Configuring Inspiron 530 for moderate gaming

[wrongway]

Okay, I'm looking at the following Dell Inspiron system:

Components
Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor E8200 (6MB L2 Cache,2.66GHz,1333FSB)
Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Service Pack 1
3GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz - 4 DIMMs
250GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache™
Integrated Sound Blaster®Audigy™ HD Software Edition
Integrated Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 3100
16X DVD+/-RW Drive

And I'm hoping I can upgrade with a Diamond Viper Radeon HD 3850 512MB Dual Slot GDDR3 PCI-E Dual DVI-I HDCP HDMI HDTV Out Video Card.

Is this feasible? I know there is power supply issues, withe the 530 running at 300 or 350 watts and the 3850 wanting 400 to 450. Are there any other issues anyone knows about? Is there a major difference in processors over the Intel® Pentium Conroe Dual Core Processor E2200 (1MB L2 Cache, 2.2GHz, 800MHz)?

I guess if I had to sum it up: is there even a point in trying to combine the 3850 with an Inspiron 530?

Thanks for any help, it's greatly appreciated.

 

[iluvgillgill]

why dont you custom build for cheap possibly and you will get OC ability.

 

[wrongway]

I've thought about it but at the end of the day I'm just not tech savvy enough to build my own rig, despite the fact that I know almost exactly what I want and already possess a few of the components. On top of that, I dont know if I can beat the price of a premade rig with a few extra add-ons. I know I'm really handcuffing myself with a $600 price limit, but that's just simply my budget.

 

[dagger]

What's the 12v rail ampage, and how many rails?

 

[wrongway]

Details are sketchy on the ampage but apparently "on the stock Dell the 12v rail is 18A"

 

[dagger]

Details are sketchy on the ampage but apparently "on the stock Dell the 12v rail is 18A"

Lol, it's stressed enough to just handle the cpu and harddrive.

 

[wrongway]

lol, this review on the dell site has me seriously confused as to the accurate stock power rating: In reference to the 530: "Solidly built, reliable, easy to work inside, has a PCI-e video power connector with plenty of juice for high-end video cards"

How would I get accurate info on power supply? Googling is proving fruitless

 

[dagger]

lol, this review on the dell site has me seriously confused as to the accurate stock power rating: In reference to the 530: "Solidly built, reliable, easy to work inside, has a PCI-e video power connector with plenty of juice for high-end video cards"

How would I get accurate info on power supply? Googling is proving fruitless

Open the case, there should be a sticker with chart on the side of the psu.

 

[wrongway]

I've yet to order actually, just researching before I buy a 530

The more I read online the more it appears that the aforementioned reviewer is full of it. Seems that the 3850 may in fact simply be too much for the 530 to handle.

 

[mauleriscool]

I've yet to order actually, just researching before I buy a 530

The more I read online the more it appears that the aforementioned reviewer is full of it. Seems that the 3850 may in fact simply be too much for the 530 to handle.

I've ran an 8800gt with a 300 watt supply, 530 should be enough for 3850.
Use this to get a good idea on how much power you will need.
http://www.extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp

 

[wrongway]

thanks alot for the reply. I didn't understand some of the things asked for on the site but it gave me a 217W recommended PSU.

If I were to go with the Quad Core 530, I believe it's bumped up to a 350W PSU, though for another $80-100 I could replace the PSU altogether

 

[dagger]

thanks alot for the reply. I didn't understand some of the things asked for on the site but it gave me a 217W recommended PSU.

If I were to go with the Quad Core 530, I believe it's bumped up to a 350W PSU, though for another $80-100 I could replace the PSU altogether

Lol, that can't be right. 217w won't run much of anything.

 

[wrongway]

haha, yes, I'm pretty slow at this (hence why I'm not going to try and build a rig of my own)

 

[dirtmountain]

On most pre-built comps you need to add a power supply to run a higher end video card. A corsair 450w or an Antec eathwatts 430w are usually plenty for any single card solution. Most pre-built systems are a bit lacking in cooling also, something to keep an eye on. A pretty decent GPU if the system has enough room to install it $90.00 after rebate. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127365
Antec Earthwatts PSU 430W $30.00 after rebate http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371006

 

[aylafan]

Well. I am running a Sapphire HD 3850 256MB PCI-E Video Card in a Dell Dimension E520 for about a year now. I leave my computer on 24/7.

Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor E6420
Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Service Pack 1
2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz - 2 DIMMs
320GB Western Digital Serial ATA Hard Drive
500GB Seagate Serial ATA Hard Drive
500GB External Seagate Serial ATA Hard Drive
Creative Audigy 2 Value! Sound Card
Sapphire HD 3850 256MB PCI-E Video Card
16X DVD+/-RW Drive
Dell Standard Powersupply 305W with +12VA at 18A and +12VB at 18A

I haven't had any crashes or BSODs on my computer, while playing COD4, Crysis, Bioshock, Gears of War, etc.

So I don't see why the Dell Inspiron 530 wouldn't be able to handle the HD 3850.

Dell powersupplies are underrated. They are powerful enough to handle most mid-range video cards. The HD 3850 has a max power load of 95W. Most of the time, it will be throttled down to run at lower speeds and use less power when you are not playing a game.

 

[roadrunner197069]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=130226069263&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT

I can do you one exactly like this with a different "better" motherboard "ASUS P5K SE" and a 3850 for video for the same price as listed.

Comes pre overclocked, and pre configured without all the BS bloatware from Dell. One of these will blow the Dell out of the water. You could upgrade the CPU for a bit more.

 

[dirtmountain]

Aylafan, i've got your system using about 250w at 90% load. Certainly doable (1 year proves it) But it's not something i'd feel comfortable recommending, at least not without a caution. I've run GPUs with weaker power supplies also in my and my families systems until i could upgrade to a better PSU. The fact that a new and better PSU runs $30 after rebate at the moment is just cheap insurance. The 9600GSO i recommended has 2 slot cooling that exhausts out of the case. It's in the same tier as the 3850 and just about the same price after rebate. The 3850s with 2 slot cooling run about $40 more.

 

[jamesl]

I don't understand all this, but maybe could look at this and get a better idea

power supply for a inspiron 530

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/inspd530/EN/OM/parts.htm#wp1483829

motherboard schematic

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/inspd530/EN/OM/parts.htm#wp1184332

 

[wrongway]

well, after reading all your posts (thanks everyone!) I'm thinking that I'll go ahead as planned, using aylan's feedback as proof that the 530 can likely, at the very least, handle the 3850 over a short period of time, with the plan to eventually upgrade to a Dell Silencer 470 (I'm not sure of any other PSUs that are more cost effective but fit in a Dell 530).

The only question I have left is: is the upgrade from a Intel® Pentium Conroe Dual Core Processor E2200 to a Intel® Core™2 Q9300 Quad-Core worth the extra price (the Quad-core is nearly $310 more)

Thanks again for any feedback, much appreciated

 

[iluvgillgill]

i think you can buy the Q9300 on its own with that price, cant you?