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Question about replacing Inspiron 530 MOBO
First of all I'd like to apologize since I bet many people before me have come before you asking the exact same question, however i need to hear it straight from the horse's mouth to clear any doubts i may have, besides I did search similar topics on this and the dell forum and found nothing conclusive which is why after pondering for months whether I should make yet another dell inspiron 530 related topic or not but I finally decided to bite the bullet and here we are. As the title says I have questions about replacing my busted dell inspiron 530 mobo, it was the G33m02 which from what little research I did can only take up to 4gbs of ram, or 8gb depending on who you ask(and this is where my doubts star) and can only support other core 2 duo processors like the one it had, however I read somewhere in the dell forum that cases manufactured for dell computers can only take other dell mobos for the same model of computers, for example a 530s' (which apparently were only sold in china) motherboard can be replaced with a regular 530 because of the pin and connectors and some other tech mumbo jumbo that goes completely over my head so I was wondering if I could replace my dell inspiron's G33m02 for a G33M03 or DG33M03 so I can also upgrade the CPU now that I have access to core 2 quad processors and 8gbs of ram for certain, again, I'm sorry I have to make yet another one of these since from what I've read thousands of people had doubts about it but none seemed be conclusive enough for me
Edit: Also I forgot to ask, can I just buy any .G33M03 or DG33M03 MOBOs or does it have to be one manufactured by Dell, also, are these two my only two choices besides getting another G33M02? Again, I'm very sorry and thank you for taking the time to read this
shesagordie
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July 26th, 2016 12:00
SETH VALENTINET
The G33m02 is a depopulated [cheaper] version of the motherboard that has only has 6 voltage regulator IC's, as opposed to the 11 voltage regulators on the G33m03 motherboard, that supports both Core 2 Duo and Quad Core processors.
The G33m02 motherboard can be replaced by the G33m03 motherboard, but, the power supply also needs to replaced by a 350w+ unit, instead of the default 300w unit installed with the G33m02 MoBo.
The Inspiron motherboards are built by Foxconn to Dell's proprietary specifications.
Regards to installing a non-Dell motherboard, probably best to use a Dell specification motherboard, as the BIOS will accept Dell OEM software, eg operating systems, plus it will match the Dell chassis front panel wiring connectors.
Bev.
Ps, I still have a 9 year old Inspiron 530 MT, with a G33m02 motherboard that's been upgraded with hybrid hard drives, Windows 10 and a LGA 775 e8600 processor
RoHe
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July 27th, 2016 11:00
I personally think it would all come down to the warranty, if any, for boards, CPUs, etc, regardless of where you buy it.
Note that the board on Amazon isn't being sold by Dell. It's from iTech Sourcing, whoever they are.
shesagordie
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July 27th, 2016 11:00
Seth Valentine
I've been buying used processors for many years, so far never had one that failed.
Providing there 30+ day warranty, to guard against a DOA processor, you should be fine.
Very rarely do processors fail, unless they have been 'fried'.
Regards to anything labeled 'Refurbished', to my way of thinking, that's just a better sounding name, for 'Used'.
Bev.
RoHe
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July 26th, 2016 11:00
G33M03 is probably just a newer revision of the 02 board. Both the 02 and 03 boards are offered, for example, here for the Inspiron 530. So I don't see problems using an 03 board.
I have no idea what differences there are between these revisions. Maybe somebody else can answer that question.
According to the specs, the 530 board supports:
Intel® Core™ 2 Quad processor
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor
Intel® Pentium® Dual-Core processor
It doesn't say exactly which processors are supported in each category. So -at minimum- make sure the motherboard has the latest version of BIOS before you upgrade to a quad processor, since Dell may add new processor support to BIOS from time to time, but not always. And even with the latest BIOS, it may not support the specific quad you want to use...
The max RAM listed is 4 GB. But that's probably the most Dell qualified for this board. It may or not support more RAM. You can look around to see if others have successfully installed more than 4 GB.
Keep in mind you'll need a 64-bit OS in order to use more than 4 GB. So you'd have to buy a new license from MS for a 64-bit OS if you don't already have a 64-bit license.
Seth Valentine
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July 26th, 2016 21:00
Oh, sorry, i forgot to post my specs, I have an Antec Earthwatts 500w PSU because I bought an HD 4580 years ago, I'm not very computer savvy so I'm not entirely sure if 500 will be more than enough for the MOBO plus all the other upgrades I've got planned(quad core cpu, 8gb ddr2 ram, a gtx 750 ti). I know at this point it would be better to just to buy the parts and build a whole new computer but it seems cheaper to me to spend 200 bucks for upgrades that will probably last me another decade of gaming, anyways thank you for your reply, so basically whether i buy one of these www.discountelectronics.com/.../ or this one www.amazon.com/.../B00GHUTZHQ i should be safe, right?
Seth Valentine
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July 26th, 2016 21:00
Thank you very much for your replying to my topic, I was afraid people would be sick and tired of answering the exact same question over and over again and ignore it, though I've got another question; why the price difference between the MOBOs from the link you provided and this one www.amazon.com/.../B00GHUTZHQ is it because they are refurbished and the one i linked from amazon isn't?
shesagordie
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July 27th, 2016 07:00
Seth Valentine"
Either of the Dell FM586 RN474 GN723/G33M03 motherboards shown would be fine, take your pick, as both vendors are excellent.
But, regards to "to spend 200 bucks for upgrades that will probably last me another decade of gaming", computers are being improved almost daily by manufacturers and new software is continually being published, I think that any computer lasting 10 years for gaming, is overly optimistic.
Bev.
Seth Valentine
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July 27th, 2016 11:00
Oh, I'm sure it is, however game developers won't make use of the full potential of the most advanced pc hardware because then they would be alienating a good chunk of their costumers since they know most pc gamers don't have a high end pc that can run Crysis 3 at max settings, actually, I'd go as far as to say people who can do that are in the minority, but anyways I'm not here to argue about that, I'm here to ask two final questions, the first one being why is there a difference in price between the two motherboards sold by discount electronics and dell, through amazon? Is it because Discount Electronic's is reburbshed and Dell's is just a spare so to speak from an unsold unit? Also how risky is it to buy a used CPU from ebay or a vendor from amazon? Also, thank you for taking the time to answer my questions which have been probably answered a hundred times before, also sorry, again, sorry about that.
rdunnill
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July 31st, 2016 18:00
The problem is not front panel wiring connectors: it is a fixed IO shield stamped into the rear of the chassis. To install a non-Dell motherboard in a 530 chassis means cutting out an IO shield opening with tinsnips or other tools.