Any Computer nerds on here?

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?)

 

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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)

 

I'd help, but you used the term 'computer nerds'

 

In a good way.I wish that I was a computer nerd, i wouldnt be here asking for help. lol

 

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.

 

Which video card would you suggest?

And where would be the best place to purchase said items?

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

All done. Just gotta wait for the power supply to get this thing runing.

 

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