An old fart needs help to keep up with grandson.

I am far from being computer savy but I need help to get my grandchild off my back.

He as a big fan of games and I hate them, but he has been complaining that the games are very jumpy and he has asked me to get a bigger memory? Known very little about this form of computing I'm not sure whither he means a larger graphic card - more memory or both?

If I attache a Beleric Advisor could someone tell me the best way to upgade the computer which will enable my grandson and myself to be happy whit our own projects

** Removed file since it contained your key numbers **

We're quite a majority of old farts on here so a very warm welcome to the forum
Most members post their system specs in their user cp (see at top of the page) then they display in My System Specs (bottom right in the post box)
Can't say I've ever seen a Belarc Advisor before. Quite complicated. Seems you have plenty of hard drive space for some games and you have 2gb of RAM memory, am I right?
Can't see a graphics card in there. Have I missed it?
Your Grandson probably means both more RAM and a graphics card (or a better one).
The card would be the priority I'd have thought although 4gb of RAM rather than 2 would also speed up the frame rate in games.

Cheers, John.

You have "only" 2 GB of RAM. Windows might be a little snappier on 4 gigs and your motherboard will certainly accommodate another 2 GB---you have 2 empty RAM slots.

But improving the video card would likely make a more noticeable improvement in gaming performance. It's a Dell Inspiron 530. Looking at the Belarc report, it appears to have graphics integrated on the motherboard, rather than a separate card.

You need someone to confirm that the Dell in fact has integrated graphics and that it has a spare slot that can accept a separate video card. Then shop for a compatible video card. I'd try that first and if your grandson is still unhappy, try upgrading the RAM to 4 GB total.

If money is no particular concern, do both at the same time.

Hi DG8. Please check your private messages now.

Regards
JohnnyA

Edit: Disregard, someone beat me to it. RE: Belarc

Ah. I see one of the moderators have removed it as it contained your serial number. Don't worry, it was only there a minute and I never noticed it amongst everything else.

I just downloaded a user manual for a Dell Inspiron 530.

It says you have Intel integrated video, as suspected.

And it says you have 4 slots:

2 PCI
1 PCI Express x1
1 PCI Express x16

So, it certainly appears you can upgrade to a separate video card easily. Anything compatible should be an improvement, even at the $50 range. Intel integrated video wasn't too good 3 years ago when your PC was designed.

The Dell specs for this PC is here:

Dell Inspiron 530 Desktop PC Product Details | Dell UK

Assuming 32-bit Windows 7, the maximum addressable ram is 3GB, the further 1GB in an upgrade will only be utilized if the Windows 7 OS is upgraded to 64-Bit. (this may mean that some installed software and hardware may not work properly)

From the current Core 2 Duo installed, the processor could be maximally upgraded to a Intel® CoreTM 2 Quad-Core Q9450 Processor (2.66GHz, 12MB cache, 1333MHz FSB), and there are possibly even faster compatible processors, I didn't look further.

The Graphics card upgrade has been mentioned in another post above.

ignatzatsonic said:

You have "only" 2 GB of RAM. Windows might be a little snappier on 4 gigs and your motherboard will certainly accommodate another 2 GB---you have 2 empty RAM slots.

But improving the video card would likely make a more noticeable improvement in gaming performance. It's a Dell Inspiron 530. Looking at the Belarc report, it appears to have graphics integrated on the motherboard, rather than a separate card.

You need someone to confirm that the Dell in fact has integrated graphics and that it has a spare slot that can accept a separate video card. Then shop for a compatible video card. I'd try that first and if your grandson is still unhappy, try upgrading the RAM to 4 GB total.

If money is no particular concern, do both at the same time.

Click to expand...

I Agree more ram and a mid range GPU will make the PC fly!!
a good bang for buck GPU i use on the pcs i havd built for friends i have eather put one of these cards in it
Radeon 5770
Radeon 6850
Radeon 6870
Radeon 6970
Geforce GT440
Geforce GTS450
Geforce GTX570
Geforce GTX560Ti
Ranging from $150 - $500 MID to High end cards

Extreme cards are around $ 700 - $1000
For an Idea
Geforce GTX580
Geforce GTX590
Radeon 6990
Radeon 5870

i have a 3rd pc for gaming when friend come over basicly same specs
Q6600 with a G41 with 16x PCIe and 1x PCIe so i got a radeon 6870 for video and a Physics card a Geforce 9600GT PCIe 1x 512MB

May I thank everyone who replied to my problems. I will need to keep the replies and take my time to try to digest the information provided (I'm a slow learner)
I appreciate the effort you have put in to try and help me.

Blessings to you all.

