I have this same computer with 3GB of ram(going to 4GB soon) With most external options (Sd card reader, fire-wirer etc) And 320GB hdd and 250 gb HDD and I also have Windows 7 instead of Vista. I got all of this stuff for free:) I got the computer with 2GB of ram and a 320GB HDD. Then got the other parts for free:) I have the bluetooth mouse and keyboard and the 21.5 inch plasma display all dell..
@mikegauld1993 Came shipped with a 320GB 7200 drive, but that died last June. Now running two WD Green 500GB 7200s in RAID1 - a vast improvement (the old one was very noisy).
Nice video reckitt ;) but two things, when you're filming the computer screen the camera is out of focus and also, what the hell are you talking about?
@jbrady95 Cheers buddy! The issue with the focus annoys me too: that's a fault with the camera I was recording with (shall use another one in future). I wasn't sure what sort of depth to go into really; thought I'd play it safe and include something for everyone :)
I use the Dell Inspirion 530s on Windows Vista. The 19 inch screen is very nice. The only thing that annoys me about the computer is its when it turns on, it makes a very loud noise. I like how theres a cooler so it doesnt overheat.
@Cpmaster4587 That pretty much happens with all computers, I've got this same one. I narrowed it down to the CPU fan. If you replace that one with a quieter one, then it will probably not be quite as bad.
When i first got this computer...it ran extremely well..for a family computer...but then we all got a computer each...so this one is mine...its still windows vista homebasic...but i changed the motherboard..to a 64 bit operating system, its gotta 16gb ram 4TB hdd and i edit edit a lot so its great, wen i say videos, i mean short films... :p excellent computer, excellent review!
Thanks for the positive feedback! :) When the funds arrive, I plan to do something similar with mine... Just done a clean install of XP, and it boots in a record 8 seconds from exiting the BIOS to my desktop! Love it :)
I have the fucking gay dell inspiron 530, and i have made the fucking biggest blunder! no shit works on this motherfucker even though it says 'vista' comptitable. i advise no-one 2 buy this shit or they will kill themselves
Great Video, I have one it works fine I just put another gb or memory. I agree with Curth89 vista is better but it dosent responnd to all mobile device unlike xp.
I like the silver on the case, it's getting hard and harder to find namebrand pc's that come with silver cases. Piano Black is becoming to of the norm now of days., everyone is doing it now.
You'll need a PCI-Express x16 card (I BELIEVE it's got 2.0 support as well, but I'm not sure). The standard PSU supports cards with the standard 6 pin power input as well as those powered through the motherboard, you you're covered both ways there.
You'll be safe with a single slot card, however just by looking at it I reckon you could get away with a two slot one if you don't use the top PCI card slot.
Watch space inside the case too with the 8800GTX series - it may be a tight fit!
There are far better sites where you can custom build a PC if you're not comfortable enough to do it yourself by hand. Dell are way too expensive. You can get a very good PC for around £400 nowdays
Good point. I bought from Dell out of convenience more than anything.
I'll build my next one myself I think; it's more trouble than its worth to upgrade my 530 to a quad core - new mobo and psu required, according to the manual! Plus I'd be able to get a higher spec GPU with a clean build :)
Hehe. My monitor is 24"! Too bad my graphics card is isn't compatible with its resolution. I was thinking about getting the evga 9800gtx graphics card. Will my computer have enough watts to run it? its a dell inspiron 545. its kind of the same as yours.
I'd say not. As standard they come with something like 300W so I'd recommend upgrading to a 500W supply by corsair or similar which will cost you around £60. Any higher would be a waste of cash seeing as you can't do SLI configurations on that chassis.
Well it's not that it's not compatible, it's just that the PSU might be a bit underpowered. Think of it like a 30 ton truck with a 2 litre engine in compared to a 30 ton truck with a 12 litre engine in.
It'd probably work, but I'd feel safer with the bigger PSU.
Yep, one of my optical drives is a DVD burner. It only cost £15 for the extra drive, so I thought - "why not?"
Only downside I can see with it is that it uses one of your 4 SATA ports. If you have two HDDs installed too, then you're up to your 4, leaving no extra for the relatively new eSATA now featuring on the new Macs.
Hey, i currently have a Dell Dimension 8200, from 2002 (i know, stone age :/) and i just found a really good deal on the 530. (around 430 U.S. dollars.) do you recomend upgrading?
Definitely worth doing. You'll be on a pentium 4 (or similar) with the 8200 I should think, so the upgrade to a core 2 duo/quad would be very noticeable.
With this deal, make sure it's a Core 2 Duo or Core 2 Quad rather than a Pentium Dual Core, because the dual core Pentiums are rubbish. Be aware of the RAM requirements of Vista - 1GB MINIMUM - that is, presuming it's running Vista!
It was certainly a good buy! Yeah, I'm currently running the Release Candidate of 7 (which I've fallen in love with!) as a dual boot with XP so will pre-order the final release to get it for £50 rather than £180 when I have enough monies.
Oh, and I haven't logged on to XP for over two months now!
As far as I know, as long as your motherboard has the right graphics slots in it, your PSU has the correct power plugs, your PSU is powerful enough (500W+ needed to be 'safe' for most modern cards) and there's enough room in your case, any cards will work.
I'm probably gonna try and get this and just upgrade the ram from 2 - 3, and get the dell recommended processor, and video card. and buy an LG monitor or something. and get the D-link router and range booster USB adapter
There are 4 SATA ports on the mobo, yes. And the optical drives are linked through clever jiggery-pokery so only use one SATA port between them.
In terms of hard drive mounting, there are only two dedicated HDD slots, however, you can buy optical drive to HDD enclosures in places like Maplin for very little money. Good luck!
nice vid. I'm guessing that the optical drives are both SATA? I need to know if it has at least (4) SATA ports on the mobo? Also, do you think it's possible to install (3) SATA hard drives inside with only a single optical? I'm looking to build an openfiler SAN box using RAID5. Cheers!
