI-I port, while the rest use a VGA port instead. All but the USFF version include at least one PCI expansion port for installing a video card. The desktop and small form versions require low-profile cards, but full-sized cards are compatible with the mini tower version.
Drive Support
OptiPlex 745 motherboards include four, two or one Serial Advanced Technology Attachment connectors and a 34-pin floppy drive connector. The USFF version does not include floppy support. Other than the floppy drive connector, there are no Integrated Drive Electronics connectors for use with a hard drive or an optical drive.
Ports
Ports on the OptiPlex 745 motherboards include three to four USB, one parallel, and a line-in and line-out audio jack. These ports are located at the back of the motherboard and do not include ports built into the front of the computer's case or those that are on expansion cards.
Tags: USFF version, desktop small, drive connector, floppy drive, floppy drive connector