I know there are few of you guys who build computers, update etc.... I have a PC that I kept in my closet for the longest, its basically brand new, used for about 24 hours, problem is, its bit out dated. lol My questions are: 1. Is this computer worth upgrading? 2. What would be the maximum I could get out of it. 2. If it its, what is the best route? 3. What would be the best source to order my parts from? Goals for this PC? To run modern graphic games like Diablo 3 in near future. Now to the computer: Dell Inspiron 530 Specs: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU e4500 @ 2.20 GHZ 2.20 GHZ Memory (RAM): 2.00 GB (lol, this would need some help I know that, i think) System type: 32 bit (From what I read, the 32 bit will keep the ram at 4gb max?)
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (hp-tablet; Linux; hpwOS/3.0.4; U; en-US) AppleWebKit/534.6 (KHTML, like Gecko) wOSBrowser/234.76 Safari/534.6 TouchPad/1.0) ram is cheap. 4 gig is the max on 32 bit is. what kind of video card? what are the min. Specs to run Diablo 3? it will most likely run it but probably not very well without some upgrades. You can get a new pc with 64bit os for under $400.
Thats what I was thinking. Just getting a 64bit OS and going from there. Diablo 3 is similar to WoW. Here are minimum specs for WoW: Intel Pentium 4 1.3 GHz or AMD Athlon XP 1500+ - 1 GB or more of RAM - NVIDIA® GeForce® FX or ATI Radeon™ 9500 video card or better - 25.0 GB available HD space So if i was to get the ram to 4gb, and a better graphic card, i should be fine? Here is a FULL SPEC on the PC, it seems like its capable of 64bit? http://reviews.cnet.com/desktops/dell-inspiron-530/4507-3118_7-32953389.html?tag=mncol;subnav General Type Personal computer Product Form Factor Mini tower Width 6.7 in Depth 17.1 in Height 14.3 in Weight 28.0 lbs Color Silver Processor Type Intel Core Duo E2160 / 2.2 GHz Multi-Core Technology Dual-Core 64-bit Computing Yes Installed Qty 1.0 Max Supported Qty 1.0 Upgradability Upgradable Mainboard Chipset type Intel G33 Express Data bus speed 800.0 MHz Cache Memory Type L2 cache Installed Size 1.0 MB Cache Per Processor 1 MB Environmental Parameters Min operating temperature 50.0 °F Max operating temperature 95.0 °F Operating humidity range 20 - 80% RAM Installed Size 2.0 GB / 4.0 GB (max) Technology DDR2 SDRAM Memory Speed 667.0 MHz Memory Specification Compliance PC2-5300 Form Factor DIMM 240-pin Features Dual channel memory architecture Configuration Features 2 x 1 GB Storage Controller Type 1.0 x Serial ATA - Integrated Controller Interface Type Serial ATA-300 Channel Qty 4.0 RAID Level RAID 1 Storage Floppy Drive None Hard Drive 1.0 x Standard - S-ATA Hard Drive (2nd) None Optical Storage Type DVD+/-RW - Serial ATA Read Speed 16x Write Speed 16x Rewrite Speed 16x Optical Storage (2nd) Type None Storage Removable Type None Monitor Monitor Type none. Graphics Controller Type PCI Express x16 - Plug-in card Graphics Processor / Vendor ATI Radeon HD3650 Video Memory 256.0 MB Digital Video Standard Digital Visual Interface (DVI) Max Monitors Supported 2.0 Audio Output Type Sound card - Integrated Sound Output Mode 7.1 channel surround Compliant Standards High Definition Audio Speaker(s) None Networking Networking Network adapter - Integrated Data Link Protocol Ethernet, Fast Ethernet Printer Type None Expansion / Connectivity Expansion Bays 2.0 (total) / 1.0 (free) x Front accessible - 5.25" x 1/2H, 2.0 (total) / 1.0 (free) x Internal - 3.5" x 1/3H, 1.0 (total) / 0.0 (free) x Front accessible - 3.5" x 1/3H Expansion Slot(s) 1.0 (total) / 2.0 (free) x PCI - DIMM 240-pin, 1.0 (total) / 0.0 (free) x Memory - LGA775 Socket, 4.0 (total) / 1.0 (free) x Processor, 2.0 (total) / 2.0 (free) x PCI Express x16, 1.0 (total) / 0.0 (free) x PCI Express x1 Interfaces 1.0 