Sorry about the delay, I was away for a couple of days.
To be honest I haven't tried any of those titles, but it can play Cod 4 on medium-high settings with a 30+ framerate at 1280x1024 with 2x aa if thats any help.
Yes it will tear counter strike source up but if you want to play call of duty and other titles like that you need a better card. Still a great computer
Hey i have a question my Cpu Intel Pentium Dual core is 3.3 ghz But all my games say its only 1.8 ghz What the hell is wrong ??? Also i have 4 gigs of ram and it says i only have one gig did dell rip me off or is there somthing wrong???
I think you may either be gravely mistaken, or Dell have got something wrong.
I know for a fact that Intel don't make a 3.3 Ghz Pentium Dual Core.
Go to Start and open the Run prompt. Type in "dxdiag" and wait for it to load. This tells you what's inside your computer, and will be accurate as it comes with the OS.
If have had a mix up, ring their customer service desk and they will take it from there. Make sure you have evidence of ordering (and paying for) the [better spec] computer.
Right well something's definitely up. Give Dell a call and see what they say. make sure you have your machine's service tag handy (usually on a sticker on the top of the machine).
Backup everything first though, as they may want to take it to their factory.
I dont know about getting a dell, i hear they do stupid things like locking the graphics card in place with a metal bridge so you cant upgrade it yourself...is that true?
does it have PCI-Express?
i geuss i would need to upgrade the power supply to upgrade the graphics card anyways.
i think the only thing dell is good at is being cheap, everything else about them is subpar. thats the price you pay for paying a low price, i geuss :)
thanks. i doubt that just taking off the side would void your warranty even if you still had it though, people do it all the time for RAM upgrades and cleanup and junk.
i know for a fact that dell USED to lock down the graphics card so you couldn't upgrade, im not sure if they still do or not. from what i saw on the Cnet review, it looked like they didn't, which is good.
If your computer is within warranty, Dell have an obligation to fix it free of charge. If not then they'll fix it and charge you for it. Simply call them :)
If it's not a 530 from Dell, but from another retailer, dell still have to fix it free of charge for the duration of the manufacturer warranty.
This applies to all PC's. Some stores such as John Lewis in the UK offer a free 5 year warranty on most electricals - this means that they will pay Dell to fix it.
can you add me or just reply to me i really need help.
it started by me reinstalling the operating system because the top left was flashing with a dash. then now i realised my monitor's adaptar fits into the grapgic card slot, or video adapter. but then when i try do settings for play certain games it says " system not supported" so i need help, please anyone or james reply to me. :) my monitor is pretty old aswell, would that be the problem? or do i need new adpater
I just got one, i have no custom graphics cards or anything. I was wondering if could play games that have near basic games such as Rome: Total war (rts fan)?
The graphics arnt amazing so im not sure if it would be a problem or not.
If it is a problem, how much would it approx. cost for a better graphics card?
It should run fine as it's a fairly old game. You'd only need a graphics card if you had all of the settings up to maximum, or if you were playing a newer rts game such as Age of Empires 3 (runs perfectly on my system on max graphics).
A 'good' new graphics card can cost from £60 to £600 depending on what you're after. I have an 8600GT, but take a look at the 8800/9600/9800 cards from nVidia if you're after a lot more performance.
More or less: see how you go and upgrade if you need to :)
I am 99% certain that you can. All you'll need is a spare SATA cable and a molex/SATA power connector (this may very depoending on which blu-ray drive you actually get).
As the PC can be shipped with two SATA HDD's, it tells me that it has these connectors.
One thing to remember about blu-ray is that you won't be able to play HD movies unless your system AND monitor are blu-ray compatible. Cyberlink has a test to see if it will work, but I'm not sure on the URL.
It is a worrying issue. However, it only crashes (on average) once a week. As long as you tell all of your apps to autosave regularly, you should be fine.
Personally, I would put it down to a hardware malfunction because it freezes and then automatically restarts. BUT - after installing Kaspersky internet security rather than AVG, and removing two trojans and a keylogger, it hasn't done it once.
Interesting....
All in all, it IS a bit of a nuisance, but at this price you can't blame it.
Mine only cost £420, so you can't expect it to be anything super-great! Mind you - at the current rate of technological evolution, even your machine will be outdated in a year!
From my experience with Vista, it is sluggish compared to Windows XP.
I feel that if you're on a budget, like most potential buyers of a 530 would be, it makes sense to try and get XP instead of Vista because you won't need to pay extra to get it running at a decent speed.
That is why I think XP is better than Vista - XP uses less resources to run, leaving more resources left free for when you're using the PC, whether it be for games, 3D modelling, homework etc.
The other features such as the built in search and flip 3D are very good though.
However, you can easily get 3rd party software that recreates it (sometimes to a better level than Vista) and uses nowhere near the same amount of resources.
You mentioned that it's silly to do business on Vista - XP is a universal OS: you can play games on it AND do work on it.
Also, how come MS are continuing supporting XP now that Vista's out? Because they don't have faith in Vista. Like me.
hey nice review but my question is could say the specs of your pc like what model CPU and video card etc. i got my Dell Studio Desktop 540 last week runs smoothly it has a Intel Core 2 duo E8400 3,00 Ghz 6mb L2 cache 2 gigs of ram ATI RADEON HD 3450 (soon be upgraded) thanks Good review
Yeah, I would recommend the 8600GT. I have the stock one that came in my 530 from Dell, but if I were you, I'd get one of the other ones from somewhere like Dabs - the clock speeds on mine aren't great, and the video memory could do with being higher.
Having said that, it performs fairly well on Flight Simulator X.
