Dell Inspiron 530 Graphics and PSU upgrade

[chadderswick]

Hey all,
I have a Dell Inspiron 530 (normal size case) with vista 32, 3 gigs of ram, and a Q9400 processor. My current graphics card is one of the lower end ATI graphics cards. I was looking to upgrade to the best graphics card and PSU for at our under $300 (my reason for this is gaming). I only know a little bit about computers and I was wondering if SLI is a possibility for my setup. Im just looking to have the best gaming performance that my computer can handle for about $300.

Your input would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Chad

 

[RazberyBandit]

Hey Chad.

The only way SLI is available is if you have an SLI-capable motherboard. Does it have a 2nd PCI-E x16 slot, or not? That's the clearest sign, as well as what northbridge (chipset) is in it.

Regardless, odds are you won't have to replace the PSU to improve your graphics if you can only go single-card. Those 2600 and 3600-series ATI cards didn't exactly "wow" people with amazing 3D capability, especially at high resolutions. But, they also didn't use much power. There are plenty of more powerful cards available that don't necessarily need a whole lot more power, so you may not need to replace the PSU. Some will, though, and that is why it's best you provide far more detailed system specs.

If you can, provide the make and model of the motherboard and power supply. That will tell the rest of us what we're working with here. PSU stuff should be easy enough to read right off the side of it. If the make and model aren't shown, the wattage ratings would be sufficient. (A pic of them even better.) If you can't ID the motherboard, try a program called CPU-Z to get it. You can download it here.

 

[chadderswick]

Here is the best picture I came up with. It looks like i have 1 PCi - express slot and the power supply model is DPS-350-VB-1A. The max wattage is 350. So i guess my new question is what is the best single graphics card I can put in here with or without changing my power supply.

Thanks,
Chad

 

[chadderswick]

Here are my motherboard stats.

 

[Bluescreendeath]

Look on the side of the PSU and see how many amps it has.

My Dell E520 has a 305 watt PSU with ~20 amps, and can support a 4670.

I'd assume your PSU can handle up to a 4670 or a 9600GT.

 

[delluser1]

http://i624.photobucket.com/albums/tt323/chadderswick/CIMG2459.jpg

Here is the best picture I came up with. It looks like i have 1 PCi - express slot and the power supply model is DPS-350-VB-1A. The max wattage is 350. So i guess my new question is what is the best single graphics card I can put in here with or without changing my power supply.

Thanks,
Chad

Dell Small Business sold the same machine marketed as the Vostro 400. Same specs with a 9800 GT.

 

[DiscoDuck]

In order to properly choose your video card, you need to decide what size monitor ( for gaming resolution) you plan to use. If not bigger than 22" then a lower video card could suffice, if 24" or bigger monitor, then you need a stronger gpu and psu to power it. Size appears to be a fctor with that case too.. but if it can be configured from dell with a 9800gt, then many midrange cards ought to fit.