x Display / video - Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX - Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm ( 1 in front ), 1.0 x Display / video - DVI-Analog/Digital - RJ-45 ( 4 in front ), 1.0 x Audio - S-video output - Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm ( 1 in front ), 1.0 x Audio - Line-out (center/subwoofer) - Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm, 1.0 x Network - Line-out/headphones - Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm, 1.0 x Audio - Line-out (side surround) - Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm, 2.0 x Audio - Line-out (rear) - Mini-phone 3.5 mm, 1.0 x Hi-Speed USB - Line-in - 4 pin USB Type A, 1.0 x Microphone - Line-out - 29 pin combined DVI, 8.0 x Audio - Input - Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm, 2.0 x Audio Power Device Type Power supply Power AC 120/230 V ( 50/60 Hz ) Power Provided 300.0 Watt Operating System / Software OS Provided Vista Home Premium Microsoft Office Preloaded Includes a pre-loaded image of select Microsoft Office 2010 suites. Purchase an Office 2010 Product Key Card or disc to activate preloaded software on this PC. Software Microsoft Works 9.0, Drivers & Utilities, McAfee SecurityCenter (Trial)
No need to go with 64 bit OS. It would be pointless on this machine and it wouldnt make a difference with Diablo 3. You should be fine by maxing out the ram (you need two 2gig cards) and getting a new video card.
Just ordered pair of these, cheap imo. 78 total with 2 day shipping. http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/...e_bnrank=1&baynote_irrank=0&~ck=baynoteSearch Now I need help deciding on proper graphic card. o.o
A decent video card these days would be like a GTX460. I run a GTX560, which is a mid-high end card, runs for about $190-200 and is a generation after the 460. eVGA GTX550Ti: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130625 eVGA is a very reputable brand for motherboards and graphics cards. They've even been dabbling in the power supply market recently. I would suggest an older card but they don't sell them anymore. Also please don't tell me you bought the RAM from Dell. If you were to get a better graphics card like that, you might want to bump up and get a better power supply too. You don't really want to go cheap on a power supply either. Rosewill is a decent brand however, and is pretty cheap for decent products. My Rosewill 550W has been going strong for more than 3 years now.
I would've suggested contacting Techlord. He got me a killer deal on a PC with 4 gigs, Windows 7 and a nice video card already in it for next to nothing.
The good news is, you should have plenty of time if you are waiting on Diablo 3. Blizzard has been saying next quarter for 4 years!!!
Not really waiting on Diablo 3 like that, but I'll get on it once its out. And you are right, its been 15 years since they been saying that lol. But I believe they are for real this time. Since they made WoW customers purchase 12 years of membership, in return you get diablo 3 for free in early 2012. And i did order those from dell, I read it would be best to order from the company that made the computer. Whats so bad about their product? I could always get refund and order from some place else. Thanks for the help.
I just ordered: "EVGA GeForce GTX 560 Ti FPB Graphics Card (1024 MB, GDDR5, PCI-E 2.0 16x, DVI-I x 2, Mini-HDMI," Total 250 with over night shipping. Ill wait for these 2 items to come in, and ill see what else i need.
I was looking at this power supply. http://www.amazon.com/Rosewill-Cont...WY9G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325002691&sr=8-1 opinions? Also, is there such thing as over kill when it comes to power for PC? Dont want to fry anything. Again, thx for all the input guys.