It's a case of how much you want to spend really. If you can afford the 8800GTX that's one of the best out there.
Dell are now putting 256MB ATI® Radeon™ HD 3650 graphics cards into the 530. Does anybody know if this is any good as a graphics card. Ill be wanting to play some but not loads of games on it (games such as cod2, cod4 and gears of war etc). Help would be much appreciated.
I have done a bit of research on this, and the people at trusted reviews say:
"Please trust me when I say: if you want to even attempt to play games, get the DDR3 model."
So from this, I'd say that you'd be better getting one of the nVidia cards (or one of the other ATI cards) instead of this particular one. Or then again, if the DDR3 version is available from Dell - GRAB IT!
More or less, there are two types of memory that are used nowadays. DDR2 and DDR3. DDR3 is better because you can access data stored on it much faster than with DDR2. Don't ask me how - but it does :D
Therefore DDR3 is better than DDR2 because it is faster. Imagine you're playing a game - the faster the speed of your memory, the faster it can generate the image you see on your screen, so higher frame rate etc.
i have this computer and i just got the flatout game for pc. it only runs on low settings and it is still abit jittery. do u know how i could make it work abit better maby in high settings. thanks
yes it will run cod4 good. I have a 530s with 4gb of ram, core 2 duo processor, 2 250gig hard drives and a 8400 gs. Runs excellent on medium, and well on high.
Yeah - generally it does. On FSX it gets about 35fps most of the time, peaking at 80fps sometimes. The lowest I've had it at was 5 fps at full detail flying through London, so it runs VERY well.
i got inspiron 530 3 gbs ram 500 gb hd core 2 quad ati radeaon 3260 HD video card for $600 nd my cousin bought 1 core 2 quad 22" monitor 4 year warranty built in wireless 4GB RAM for 950$ good deals huh?
by the way i also play flight simulator x deluxe edition i got it the day it came out for my bday and i also jst bought but havent received my dell inspiron 530 with 20" screen, core 2 duo 2.53 GHz, with 4GB RAM and with windows vista home premium and im hoping please god that flight simulator x will run smoothly! FSX runs better on Vista than on XP jst wanted to let you know!
does this pc have the capability of running dual monitors when i saw the back i saw the motherbuilt had built in video + a graphics card with vga and dvi... is that right or was that the wrong pc cuz im getting one with in the next few days and wondered if i could connect both my 15" lcd displays
My Inspiron 530 doesn't have built in graphics. The graphics come from a nVidia GeForce 8600GT with a dual DVI output. When I bought it it came bundled with a DVI to VGA adapter. So altogether it has two video outputs.
It should be more than capable of running two monitors - especially 15 incher's as they won't be particularly high res.
For plugging into your TV it depends on what sockets your TV has on the back. My graphics card outputs two DVI sockets so you would need a DVI socket on your TV for best results. However, if you have HDMI then you can buy adapters from places like Dabs or Maplins.
If you have anything other than HDMI, DVI or VGA, it's really not worth bothering with as the resolution of the analogue connections is terrible.
Hey, I'm fairly new to computers (not that new though) would you say this pc would be good enough to run all my games like san andreas? I think 3 gigs of RAM will be enough but for only £400 it sounds to good to br true!
It should be able to run most games without much lag. Of course, for the money you can't expect it to play Crysis at full detail, but I play Flight Simulator X on it at medium/high detail and I always get a decent framerate.
Check what the recommended specs for your games are - not the minimum specs. The recommended specs give you an idea of what power you need to play the game at a decent quality. Minimum is the bare minimum.
I have this same computer with 3GB of ram(going to 4GB soon) With most external options (Sd card reader, fire-wirer etc) And 320GB hdd and 250 gb HDD and I also have Windows 7 instead of Vista. I got all of this stuff for free:) I got the computer with 2GB of ram and a 320GB HDD. Then got the other parts for free:) I have the bluetooth mouse and keyboard and the 21.5 inch plasma display all dell..
noahre86 2 days ago
what size hard drive??
mikegauld1993 11 months ago
@mikegauld1993 Came shipped with a 320GB 7200 drive, but that died last June. Now running two WD Green 500GB 7200s in RAID1 - a vast improvement (the old one was very noisy).
jreckitt 11 months ago
@jreckitt thanks for the reply. thinking of getting one of theses
mikegauld1993 11 months ago
Nice video reckitt ;) but two things, when you're filming the computer screen the camera is out of focus and also, what the hell are you talking about?
jbrady95 1 year ago
@jbrady95 Cheers buddy! The issue with the focus annoys me too: that's a fault with the camera I was recording with (shall use another one in future). I wasn't sure what sort of depth to go into really; thought I'd play it safe and include something for everyone :)
jreckitt 1 year ago
i have this pc, but only i painted in black :)...
yonutfilip 1 year ago
I use the Dell Inspirion 530s on Windows Vista. The 19 inch screen is very nice. The only thing that annoys me about the computer is its when it turns on, it makes a very loud noise. I like how theres a cooler so it doesnt overheat.
Cpmaster4587 1 year ago
@Cpmaster4587 That pretty much happens with all computers, I've got this same one. I narrowed it down to the CPU fan. If you replace that one with a quieter one, then it will probably not be quite as bad.
desktopgeek98 1 week ago
VISTA IS BEAST!!
elementdude12022 2 years ago
When i first got this computer...it ran extremely well..for a family computer...but then we all got a computer each...so this one is mine...its still windows vista homebasic...but i changed the motherboard..to a 64 bit operating system, its gotta 16gb ram 4TB hdd and i edit edit a lot so its great, wen i say videos, i mean short films... :p excellent computer, excellent review!
bhavkish 2 years ago
Thanks for the positive feedback! :) When the funds arrive, I plan to do something similar with mine... Just done a clean install of XP, and it boots in a record 8 seconds from exiting the BIOS to my desktop! Love it :)
jreckitt 2 years ago
I have the fucking gay dell inspiron 530, and i have made the fucking biggest blunder! no shit works on this motherfucker even though it says 'vista' comptitable. i advise no-one 2 buy this shit or they will kill themselves
fordfocusmk4 2 years ago
Great Video, I have one it works fine I just put another gb or memory. I agree with Curth89 vista is better but it dosent responnd to all mobile device unlike xp.