According to Crucial.com's highly reliable configurator, a Dell Inspiron 530 has these RAM requirements:

4 GB maximum overall

1 GB maximum per slot (you have 4 slots)

Each memory slot can hold a 240-pin DIMM of DDR2 PC2-5300 (aka DDR2-667) or DDR2 PC2-6400 (aka DDR2-800) non-ECC RAM, preferably rated at 1.8 volts.

Dual channel is supported--this means you should think in terms of buying 2 more sticks rather than 1--presumably 2 sticks of 1 gig each, giving you a total of 4 GB of RAM overall.

1 GB sticks sell for about $20 in the USA.

Many Thanks

ignatzatsonic I hope you do not think this request is rude? Could you please tell me what I should ask for when I shop for the items you suggest. The information above could be copied and presented to the salesperson but I will be stuck if he wanted clarification on anything. If you don't mind, and it is not a time consuming chore, I will be very grateful for your help.

From one old fart to another. I would like to complicate things. In adding memory, be sure that the memory you add is exactly the same as what you already have, or buy compltely new memory. Memory is rather cheap right now. Secondly, you apparently have a 300 watt PSU. In buying a graphics card, make sure the power requirements of the card as well as everything else installed in your computer will not overload your power supply.

Thank you very much for your input essenbe. Doubling my memory by putting in the same as I have already is a good tip but I'm lost by the 300 watt PSU and the possibility of overloading my power supply. How would I know what my system would be capable off?

While others may have different opinions, I would find a PSU calculator and put in the info of your system now. it will tell you what size PSU you need now, or put another way, how much power your system is currently pulling. When looking at video cards, they will usually tell you how much power they pull and some even tell you the minimum PSU requirements. Next, after deciding on the new video card and ram, go back to the power calculator and add those components and see if they fall under the size of your current PSU.

Just for your info. I have a Dell 580s. I wrestled with some of the same problems you are facing now. That is the reason I have the system I am running. I considered most of the suggestions you have received. New ram, decent video card, PSU requirements, and even a new CPU. I considered those costs. That is when I realized that for just a few more dollars I could have a new and better system than if I had made those upgrades to the Dell. I have no idea of your financial situation or the costs of components in your country, but You may want to look at the situation in that way.

There is a power calculator here. This site is in the USA, so prices will not be the same, but while on this site you can look at some video cards and the details. When you find one you are interested in, just check prices in your country. Sorry, but I am not familar with the sites in your country so I provided you with what I an familar with.

Thank you for that valuable suggestions - It makes sense to enquire the price of single components versus the price of a new upgraded computer. I will definitely look into this and I thank you for that suggestion.

All the best to you and your clan - Cheers and take care.

DG8 said:

ignatzatsonic I hope you do not think this request is rude? Could you please tell me what I should ask for when I shop for the items you suggest. The information above could be copied and presented to the salesperson but I will be stuck if he wanted clarification on anything. If you don't mind, and it is not a time consuming chore, I will be very grateful for your help.

Click to expand...

The easiest thing for you to do is to order directly from Crucial.com online. It's guaranteed to be compatible.

Go to that website and enter Dell 530 into their configurator. That will lead you to 6 choices for compatible RAM that differ only in size. You want the 1 GB size and you need 2 sticks. They are 19.99 each plus postage.


Look here:

Computer memory upgrades for Dell Inspiron 530 Desktop/PC from Crucial.com

If you cannot or will not order from Crucial because you are in the UK, the next best thing is to write down those specifications I listed in my earlier post and take them to a reliable local dealer. Get a known brand: Corsair, Kingston, Crucial.

Do NOT, Do NOT get talked into "fancy" RAM with heat spreaders etc. Don't get talked into something that you cannot verify as 1.8 volt RAM. You need 2 sticks of ordinary DDR2 RAM with these specs: 240-pin DIMM, 1.8 volt, non-ECC of 1 GB capacity. It can be PC-2 5300 or PC-2 6400.

Here are the Crucial.com part numbers:

1 GB stick of PC-2 5300: Part #: CT700764

1 GB stick of PC-2 6400: Part #: CT763013

Get 2 of them; either will work fine.

Edit:

Here is some compatible Corsair RAM from a reliable UK supplier:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-284-CS&groupid=701&catid=8&subcat=144

It 34.99 pounds for the kit of two 1 GB sticks.

That is absolutely great thanks a lot for that advice - I will visit the site now and I will keep a copy for reference. Blessings to you and your clan.

Am I searching on the right track ignatzatsonic? It is a British site

Note the edit I made to my above post regarding a UK source for memory.

Regarding power supplies:

Here is a fairly reliable calculator:

eXtreme Power Supply Calculator


You use the drop down lists to enter your components and it spits out a recommended PSU watt rating.

You need to decide on a video card before you use the calculator. If you only move up to a mid level card (say under 75 pounds in price, you may not have to change power supplies. If you go beyond that, you might.

Decide on the card first. Start a thread on that if you need help with it.