My Dell 7010 Works With A Celeron G530t Cpu But Not An I5 3550p Cpu?

I checked at dell's website to see what processors are compatible with the dell optiplex 7010 and the i5 3200, 3400, i5 3500 and i7 3700 series are listed, but the i5 3300 series isn't. Why would the i5 3300 series be left out?
I picked up an i5 3350P cpu thinking it would work with the Q77 chipset (in the dell 7010 description ti stated it would work with the ivy cpus. After trying it with no luck I then did futher research and found that the i5 3300 series isn't listed but all the other ivy cpus are? Why would dell leave out that series or is it just not listed and I have a bad cpu?

 

You do realise that the 3350P doesn't have any graphics onboard? To use it outside of a 'headless' remote-controlled scenario, you'll need a discrete GPU to connect your display to.

 

It might not have been Dell. The OEM motherboard and chipset determines which CPUs they support too.

 

Dell might have restricted (either in hardware or, most likely, the BIOS) the CPU choices, especially if that Optiplex range also uses the same base component set as a higher end (Workstation?) offering.

They've been doing it for decades, one motherboard fitted to 2/3x ranges, Consumer, Business and Professional, with BIOS 'tweaked' to allow/disallow many otherwise compatible and better/costlier components from being used to upgrade the lesser models.

 

No doubt Dell could have - Dell is synonymous for proprietary. I am just saying, "it might not have been Dell".

 

In this instance, we won't know whether the 'failure' is simply down to the lack of an iGPU or not until the OP replies.

 

Agreed.