Upgrade video card for Dell Inspiron 530

I forgot to mention, I have 3 GB RAM, Intel Core 2 Duo Processor E6420 (4MB L2 Cache,2.13GHz,1066 FSB), and I am running Vista 32.

Thanks for the suggestion! To be honest, I have not but I will definitely consider it now! That would open up more attractive options...

If I do not go this, however, what are my realistic choices? 8600GT? 2600XT?

I hear you.....

Thanks for the advice!

dell PSUs are not that inferor as you believe them to be. they are actually decent PSUs. of course there are better ones out there, but they are enough for most people's needs.

i own a dell dimension e520 with a 305W PSU and it has two 12V+ rails both rated at 18A. most computers don't even use that much total watts. if you look at all the computers with Q6600 processors, raptor harddrives, 8800gt's, and other devices. they don't even use more than 400 watts and most of the time below or around 300 watts. my computer specs are a e6420 processor, 2gb ddr2 ram, 320gb harddrive, dvd burner, hd 3850 videocard, and an audigy 2 soundcard with the standard dell PSU. i haven't had any blue screens of death and playing graphic intense games (bioshock, call of duty 4, crysis) haven't caused me any problems.

so if i am able to run a hd 3850 videocard on my dell computer. i don't see why you cannot run a 8600gt or a 2600xt on your dell computer.

most likely we have the same PSU.

i love the hd 3850. it runs most of the new games just fine. the videocard is pretty long though. it is right underneath the huge, dell CPU heatsink, but it isn't touching it. so it's fine. just make sure the videocard you are getting will fit in your case. mine. however, can only fit single-slot videocards because of the BTX design.

good luck on the videocard you choose man.

After thinking about it, I am leaning towards an nVidia 8600GT with 256 MB GDDR3 RAM. I found for good prices on newegg, but I am not sure as the differences between the fans. I realize that some are oc and some are not but I am not sure which fan is better for cooling and which ones are quieter. Below is a link to what I was considering:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 58&bop=And

If it's not too late and you're not hit with restocking fees, take it back and build your own. Or, sell it on Craigslist / local ads.

Modding a PC with a cramped case, weak PSU, and non-overclockable BIOS/motherboard is a waste (first hand experience).

You got a link for Craiglist so I can sell my lacking E521 (specs below)?
Thanks
btw: you want to make an offer, it looks like it would be an upgrade for you?