Alfred8403 2 years ago
I prefer vista, not that xp sucks but vista to me is all around better
curth89 2 years ago
my graphics card died from being on highest resolution for to long :(
only works on the lowest res. but you can only have it on for 2 hrs.
spedupify 2 years ago
That'd drive me insane... 800x600 is depressing.
jreckitt 2 years ago
I like the silver on the case, it's getting hard and harder to find namebrand pc's that come with silver cases. Piano Black is becoming to of the norm now of days., everyone is doing it now.
SteelCity1981 2 years ago
I love this computer but i want to get a graphics card for it, what type do i need to get?
Koolaiddewz 2 years ago
You'll need a PCI-Express x16 card (I BELIEVE it's got 2.0 support as well, but I'm not sure). The standard PSU supports cards with the standard 6 pin power input as well as those powered through the motherboard, you you're covered both ways there.
You'll be safe with a single slot card, however just by looking at it I reckon you could get away with a two slot one if you don't use the top PCI card slot.
Watch space inside the case too with the 8800GTX series - it may be a tight fit!
jreckitt 2 years ago
thanks for the quick the response
Koolaiddewz 2 years ago
Always pleased to help!
jreckitt 2 years ago
Hi. Im planning to get a graphic cards too. Will the EVGA 9800 GT fit?
lourke123 2 years ago
There are far better sites where you can custom build a PC if you're not comfortable enough to do it yourself by hand. Dell are way too expensive. You can get a very good PC for around £400 nowdays
idStarfleet 2 years ago
Good point. I bought from Dell out of convenience more than anything.
I'll build my next one myself I think; it's more trouble than its worth to upgrade my 530 to a quad core - new mobo and psu required, according to the manual! Plus I'd be able to get a higher spec GPU with a clean build :)
jreckitt 2 years ago
damn man small monitor.
Germanboy567 2 years ago
It's actually laughably small in real life - only 17"! Still haven't got round to upgrading it yet :/
jreckitt 2 years ago
Hehe. My monitor is 24"! Too bad my graphics card is isn't compatible with its resolution. I was thinking about getting the evga 9800gtx graphics card. Will my computer have enough watts to run it? its a dell inspiron 545. its kind of the same as yours.
Germanboy567 2 years ago
I'd say not. As standard they come with something like 300W so I'd recommend upgrading to a 500W supply by corsair or similar which will cost you around £60. Any higher would be a waste of cash seeing as you can't do SLI configurations on that chassis.
jreckitt 2 years ago
So its not compatible? Damn.
Germanboy567 2 years ago
Well it's not that it's not compatible, it's just that the PSU might be a bit underpowered. Think of it like a 30 ton truck with a 2 litre engine in compared to a 30 ton truck with a 12 litre engine in.
It'd probably work, but I'd feel safer with the bigger PSU.
jreckitt 2 years ago
okay thank you
Germanboy567 2 years ago
its a good thing u kept that old monitor with this pc, the monitor that comes with it really lags whilest playin high quality games...
AniTraVid 2 years ago
i have the same computer but does it have a dvd burner on it?
redmanrane 2 years ago
Yep, one of my optical drives is a DVD burner. It only cost £15 for the extra drive, so I thought - "why not?"
Only downside I can see with it is that it uses one of your 4 SATA ports. If you have two HDDs installed too, then you're up to your 4, leaving no extra for the relatively new eSATA now featuring on the new Macs.
jreckitt 2 years ago
Hey, i currently have a Dell Dimension 8200, from 2002 (i know, stone age :/) and i just found a really good deal on the 530. (around 430 U.S. dollars.) do you recomend upgrading?
Ooshbala 2 years ago
Definitely worth doing. You'll be on a pentium 4 (or similar) with the 8200 I should think, so the upgrade to a core 2 duo/quad would be very noticeable.
With this deal, make sure it's a Core 2 Duo or Core 2 Quad rather than a Pentium Dual Core, because the dual core Pentiums are rubbish. Be aware of the RAM requirements of Vista - 1GB MINIMUM - that is, presuming it's running Vista!
Good luck, and keep me posted!
jreckitt 2 years ago
cool, thanks for the advice!
Ooshbala 2 years ago
I have this machine too and I love it. Are you going to get Windows 7 on it? I am
MixesAndStuff 2 years ago
It was certainly a good buy! Yeah, I'm currently running the Release Candidate of 7 (which I've fallen in love with!) as a dual boot with XP so will pre-order the final release to get it for £50 rather than £180 when I have enough monies.
Oh, and I haven't logged on to XP for over two months now!
jreckitt 2 years ago
you have a cool accent
Morgannlicious 2 years ago
Mine came with Intel(R) G33/G31Express Chipset Family, and I want to upgrade my graphics card. What types can/cant I get?
Ziandia 2 years ago
As far as I know, as long as your motherboard has the right graphics slots in it, your PSU has the correct power plugs, your PSU is powerful enough (500W+ needed to be 'safe' for most modern cards) and there's enough room in your case, any cards will work.
jreckitt 2 years ago
I'm probably gonna try and get this and just upgrade the ram from 2 - 3, and get the dell recommended processor, and video card. and buy an LG monitor or something. and get the D-link router and range booster USB adapter
snapascrew 2 years ago
is this good for playing world of warcraft at around 30-40 fps smoothly at decent graphic settings?
thank you in advance
Filender 2 years ago
Well I don't play WoW myself, but my setup should be able to get decent framerates at the recommended settings.
