Looking for an LGA 1150 motherboard

whs · 29 Apr 2015

I plan to upgrade one of my Dell Inspiron 530 ( Service Tag: 4LCRN3J, Serial Number: CN736047BO0354). Does anybody know which LGA 1150 mobo would fit in there. The i7 I am looking at is this one.

Berton · 29 Apr 2015

According to the Service Tag yours is a 'standard' case and should accept an ATX board or maybe a µATX board. A downside of changing a board is whether the ports on the back will line up but usually an after-market board comes with the plate/panel for the case. Most cases allow changing that plate. The board chosen may or may not have the PS/2 mouse and keyboard ports, important to know as other new hardware will be needed. As for the power supply, most of the OEM computers I've dealt with had one wire missing from the large plug for the power supply to the board, probably was a ground wire and really not needed. The after-market power supplies have all 20 or 24 wires in the plug. Inspiron 530 is rather old and the power supply may not have all the cables required by the new board. [I have an Inspiron 530S SFF computer that originally came with Vista but now running Win10 Tech Preview.]

Also involved is whether you will need a graphics/video card if the board doesn't have the adapter built in.

Basically what I'm saying is look for a board to fit the case then look for the best-affordable CPU for it. I prefer to build new using a custom case.

whs · 29 Apr 2015

Thanks Berton for the detailed answer. I am not worried about keyboard and mouse since those are wireless. Graphics is no problem. I can do with the on-board. If the power supply is a problem, I get a new one. My main worry is the alignment of the ports in the back. I also wanted to add a PCI-e eSata card.

The reason I keep the box is twofold - for one it fits nicely into the space that I have for it and then it looks nice. It is on top of my desk so looks are somewhat important.

This is my desktop in Germany where I have cramped quarters. Here in Florida I have an XPS 8300 which is sitting under the desk. So looks are unimportant.

Layback Bear · 29 Apr 2015

Wolfgang hold you breath.
I don't recommend upgrading that system. You will spend more and have less that just starting from scratch.

Case
Power supply
Motherboard
CPU
Video Card (maybe)
CPU cooler (maybe)
Extra fans (maybe)

You probable already have enough SSD's.

Your selection of CPU is worth more than the entire Dell Inspiron 530.

ignatzatsonic · 29 Apr 2015

I took a gander at the user manual.

Looks like that PC came with DDR2, so you'll need to get new DDR3 for that 4790K motherboard.

That CPU is among the most powerful consumer CPUs sold by Intel and is known to run a bit on the hot side, so you should monitor temps and possibly consider a replacement case fan.

Dell says your PC shipped in May 2008, so you've got a 7 year old power supply. Even if the existing power supply is compatible with your new motherboard choice, I'd seriously consider a replacement due to age alone.

Looking at a generic Dell Inspiron 530 manual, it appears that the 530, 530A, and 530C use a nearly square motherboard mounted with 8 screws. But the 540B and 530D use a narrower rectangular motherboard that has only 6 screw mounts. I assume you have the 530 proper, with 8 mounting screws, which would appear to be a standard ATX form factor. That's good.

I entered your service tag and looked at available spare parts. Dell shows no replacement motherboads; only RAM, hard drives, and processors among the major components.

Rough calculations:

CPU 340
New motherboard 150
8 GB DDR3 60

That's 550 for these required 3 pieces, ignoring the power supply.

I tend to agree with Bear--if you have to spend 550, why not go the added step of buying a new case for maybe 80 or 100 and a PSU for maybe 80? You'd have no worries about any proprietary complications of the Dell case and might well get improved build quality and cooling efficiency as a bonus.

Boozad · 29 Apr 2015

I'd have to agree, if you're going to be using the i7-4790k then buy a whole new build that's worthy of it. It's a monster of a CPU with a base clock of 4GHz, give it the hardware it deserves.

whs · 29 Apr 2015

Yeah I realize I need quite a lot

Board
CPU
16GB RAM
PSU
Better CPU cooler
PCI-e eSata card

If you add it all up it's probably in the $800 range (even more when I buy the parts in Germany). But I like that box. It looks nice and it has 2 HDDs and a Vertex SSD. I would not make the changes myself because with my bad eyesight that's impossible. But in Germany I have a small computer shop in town with some competent boys that can do it.

whs · 29 Apr 2015

Boozad said:

I'd have to agree, if you're going to be using the i7-4790k then buy a whole new build that's worthy of it. It's a monster of a CPU with a base clock of 4GHz, give it the hardware it deserves.

Gay, what do you think would be the difference if I chose a new box. My Inspiron box is in perfect condition and so are my disks. In fact the Vertex SSD is one of the fastest on the market and it is quite new. Before I had an older OCZ.

Boozad · 29 Apr 2015

Keep the SSDs by all means Wolfgang, but I don't know if the cooling on the Dell case would be adequate. You want some room for that CPU to breath, especially if you're air cooling. Have you considered a hydro cooler for it? I bought one for my i7-4790k and temps are excellent.

ignatzatsonic · 29 Apr 2015

whs said:

But in Germany I have a small computer shop in town with some competent boys that can do it.

I'm sure that can be done if they are competent and appropriate parts are available.

I gather budget is not really a consideration, so go ahead and keep the Dell case if desired. Otherwise, I'd commission your German shop to build from scratch using your supplied hard drives and whatever else you want to carry over.