Help Me Max Out Performance on this PC!

IaskQuestions said:

OK so, I took off the panel that is meant to come off on the left side. The other panel has 2 screws in the back that i removed but still couldn't take it off. I'm thinking the motherboard is attached to it and i would have to remove that in order to upgrade the power supply because i seen something that looked like screws if I could just remove the other panel to see. Thats 4 screws i see. 2 in plain sight and 2 kind of hidden behind that panel. Seems about the right amount to remove a power supply, right? Is it worth the risk to remove the mother board and disconnect everything to remove and upgrade the power supply? Anyway...

I don't want to say anything kind about Dell, but their online support is pretty good.

http://support.dell.com/support/edoc.../PDF/om_en.pdf

The PSU is supported in the usual manner, by 4 screws in the back of the PC.

A little Googling indicates that a standard ATX power supply will go into an Inspiron 530 without modifications. Check the length of anything that you buy, though. That's the size parameter that seems to be allowed to vary.

Try PC Power & Cooling for a Dell-specific power supply...

Silencer 500 Dell

I have the 500 watt model in my Dimension E520, it fit perfectly, and according to their compatibility list will fit the Inspiron 530 as well.

Yes--I think some high powered graphics cards have their own cable connection to the motherboard.

See the pic below for the available cable connectors on that Seasonic M12II Bronze. Go to SeasonicUSA.com for more info.

Some of the recent posters have a valid point about starting from scratch with a new case. Personally, that's what I would do given the budget. You can build a very stout machine for 600 or 700 dollars in hardware costs. RAM prices have come down in the last year or so.

The default method to get the right RAM is to use the Crucial configurator as I mentioned. You seem to have located the correct RAM with your own research, but I note that your link says nothing about RAM voltage. RAM is cranky and voltage can be critical. That's why I suggested you go to Crucial, where voltage is taken into consideration. It's the combination of motherboard/RAM that is critical. Motherboard A may like RAM of a certain voltage and motherboard B may not.

Yes, you want components to complement each other. You have to be wary of brand names because many so called "brands" are just marketing ploys when in fact a relatively few manufacturers make most of the stuff---albeit in varying grades according to the specifications of the contract. Notice that you will see dozens of brands of power supplies, but only 4 or 5 hard drive manufacturers.

My first PC was a Dell. It worked well, but I never upgraded it. From 1997 on, I have built my own PCs, hand selecting 100% of the parts. It's the best way to go if you enjoy doing it and want to expand your knowledge.

There was a time when home builders saved money by do-it-yourself. But those days are gone. You can't beat Dell for prices on a complete system, but you may have over-riding considerations---more control over parts, education, enjoyment, etc.

Intel will be introducing a new CPU (Sandy Bridge)--next month I think. Were I you and I am not, I would build around a Sandy Bridge CPU from the ground up. In fact, I may well do that myself as this critter is over 4 years old. My comments in earlier posts were on the assumption you are locked into a Dell upgrade. That's cool too and your choice entirely.

ignatzatsonic said:

Yes--I think some high powered graphics cards have their own cable connection to the motherboard.

See the pic below for the available cable connectors on that Seasonic M12II Bronze. Go to SeasonicUSA.com for more info.

Some of the recent posters have a valid point about starting from scratch with a new case. Personally, that's what I would do given the budget. You can build a very stout machine for 600 or 700 dollars in hardware costs. RAM prices have come down in the last year or so.

The default method to get the right RAM is to use the Crucial configurator as I mentioned. You seem to have located the correct RAM with your own research, but I note that your link says nothing about RAM voltage. RAM is cranky and voltage can be critical. That's why I suggested you go to Crucial, where voltage is taken into consideration.

Yes, you want components to complement each other. You have to be wary of brand names because many so called "brands" are just marketing ploys when in fact a relatively few manufacturers make most of the stuff---albeit in varying grades according to the specifications of the contract. Notice that you will see dozens of brands of power supplies, but only 4 or 5 hard drive manufacturers.

My first PC was a Dell. It worked well, but I never upgraded it. From 1997 on, I have built my own PCs, hand selecting 100% of the parts. It's the best way to go if you enjoy doing it and want to expand your knowledge.

There was a time when home builders saved money by do-it-yourself. But those days are gone. You can't beat Dell for prices on a complete system, but you may have over-riding considerations---more control over parts, education, enjoyment, etc.