Bear in mind that my machine's almost two years old now - you'll be able to get something a lot faster a lot cheaper nowadays!
jreckitt 2 years ago
new versions of the dell 530 would play wow no problem. ONLY 200-300 dollars but with upgrades your set for gaming !!!
grandtheftauto4123 2 years ago
when did u get the computer? i got mine in october 28, 2007
TheUBFunkeys 2 years ago
Manufactured 12/03/07 - and still going strong today (although, now running Windows 7 RC on a second HDD).
jreckitt 2 years ago
here is a HUGE difference of these pcs. i have vista, you have XP.
TheUBFunkeys 2 years ago
There are 4 SATA ports on the mobo, yes. And the optical drives are linked through clever jiggery-pokery so only use one SATA port between them.
In terms of hard drive mounting, there are only two dedicated HDD slots, however, you can buy optical drive to HDD enclosures in places like Maplin for very little money. Good luck!
jreckitt 2 years ago
nice vid. I'm guessing that the optical drives are both SATA? I need to know if it has at least (4) SATA ports on the mobo? Also, do you think it's possible to install (3) SATA hard drives inside with only a single optical? I'm looking to build an openfiler SAN box using RAID5. Cheers!
cocomojo 2 years ago
Do they sell this as a Vista?
jazon345 2 years ago
Yeah, they currently only do it on Vista as they've changed the 530s specs too. In August Windows 7 will be an option too <3 !!
jreckitt 2 years ago
The thing that can read memory card on the front, mine looks like its blocked, what should I do?
ranvideogamer 2 years ago
Well if it's covered under warranty, you'll be able to send it off to Dell who will repair it for free.
If it's out of warranty, then either have a poke at it with a bent paper clip or go to your local PC shop and see what they say.
jreckitt 2 years ago
How is it at gaming? Can it play steam games? For example can it play Counter Strike Source, Day of Defeat Source, Garrysmod?
mladen077 2 years ago
Sorry about the delay, I was away for a couple of days.
To be honest I haven't tried any of those titles, but it can play Cod 4 on medium-high settings with a 30+ framerate at 1280x1024 with 2x aa if thats any help.
jreckitt 2 years ago
Thanks for replying =) I made an order and your review helped a lot. I can always upgrade if the video card isn't good enough.
mladen077 2 years ago
Glad to be of help man!
jreckitt 2 years ago
Yes it will tear counter strike source up but if you want to play call of duty and other titles like that you need a better card. Still a great computer
ALEX336X 2 years ago
i love vista i hate you just kidding
masaproductions 2 years ago
Ahhh James.... this is soooooooooooooo boring :S
AliceXx93 3 years ago
can Inspiron 530 run the HIS HD4870 video card???
josefelix31 3 years ago
No, you'll need a power supply upgrade.
jreckitt 3 years ago
wow ur screens an epic fail. You should upgrade to something more elaborate. Default laser mouse ownes!!
borderlinemedia1 3 years ago
Lol you can say that again...
I'm going to get a Dell 24" Full HD monitor at some stage - just a case of finding the funds and getting the parents to give it house room!
I'm after a 42" telly too to watch my on demand TV on - that's a much larger problem in both fields!
jreckitt 3 years ago
nice.. you could just buy the telly and switch between TV & PC monitor?
borderlinemedia1 3 years ago
That's not a bad idea at all actually :)
I'll get saving!
jreckitt 3 years ago
Hey i have a question my Cpu Intel Pentium Dual core is 3.3 ghz But all my games say its only 1.8 ghz What the hell is wrong ??? Also i have 4 gigs of ram and it says i only have one gig did dell rip me off or is there somthing wrong???
ridgecrest321 3 years ago
I think you may either be gravely mistaken, or Dell have got something wrong.
I know for a fact that Intel don't make a 3.3 Ghz Pentium Dual Core.
Go to Start and open the Run prompt. Type in "dxdiag" and wait for it to load. This tells you what's inside your computer, and will be accurate as it comes with the OS.
If have had a mix up, ring their customer service desk and they will take it from there. Make sure you have evidence of ordering (and paying for) the [better spec] computer.
jreckitt 3 years ago
Dude Did i say 3.3 i meant 2.3 sorry ..
ridgecrest321 3 years ago
Ok i just did what you said it for processor it said N/A WTF ???
ridgecrest321 3 years ago
Right well something's definitely up. Give Dell a call and see what they say. make sure you have your machine's service tag handy (usually on a sticker on the top of the machine).
Backup everything first though, as they may want to take it to their factory.
jreckitt 3 years ago
Thanks For your help man i hope everything goes good for you !
ridgecrest321 3 years ago
I dont know about getting a dell, i hear they do stupid things like locking the graphics card in place with a metal bridge so you cant upgrade it yourself...is that true?
does it have PCI-Express?
i geuss i would need to upgrade the power supply to upgrade the graphics card anyways.
i think the only thing dell is good at is being cheap, everything else about them is subpar. thats the price you pay for paying a low price, i geuss :)
tipoomaster 3 years ago
Thats not true dude
ridgecrest321 3 years ago
It does have PCI-E x16.
Yeah, you have to upgrade the PSU for everything with the 530.