this is the one I have http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0323928 and it's much better than rosewill IMO
card looks good, should run fine assuming you have the correct power rail on your stock power supply. RAM is cheap...ordering from Dell is fine, but you could probably pay about half that from Newegg if you're looking to save a few bucks. I use Newegg for all my computer purchases, just feel the most comfortable with them, but I haven't heard anything negative about tiger direct, either. Check out toms hardware for reviews on current hardware. They do great comparisons showing the cost and performance differences across the line, as well as point out the best bang for the buck pieces you can get for a given price range
no such thing as overkill on the power supply as far as frying something, it'll just make your system run a bit warmer and cost a few extra bucks to power. IIRC, I'm running a 1300W PS, but I also run 6 internal hard drives and wanted the ability to run my next video card setup in SLI. New power supplies are pretty slick, they come with detachable cables so you only run the cables you need and don't have a bunch of stragglers hanging all over the place. edit - for clarification, everything in your computer runs on a specific voltage rail. Upping your power supply doesn't mean you're giving more power to you individual components, it just means you'll have increased rails so you can run multiple, multiple objects at the same time (fans, hard drives, cd-roms, etc) without having to worry about the power hungry pieces (video card) eating up all the available power.
Don't sell yourself short in a good monitor. I love this one: http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?cs=19&c=us&l=en&sku=320-8277. And it is currently on sale!
My monitor is decent. Dell E228WFP 22-inch Widescreen LCD Monitor 22", 1680x1050 resolution, 5ms response time, 800:1 Contrast Ratio It's this one: http://www.amazon.com/Dell-E228WFP-Widescreen-1680x1050-resolution/dp/B001BKR5D8
If you want one of the best monitors, Dell makes a line of monitors called UltraSharp, which is one of the ones Alex posted. But the one you currently have should suffice for pretty much everything. If you really want a nice PSU, go with Corsair's HX line. The modular cables are nice and the product in general is great. For your PC, 500-600Watts is more than enough. Of course now-a-days, many power supply manufacturers are giving all of their high-end models the modular cable design so you can always pick and choose. Antec and Thermaltake are pretty reputable companies in the power supply market also. Yeah. Rosewill is the budget company you will want to go with. My 550W was 60$ and it's been running awesome for the past 3.5 years. Rosewill is also Newegg's brand, basically OEM products that are rebranded.
don't forget that video card memory will eat into the 4gb limit - it can only address 4gb total, not just system memory
UPDATE: Got my graphic card, and ofcourse the current power supplier wont even work so i ordered what Matt had posted earlier tonight. Ram should arrive tomorrow, and power supplier should come in tomorrow or friday.
Sweet. Take pictures. If you need help with any of that stuff, I may be available on Friday to help out.
ill take pictures of everything once its here. Doing this for the first time is kinda difficult, but not rally. i took pictures of everything as i plugged each cable out and where it was. The trouble i ran into with the current supplier was: for one, plugs were different. And not enough plugs. the old graphic card ony required one plug in power, th current graphic card requires 2 plugin power cables. and the power supplier didnt offer that. ill take pics of the graphic card in a minute. and power supplier that went out.
UPDATE WITH PICS, RAM CAME IN TODAY. And by the looks of it, the power box will come in tomorrow, or anywhere betweent omorrow and jan 5th. -.- so much for over night shipping on this part, lol.
You know, you might as well get a whole new case. Lol. With the nice power supply, you can utilize the cable management system of both the case, if it has one, and the modular cable system of the PSU. Your parts will also run much better because it's not cramped to shit in that tiny micro ATX case. I'm not saying a new case is a must. It's just nice to have a good case.
I was thinking that. As you can see I had to move my hard drive right above the graphic card due to rearranging the cable from mother board to hard drive. I shouldnt have heating problems, i dont think. lol
Computer is completed. Thanks for all the input. Runing WoW on ultra settings perfectly. Its ready for D3
Make sure you have the latest drivers installed from www.nvidia.com. Always keep your drivers updated.
I installed them from a CD that came with the driver. o.o I gues im good. Its running smooth with no problems. Runs MW3, Assassin Creed with no problems. And hella graphics.
You're going to want to download drivers from nVidia's website. The latest drivers are what you want to run your PC with. Otherwise, it won't run as well as it should.
I throw the CD's away when I install video cards at work. Get the updated drivers for even better performance.
You guys are ineed correct. I went to the site, and i ran the info: "GeForce GTX 560 Ti Has been detected in your system. Your current driver is 266.44 Latest Driver Version 285.62 Currently installing new driver up to date. <3