Intel will be introducing a new CPU (Sandy Bridge)--next month I think. Were I you and I am not, I would build from the ground up. My comments in earlier posts were on the assumption you are locked into a Dell upgrade. That's cool too and your choice entirely.

Nicely done with giving all the answers to the questions i asked and even the questions i would of had afterward

The Voltage on the RAM and the website crucial.com is information i will hold on to, definitely. The tool will come in handy for sure.

And yes, i do plan on building from the ground up. I'm going to buy a case first, power supply second, then the cpu, and now that you've mentioned that new CPU Sandy Bridge, i may wait and get something like that. But it looks like it has a successor, Haswell. But I couldn't find a release date on either.

As far as upgrading this old thing goes, its mostly practice. I wanna get my first one i build from the ground up perfect. I'm sure you guy's can understand that =)

@bobkn --- Good thing you told me that cause I would have been all over the place trying to remove it most likely. I tend to over-think things, which can definitely be a bad thing.

Thanks guys. Awesome Replies. I Found out everything that i need to know pretty much. Still new here so i might add 1 or 2 if thats not a prob.

Haswell isn't scheduled until 2013 the last I heard.

Antec is usually the starting point for cases. Most cases include a power supply, but some don't. Find the some that don't. Default Antecs would probably be the 300, 900, or Solo.

You could go with "micro ATX" cases, but they are a bit cramped inside. The more typical choice is "ATX mid-tower".

Most any ATX motherboard will fit in an ATX mid-tower. Most any micro ATX motherboard will fit in an ATX mid-tower. But a standard ATX motherboard won't fit in a micro ATX case.

If you are building new, I'd make choices in about this order:

Intel or AMD CPU?

Form factor: standard ATX or micro ATX? Standard has more expansion capability (slots), but few people need all those slots. Many still go with standard ATX over micro ATX purely because the cases are not as cramped inside.

Then pick the ATX or micro ATX case with enough bays for your intended hard drives and DVD drives. Some cases have better ventilation or are quieter than others.

Then the CPU/motherboard combination. Stick with one of 3 or 4 motherboard brands. Retail CPUs include a heatsink that is adequate unless overclocking.

Then the video card. The current and future Intel processors have video built into the CPU, so you could certainly go with that for a few months and buy a separate card later if your budget dictates.

Then the RAM that is known to play nice with the CPU/motherboard combo. No need to get high speed RAM unless overclocking it.

Then audio. Some motherboards have built-in audio and some don't. Your Dell probably has audio built into the motherboard?

Then the power supply that will accommodate the above hardware.

Fans: cases usually include them, but you may want to replace the included fans with quieter models. Typical setup would have fans on the CPU heatsink, built into power supply, video card, and backside exhaust. Many add an intake fan on the front side.

Then the rest of it. Your keyboard, monitor, mouse, hard drives, and DVD may carry over from the Dell?

Not sure about your operating system situation.

IaskQuestions said:

While we're on the subject, the integrated network cards are usually pretty good right?

is there ANY reason an integrated video card, sound card, network card, etc is better that a PCI-E??

I also hear that Solid State Drives are only good for so many read/writes. Is this true?

I'll want to add DDR3 ram, i hear it uses less energy and it's faster and my computer stays on constantly so why not.

Integrated networking is fine for any normal usage.

Integrated sound has come a long way, as has integrated video. I have used both successfully at one time or another. If you have a large monitor and use high resolutions, a discrete video card may be appropriate.

Blindfold tests are very revealing on audio in particular. The placebo effect is a wonderful thing.

The path of least resistance is to use onboard audio and video until you are unsatisified with them, at which point you consider a discrete card. Gaming geeks change video cards at the drop of a hat.

By all accounts, there is a lot of misinformation out there about SSDs and a lot of obsessing about "wearing out" the drive. Saner heads think it is all overblown and/or avoidable. I even hear of people who don't want to install applications on an SSD for fear of "wearing it out". I'm sure you can find someone to tell you that whatever you do, you are a fool for doing it.

Your motherboard will dictate whether or not you must use DDR 2, DDR 3, or some other RAM. DDR 2 and DDR 3 are specifications, not speed ratings.

There are various speeds of DDR 2 and various speeds of DDR 3. There is NO point in buying "fast" ram if you are not overclocking the RAM---it would just run at default speed anyway. You will pay through the teeth for very high speed RAM--for no purpose if you don't overclock. Stick with a quality brand and don't get cute on the RAM choice--much as you shouldn't on a power supply choice. If money is no object, knock yourself out for whatever reason.