I'm not sure about the metal bridge, but I'll take the side off mine (it's out of warranty now) and have a poke around.
jreckitt 3 years ago
thanks. i doubt that just taking off the side would void your warranty even if you still had it though, people do it all the time for RAM upgrades and cleanup and junk.
i know for a fact that dell USED to lock down the graphics card so you couldn't upgrade, im not sure if they still do or not. from what i saw on the Cnet review, it looked like they didn't, which is good.
tipoomaster 3 years ago
hey jreckitt,
sorry if its too long.
before when the dell inspiron was new, i used the alternate adaptar(it says |[]| ON IT) AND I WAS playing counterstrike okay.
then now i reinstalled by the operating system (now using the main slot) the graphics are "mode not in use")
i want to ask if the main graphic /video card slot is the blue one, or is it the peachy white port.
thanks :)
darkr3v3ng3r 3 years ago
If you have a dedicated graphics card, it *should* be the white one.
(DVI connection instead of VGA built into the motherboard)
jreckitt 3 years ago
hey thanks for the info but i wanted to ask something else aswell
you know when i start the pc, the top left does this dash which flashes.
i start the computer go to f12 abnd boot etc.
do u think i can get a refund / exchange for this problem
thanks james
darkr3v3ng3r 3 years ago
If your computer is within warranty, Dell have an obligation to fix it free of charge. If not then they'll fix it and charge you for it. Simply call them :)
If it's not a 530 from Dell, but from another retailer, dell still have to fix it free of charge for the duration of the manufacturer warranty.
This applies to all PC's. Some stores such as John Lewis in the UK offer a free 5 year warranty on most electricals - this means that they will pay Dell to fix it.
Hope that makes sense!
jreckitt 3 years ago
thnaks its still in warranty i only bought for 3-4 months and i bought this in pc world
darkr3v3ng3r 3 years ago
hey james i need help!
can you add me or just reply to me i really need help.
it started by me reinstalling the operating system because the top left was flashing with a dash. then now i realised my monitor's adaptar fits into the grapgic card slot, or video adapter. but then when i try do settings for play certain games it says " system not supported" so i need help, please anyone or james reply to me. :) my monitor is pretty old aswell, would that be the problem? or do i need new adpater
darkr3v3ng3r 3 years ago
Hey.
Sounds like a rather tricky problem to solve; probably hardware related though.
I would do the following:
1) Check monitor cables/graphics cards/graphics adapters for bent pins - these can really mess up a system.
2) Update your graphics card driver to the latest release by nVidia/ATI - not your manufacturer. If you're using Integrated, then download from Intel.
3) Try and borrow a friends monitor and see if it works. If yes, then you need a new one. Dabs currently do a 17" for £60 :)
jreckitt 3 years ago
Just a quick afterthought - it might be referring to your operating system.
If so, assuming it's XP/Vista, I would try contacting Microsoft for help as you've already done an OS reinstall which would repair a corrupt OS.
Good luck!
jreckitt 3 years ago
omg stfu u posh cunt Vista is good XP is shit like you!! mwahahaha
KamikazeSnypa 3 years ago
good review. Do more. As you have a direct way of talking and have some aims set in your review that stop you from rambling.
dreamcastII 3 years ago 2
Vista Basic is the one that has all the bugs...
Preimium and ultimate are perfect
OnyxCompHelp 3 years ago
people that say Vista is bad should just shut up because i bet those people have never acctually toke the time to try it.
slayerking1234 3 years ago
Thank you. :)
KingofTownz 3 years ago
I just got one, i have no custom graphics cards or anything. I was wondering if could play games that have near basic games such as Rome: Total war (rts fan)?
The graphics arnt amazing so im not sure if it would be a problem or not.
If it is a problem, how much would it approx. cost for a better graphics card?
KingofTownz 3 years ago
It should run fine as it's a fairly old game. You'd only need a graphics card if you had all of the settings up to maximum, or if you were playing a newer rts game such as Age of Empires 3 (runs perfectly on my system on max graphics).
A 'good' new graphics card can cost from £60 to £600 depending on what you're after. I have an 8600GT, but take a look at the 8800/9600/9800 cards from nVidia if you're after a lot more performance.
More or less: see how you go and upgrade if you need to :)
jreckitt 3 years ago
YAY I PUT A REVIEW OF MY NEW 530 ON UTUBE NOW (soz i kinda copied!)
jameshodgetts1997 3 years ago
xp blows
md0210 3 years ago
what if i bought it with no custom stuff is it good for gaming like say spore half life 2 and garrys mod.
12grunts 3 years ago
Not really. For gaming you'll need a dedicated graphics card, a speedy CPU and at least 2GB RAM (3GB on Vista).
Those are just rough figures that I'd use when buying a computer.
jreckitt 3 years ago
so what custom stuff should i buy or get and where do i get them
12grunts 3 years ago
You can buy all the following from Dabs; some are available as upgrades on Dell:
- 2.0 Ghz of higher dual or quad core CPU
- 2GB DDR2 RAM (minimum)
- nVidia 8800GT
jreckitt 3 years ago
i upgraded the ine with a 9600gt (1gb version :P), and its cool
afer95 3 years ago
Nice one :)
I'm considering upgrading my CPU and graphics soon too - just a case of finding the funds with the current financial crisis :o
jreckitt 3 years ago
would this work in 530
core 2 dou 2.5 ghz
nividea geforce 9600 gt
2 gb of ram
and it does come with x16 graphics expansion slot right
bunkerfallout 3 years ago
It does come with a x16 PCI-E expansion slot.
One issue is whether there will be enough room inside the case for the 9600 GT. I know its an issue with the 8800 series.
jreckitt 3 years ago
NOW you should see my dell inspiron 530,i put a XFX 280gtx in it,boot time under 30secs with XFX 9300 motherboard with
WD VelociRaptor 300 GB and 800mhz A data ram,hafe way through the video is when I hit the on button!!
neweggbuilt 3 years ago
Haha! Nice!
Is it a self-build?
jreckitt 3 years ago
will ur comp handel world of warcraft
nickoall13 3 years ago
Yes, system requirements lab ("can you run it" into Google) says it exceeds the recommended specification.
jreckitt 3 years ago
what about video editing???
will it crash then?
