DEll Inspiron 530 Question

tech

Hi there

Im lookign at getting a DEll 530 for a friend of mine and think Dell are a rip off for the Video cards

128 mb Card 72.60
256 mb Card 169.40

this is the slots the 530 has

Expansion Slots
PCI: 2 Slots
PCIe x1: 1 Slot
PCIe x16 (Graphics): 1 Slots

so I could but this card from Komplett and pop it and be happy it would fit??

Point of View GeForce 7600 GS - graphics adapter - GF 7600 GS - 512 MB
PCI Express x16 for €55 +12 shipping
so i hcan have a 512mb card which is double the spec for €102less

Which i think is good?

TerrorFirmer

Yes, you could, but the 7600GS is a very old card - the 256mb 2600XT, the card Dell offer in the 530, absolutely kills it.

http://overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-164-SP

That would be ideal - very decent performance at an incredible price. Failing that, in the same price range, you have the inferior but still semi-decent 8600GT, or the second hand market, such as on adverts.ie. The 2600XT isn't that bad a card, quite decent for the average gamer, and falls into roughly the same price bracket as well if you opted to buy it separately.

7600GS, in terms of performance, you're looking at playing the latest games on 800x600 low settings - hardly ideal for what's supposed to be a brand new system. The 512mb of memory is a gimmick, the card can't use anything remotely near that amount - the 256mb model would perform identical. 50 quid, I'm afraid, will not get you anything remotely decent, certainly nothing that really beats the standard Hd2400 in the Dell, let alone the 2600XT.

Other then that, if you're willing to shell out proper money, 150 will get you the excellent Hd3850 - more then capable of playing any game bar Crysis at high settings up to 1280x800 or 1440x900.

tech

Ok thanks for he advise, so would i be better off getting the 256 of Dell so then

TerrorFirmer

What are the exact spec's of the 530 you're looking for? With the range of processors available, if he's getting the cheaper ones, it might not really be worth putting it anything too powerful.

That said, it's probably still better value to stick with the base included video card and add your own afterwards - switching from the Hd2400 to the 2600XT will cost 100, but alternatively you could sell the standard card for 30 quid when you get it and replace it straight away - or even pay the 100 yourself for a card and keep the standard card as a spare. Either way, for the same price, it works out better for you - you get either cash back, or a spare card for the same price

tech

the standard car is on board the the 2 listed above. so I dont know what to do they will be playing some games but noting mad I reckon

TerrorFirmer

No I mean what model 530 are they getting - the top of the line 530 is about 400% faster then the cheapest 530, so it's hard to recommend a card based on just the model number alone when it covers such a wide spectrum.

tech

E4500 Processor (2.2GHz,800MHz,2MB cache 2 gig ram