Dell Inspiron 530 Mods

[sEattle]

Is it possible to swap out a Dell Inspiron 530 motherboard (DG33M03) for another on Newegg or other sites and still use the same case and all other hardware components? If you don't know, how can you point me the direction of some other sites?

 

[o1die]

You won't gain alot by swapping out just the board, unless it's broken. Most newer dells work fine with micro atx boards, but you may have to reinstall windows. Look for a g43 board if you need onboard video, or a p45 if you have your own video card and the room inside the case. Newegg has plenty of photos. It also helps to have a dell restore dvd of windows. They often work with non dell boards. Dell frequently uses foxconn boards with a dell bios. If you've never swapped out a motherboard, read some manuals which you can download before ordering the board. I also recommend testing the board on a non conductive surface, such as a phonebook, before mounting it in the case. Use just the cpu/heatsink, one stick of memory, video, and keyboard. No optical or hardrives connected. You just touch the pin cluster with the power switch pins using a plain screwdriver after connecting the power supply leads. You need to tell us where you plan to purchase. I can't recommend any venders from foreign countries, but someone else may, if you give us a clue where you plan to purchase.