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need help fixing/upgrading a dell inspiron 530
Hello Everyone
My father is giving me a broken Dell Inspiron 530 and has instructed me to fix it and use it as my
college computer. I know i need to replace the motherboard, Ram Chips, Graphics Card, Video Card,
and maybe the sound card ( its known for losing sound and having to restart it to get sound back ). I
want to upgrade this computer so it has enough power for gaming and basic school work.
The Inspiron 530 is still at it basic factory pieces we haven't upgraded anything in the past but have had
one RAM chip break bringing it down to 3Gb's of Ram.
I Would like this computer to be able to do the following.
- 8-12 Gb's of RAM
- High end graphics and video
- Basic Level sound ( just so it stops turning on and off on it own accord)
I personally no nothing about computers so i all i know is i need to know of a motherboard that can support
what i need and is compatable with the Inspiron. Of course in the end i want to be able to play online games with little
or no lag and quality graphics.
Please help me fix and improve this computer!!!!!!!!!!
speedstep
9 Legend
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47K Posts
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November 15th, 2011 12:00
Max Ram is 8 Gigs. Using more than 4 Gigs requires a 64 bit OS and EMT64 bit CPU.
Updating the Bios to 1.0.18 or higher allows the max 8 gigs ram. Online games with no lag depends on your ISP as well as other issues. If you replace the power supply you can definitely add a better GPU.
rdunnill
6 Professor
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November 14th, 2011 23:00
The 530 is suitable for school work and moderate gaming, with the right video card. Changing the mainboard, however, requires cutting out an IO shield opening at the back of the chassis, so I wouldn't recommend swapping in a third party mainboard.
I don't think online games require vast amounts of RAM or high-powered video. 4gb of RAM is sufficient for most needs, and a 5670 video card is enough for low to mid level gaming.
Kelbear1
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November 15th, 2011 07:00
Why do you need to replace the motherboard? HERE are the motherboards for the 530. At this cost, it may be pointless to do these type of upgrades. However, you can probably find them for less. If the motherboard works, there is no need to replace it. Depending on the system you have, it may only support 4GB of ram. What about the operating system? Do you have to buy this also? If Vista or XP is installed, then it is most likely only a 32-bit operating system which will not utilized more than 3.5GB of ram anyway. You should first be downloading and updating the drivers and perhaps the BIOS from Dell's web site. You can still install a new power supply and then a high-end graphics card if this is what you want to do.
3GBs or 4GBs is enough for Vista or XP so upgrading from what you have is not worth it. If you update the drivers and get things working correctly, the only upgrades you should need are a power supply and video card. High-end dual slot cards will fit in the 530 as long as you have just one hard drive.
theflash1932
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November 15th, 2011 08:00
As Mary said, $300 will buy you a new machine, at least as good as the 530 is now. Building custom is not cheaper at this end of the spectrum (you can't build a comparable system for $300), but is cheaper the better the build (you can build an equivalent system to a decked out XPS or Alienware for cheaper).
Mary G
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November 15th, 2011 08:00
Check the prices on computers now. It is definitely not worth spending much on fixing an old one when you can buy a new one for less than $500. You can even buy a basic model for $300. www.dell.com/.../inspiron-desktops.aspx
YukonJKC
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November 15th, 2011 08:00
the motherboard is cracked so i definitely need to replace it. iam just not sure if its worth it to fix the computer or build a custom anymore
rdunnill
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November 15th, 2011 10:00
There are taxes and shipping charges on that $300, which isn't as cheap as it sounds.
theflash1932
7 Technologist
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November 15th, 2011 11:00
That goes without saying ... but with Free Shipping (only $9 normally) and $15-20 for tax, I'd say $300 is close enough for our discussion.