Turning a Dell Inspiron 530 (win XP) into a modern gaming station

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Dismissedfiber

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Jan 23, 2016
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So I've recently acquired my parents old Dell Inspiron 530 desktop. It was in storage for a few years, got covered in dust inside and out. Not to mention that my dad decided it was messed up beyond measure when he decided to get a new computer. Me, being the giver of second chances I am, decided to dig the beast out and clean it up. I have it all cleaned up and running,but I've come across a problem. My parents don't remember their password. I tried resetting the BIOS password on the motherboard, but i still cant access the computer as i don't have the user password. I have plans to salvage as much as I can, then upgrade everything into a game-crushing, super-speedy battle station. I'm new to the whole "build your own PC" business and the password is a major setback for me. So, now that the backstory is out of the way, I would like to know how you guys would go about fixing the password problem, and which parts I can keep for my battle station and what parts i need to buy to make this into a modern gaming PC.
Also, I would like to stay under $800-$1000
Also, I already have the monitor, mouse, and keyboard taken care of.
-Fiber
 
Solution
BadActor
We can't help you with the password problem because it would violate site rules. But if you have a budget of 800 to a 1000 dollars, you can easily build a super gaming system with all new components. The 530 just isn't worth upgrading.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170-HD3P ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($87.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($38.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($84.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM...
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BadActor

BadActor

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Ambassador
Oct 31, 2015
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We can't help you with the password problem because it would violate site rules. But if you have a budget of 800 to a 1000 dollars, you can easily build a super gaming system with all new components. The 530 just isn't worth upgrading.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170-HD3P ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($87.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($38.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($84.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 390 8GB Video Card ($303.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home Full - USB (32/64-bit) ($105.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $976.69
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-02-03 19:14 EST-0500
 
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Solution
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Dismissedfiber

Reputable
Jan 23, 2016
6
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4,520
Well, the point of upgrading the original computer was so i could keep any parts that would still be of use to me (the case and cooling fans?) If this is pointless then that's okay too. I'm new to this haha. As for the password, thats understandable. Ill play around with the BIOS some more.
 
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James Mason

James Mason

Titan
Jan 2, 2014
13,553
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74,965
For $800 to 1000 you don't even need your parents old worthless POS computer.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: *Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: *Gigabyte GA-H110M-A Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($49.88 @ OutletPC)
Memory: *Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($44.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($43.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: *Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card ($309.99 @ Amazon)
Case: *Cougar Spike MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($33.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($55.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: *Lite-On iHDS118-04 DVD/CD Drive ($12.89 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Monitor: Asus VX228H 60Hz 21.5" Monitor ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1011.47
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-02-03 19:16 EST-0500

Building your own computer is easy. Building it takes 2-3 hours, and installing windows takes about 30mins to 45mins, and after that downloading and installing drivers takes another 30-45 mins. After all that, have it download windows updates at night, it may take a 2-4 passes to get them all.

Building a PC:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIF43-0mDk4
Installing Windows:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zAdwedmj1M

Protip for installing drivers safely, install them one at a time and restart the computer after each install to avoid breaking the OS, which can happen if you try to install them all at once.



If you still want to try and get access to your parent's computer, there is password cracking software out there for free http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/29694/how-to-crack-your-forgotten-windows-password/
 
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