ArmoLakers 3 years ago
Hasn't crashed whilst doing video editing in my experience.
I've upgraded to XP SP3 now and guess what - no crashes...
jreckitt 3 years ago
i oredered this comp and I was wondering if u can install a blu ray drive in this comp?
thanks.
jballa 3 years ago
I am 99% certain that you can. All you'll need is a spare SATA cable and a molex/SATA power connector (this may very depoending on which blu-ray drive you actually get).
As the PC can be shipped with two SATA HDD's, it tells me that it has these connectors.
One thing to remember about blu-ray is that you won't be able to play HD movies unless your system AND monitor are blu-ray compatible. Cyberlink has a test to see if it will work, but I'm not sure on the URL.
jreckitt 3 years ago
i have ordered one of theese but i ordered the Core 2 Quad processor is that better?
jameshodgetts1997 3 years ago
Yep, that processor is much better. Putting numbers to one side, yours has 4 cores and mine has 2, making yours theoretically twice as fast.
Of course there are other deciding factors, but any Quad core is better than my CPU.
jreckitt 3 years ago
Thanks man!
jameshodgetts1997 3 years ago
It is a worrying issue. However, it only crashes (on average) once a week. As long as you tell all of your apps to autosave regularly, you should be fine.
Personally, I would put it down to a hardware malfunction because it freezes and then automatically restarts. BUT - after installing Kaspersky internet security rather than AVG, and removing two trojans and a keylogger, it hasn't done it once.
Interesting....
All in all, it IS a bit of a nuisance, but at this price you can't blame it.
jreckitt 3 years ago
Woo I know what you mean about Windows Vista, I am on my second restore.
I have one question, I use Adobe Photoshop CS3 a lot and I like the design of this PC, but that thing about it spontaneously crashes worries me.
So would you say I should still get it? I really like the look and the pricing on it right now.
ChannelNotSeen 3 years ago
have you ever tried windows vista?
Idk Im just wondering.
Im getting a new inpiron 530s soon WOOT!!!!
tman383 3 years ago
Well I've used it on two friends' computers but I haven't ever had it on my machine.
I'll probably buy it when I have the cash and stick it on a separate HDD to see what its like for everyday use.
Mind you, by then Windows 7 should be out and I'll be looking for a new PC :)
jreckitt 3 years ago
my computer is well better than yours and urs is quite shit compared to mine and ur bragging that its good
my specs:
intel core 2 duo processor 3.2ghz
4gb ram
9800gtx+
liascm 3 years ago
Nice machine!
Mine only cost £420, so you can't expect it to be anything super-great! Mind you - at the current rate of technological evolution, even your machine will be outdated in a year!
jreckitt 3 years ago
soz about that rude comment,was in a bit of a bad mood earlier,
liascm 3 years ago
No problem!
I'm glad to have people share computer specs with me - it lets me know how technology is evolving!
jreckitt 3 years ago
vista is not terrible you would have to be a retard to do buisness on it but still vista is simple so you must be a computer geek
pistofkristof08 3 years ago
From my experience with Vista, it is sluggish compared to Windows XP.
I feel that if you're on a budget, like most potential buyers of a 530 would be, it makes sense to try and get XP instead of Vista because you won't need to pay extra to get it running at a decent speed.
That is why I think XP is better than Vista - XP uses less resources to run, leaving more resources left free for when you're using the PC, whether it be for games, 3D modelling, homework etc.
jreckitt 3 years ago
The other features such as the built in search and flip 3D are very good though.
However, you can easily get 3rd party software that recreates it (sometimes to a better level than Vista) and uses nowhere near the same amount of resources.
You mentioned that it's silly to do business on Vista - XP is a universal OS: you can play games on it AND do work on it.
Also, how come MS are continuing supporting XP now that Vista's out? Because they don't have faith in Vista. Like me.
Hope this helps.
jreckitt 3 years ago
i cant wait mine is comming next week already ordered it
potatoe10 3 years ago
masterchris14 3 years ago
I have one of these but mine often go's into power safe mode suddenly and shuts down whats up with that?
D10Blo 3 years ago
Mine crashes out of the blue sometimes too as I mentioned in the review.
Make sure it's well ventilated. If the problem persists and you're still under warranty, contact Dell.
jreckitt 3 years ago
Thanks for the review, i also own a inspiron 530 and am thinking of upgrading my graphics card would you recommend the nvidea geforce 8600. Thanks.
vidmasterofworld 3 years ago
No problem!
Yeah, I would recommend the 8600GT. I have the stock one that came in my 530 from Dell, but if I were you, I'd get one of the other ones from somewhere like Dabs - the clock speeds on mine aren't great, and the video memory could do with being higher.
Having said that, it performs fairly well on Flight Simulator X.
It's a case of how much you want to spend really. If you can afford the 8800GTX that's one of the best out there.
jreckitt 3 years ago
how long did it take for yours to come??
5PNK 3 years ago
Not too long - three days at the most.
jreckitt 3 years ago
Dell are now putting 256MB ATI® Radeon™ HD 3650 graphics cards into the 530. Does anybody know if this is any good as a graphics card. Ill be wanting to play some but not loads of games on it (games such as cod2, cod4 and gears of war etc). Help would be much appreciated.
Very helpful review by the way
WKYmatt7792 3 years ago
Glad you like the review!
I have done a bit of research on this, and the people at trusted reviews say:
"Please trust me when I say: if you want to even attempt to play games, get the DDR3 model."
So from this, I'd say that you'd be better getting one of the nVidia cards (or one of the other ATI cards) instead of this particular one. Or then again, if the DDR3 version is available from Dell - GRAB IT!
jreckitt 3 years ago
the hd 3650 is the only graphic card available on the on the 530-it has got quite high specs and was only realised this summer.
Sorry but what do you mean DDR3?
WKYmatt7792 3 years ago
More or less, there are two types of memory that are used nowadays. DDR2 and DDR3. DDR3 is better because you can access data stored on it much faster than with DDR2. Don't ask me how - but it does :D
Therefore DDR3 is better than DDR2 because it is faster. Imagine you're playing a game - the faster the speed of your memory, the faster it can generate the image you see on your screen, so higher frame rate etc.
jreckitt 3 years ago
is it good with combat arms
thiefxtalker 3 years ago
Not sure really - haven't tried it.
jreckitt 3 years ago
Yes it is
ridgecrest321 3 years ago
i have this computer and i just got the flatout game for pc. it only runs on low settings and it is still abit jittery. do u know how i could make it work abit better maby in high settings. thanks
HerbyTom 3 years ago
You can't really do anything short of upgrading the components, actually.
More RAM or a better Video Card would make a huge improvement. A new CPU would too - obviously!
jreckitt 3 years ago
You can upgrade this Dell because it's now standard ATX, unlike Dell's previous BTX case design.
FOOSAG 3 years ago
could i play a game like call of duty 4 please respond oh and can you get more GHz some how please respond
kyuubinaruto1025 3 years ago
Yeah the 530 should easily play cod 4 - depends on which variation of it you choose.
You can boost the GHz of the computer too - it's called overclocking but don't ask me how!
jreckitt 3 years ago
yes it will run cod4 good. I have a 530s with 4gb of ram, core 2 duo processor, 2 250gig hard drives and a 8400 gs. Runs excellent on medium, and well on high.
BurningTirez 3 years ago
Thanks =)
AsSaSsInSGrEeD09 3 years ago
Hey mate uh,do games run smooth yeah,it'l really help if ya can feed me the info
AsSaSsInSGrEeD09 3 years ago
Yeah - generally it does. On FSX it gets about 35fps most of the time, peaking at 80fps sometimes. The lowest I've had it at was 5 fps at full detail flying through London, so it runs VERY well.
jreckitt 3 years ago
can you play games with the inspiron 530?
DR117 3 years ago
Yes
jreckitt 3 years ago
saleemyas3 3 years ago
oh and 2 dvd/rw drives and a floppy drive
saleemyas3 3 years ago
i have one =D
crazyweirdo7 3 years ago
i have that computer
deoxy705 3 years ago
what you used to vid this vid??
WowImAlive 3 years ago
I used my Sony Cybershot DSC-H1 digital camera. They don't make it any more, but they make better versions of it, namely the H9.
jreckitt 3 years ago
by the way i also play flight simulator x deluxe edition i got it the day it came out for my bday and i also jst bought but havent received my dell inspiron 530 with 20" screen, core 2 duo 2.53 GHz, with 4GB RAM and with windows vista home premium and im hoping please god that flight simulator x will run smoothly! FSX runs better on Vista than on XP jst wanted to let you know!
pilotanthony 3 years ago
I have mine for over three months and with the high specs I gave mine it has not frozen once.
thechidg 3 years ago
It is my understanding that the motherboard on this PC is capable of 8GB RAM (with the new bios update).. can anyone confirm this?
cnc95fan 3 years ago
Honestly, I don't know, but do a Google search for "dell inspiron 530 8GB RAM" and choose the second link. It might be helpful.
jreckitt 3 years ago
Ok thanks for that
pashabulker1 3 years ago
I just bought the same computer (Inspiron 530), and I was just wondering if someone could explain the difference between the following:
4GB NECC Dual Channel DDR2 667MHz SDRAM Memory
and
4GB NECC Dual Channel DDR2 800MHz SDRAM Memory
hence is the difference in speed important? what sort of difference would it create?
Thanks
pashabulker1 3 years ago
The difference in speed affects how fast the data stored on the RAM can be accessed, the faster the speed, the faster it can be accessed.
Having faster RAM will speed up your computer in theory, however, I don't think you will notice any difference unless you are a hardcore gamer.
No doubt the price tags will be different too!
jreckitt 3 years ago
Jeeze, what's wrong with vista?
WootMapler 3 years ago
does this pc have the capability of running dual monitors when i saw the back i saw the motherbuilt had built in video + a graphics card with vga and dvi... is that right or was that the wrong pc cuz im getting one with in the next few days and wondered if i could connect both my 15" lcd displays
feverofhell2 3 years ago
My Inspiron 530 doesn't have built in graphics. The graphics come from a nVidia GeForce 8600GT with a dual DVI output. When I bought it it came bundled with a DVI to VGA adapter. So altogether it has two video outputs.
It should be more than capable of running two monitors - especially 15 incher's as they won't be particularly high res.
jreckitt 3 years ago
would this computer be good for acouple of games? so run slow? and can i plug it into my tv?
JoelCharron1991 3 years ago
As said above, it should handle most games fine.
For plugging into your TV it depends on what sockets your TV has on the back. My graphics card outputs two DVI sockets so you would need a DVI socket on your TV for best results. However, if you have HDMI then you can buy adapters from places like Dabs or Maplins.
If you have anything other than HDMI, DVI or VGA, it's really not worth bothering with as the resolution of the analogue connections is terrible.
jreckitt 3 years ago
Hey, I'm fairly new to computers (not that new though) would you say this pc would be good enough to run all my games like san andreas? I think 3 gigs of RAM will be enough but for only £400 it sounds to good to br true!
callum10101 3 years ago
It should be able to run most games without much lag. Of course, for the money you can't expect it to play Crysis at full detail, but I play Flight Simulator X on it at medium/high detail and I always get a decent framerate.
Check what the recommended specs for your games are - not the minimum specs. The recommended specs give you an idea of what power you need to play the game at a decent quality. Minimum is the bare minimum.
jreckitt 3 years ago