# dell inspiron 530 graphics card question



## motostu93 (May 2, 2009)

i have a 530 and was just wondering what styl/size graphics card goes in it. i have a integrated one right now and am going to put in a new graphics card. im not exactly sure what size i need.i think its a plcle or somethin, few people have told me regular and some say i need the slim size one. my card port is 4" wide. i couldn't find any dimensions on graphics cards. on the dell website they show a ATI HD 4670 512mb. however it doesn't say what size it is and i know that my tower/box is skinnier/smaller than normal towers/boxes. any help would be greatly appreciated thanks.

correction this is what the dell site says. how ever im still unclear as to what card i need.

1 PCIex16

http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?oc=ddcwda1&c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&kc=pr oductdetails~inspndt_530

thats the link to were i found out about the card


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## A Cheese Danish (May 2, 2009)

Link doesn't work. Is this it: http://www.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/inspndt_530?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19
If so, you can put whatever card that uses a PCIe x16 slot and that your power supply can support.


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## motostu93 (May 2, 2009)

yahh thats it and a mod on another site told me that i need a low profile card.


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## A Cheese Danish (May 2, 2009)

motostu93 said:


> yahh thats it and a mod on another site told me that i need a low profile card.



By low profile, I'm sure they meant that you need a lower standard card, like a 9800gtx+ or a 4350, something small, lightweight, and not as powerful as the say, 4870's or gtx260's.
But as long as it doesn't need an additional connector to power the video card itself, you should be good.


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## ScOuT (May 2, 2009)

Well the good news is you do have a PCI-Express x16 slot for a graphics card. This slot will accept modern graphics cards just fine. But there are a few issues with adding a card to that computer.

Dell has a special talent for cramming a bunch of stuff in small cases. Before you buy any card, make sure you look at the exact size of the graphics card. Then see if it will even fit in that case.

The power supply that came in the Inspiration 530 is only a 300w. This will be insufficient for pretty much anything on the market. You are going to have to replace the power supply also if you do buy an after market card. It's not as hard as it may sound

What is your budget by the way? You can get a nice graphics card and power supply for about $150. Of course the more money you spend the more you get.

What do you do with your computer?


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## motostu93 (May 2, 2009)

well mostly getting a upgraded card and power supply because i got flight simulator x gold. and i need direct x10 to play it right and my integrated card sucks. my budget is around 150 to 200$


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## A Cheese Danish (May 2, 2009)

I'm sure this will be more than enough for the graphix http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102807
As for the power supply, I'd go with anything about 450W and up.


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## motostu93 (May 2, 2009)

A Cheese Danish said:


> I'm sure this will be more than enough for the graphix http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102807
> As for the power supply, I'd go with anything about 450W and up.



that wont fit i verified the fact that i definitely need a low profile card or a low profile ready card.

and also i need direct x 10. so to my understanding direct x 10.1 will work with direct x 10 to right?


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## A Cheese Danish (May 2, 2009)

motostu93 said:


> and also i need direct x 10. so to my understanding direct x 10.1 will work with direct x 10 to right?



DX10.1 would be used instead of DX10 yes. Same goes with DX10.1 also play DX9.0c
Then here is a huge list of cards that are low profile.


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## motostu93 (May 2, 2009)

yahh i have a 22" viewsonic so im think that 1gig would be better. heres the 2 ive narrowed it down to.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814187065
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102829


im thinking the 1 gig card cuz i have a bigger screen and i might need the 1 gig. what do u guys think?


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## motostu93 (May 2, 2009)

so when i get my new card im gonna need a power supply with some more watties(wattage) and im not sure and couldn't figure out from looking at the power supply in my comp right now exactly what type i have? not sure if its a ATX, ATX/BTX, ATX12V, ATX12V/EPS12V, MicroATX, EPS12V?


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## ScOuT (May 2, 2009)

motostu93 said:


> so when i get my new card im gonna need a power supply with some more watties(wattage) and im not sure and couldn't figure out from looking at the power supply in my comp right now exactly what type i have? not sure if its a ATX, ATX/BTX, ATX12V, ATX12V/EPS12V, MicroATX, EPS12V?



It's an ATX power supply.

Are you sure you need a low profile card? I don't believe you, low profile cards are for "slim line" cases. That case is normal width just not that tall.

On the Dell forums there are a few people that have put 8800GT and 9800GT in there. One guy even put a 9800GTX in his. 

You will need to upgrade the power supply.

http://en.community.dell.com/search...s+card+AND+app:forums&o=Relevance&PageIndex=4


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## A Cheese Danish (May 2, 2009)

ScOuT said:


> Are you sure you need a low profile card? I don't believe you, low profile cards are for "slim line" cases. That case is normal width just not that tall.
> 
> On the Dell forums there are a few people that have put 8800GT and 9800GT in there. One guy even put a 9800GTX in his.



Yeah, that's what is confusing. Cuz the link I posted about his Dell, has a standard card in it.

@motostu93: What resolution does that 22" max out? Because 1gb will truely help if it's running 1920 x 1200. But if you are running at 1680 x 1050, 1gb never hurts


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## motostu93 (May 2, 2009)

ScOuT said:


> It's an ATX power supply.
> 
> Are you sure you need a low profile card? I don't believe you, low profile cards are for "slim line" cases. That case is normal width just not that tall.
> 
> ...


dang now i dont know who to believe. my sisters boyfriend that that i needed a low profile card. the mod on computerforums.org said i needed a low pro card. and now you guys r saying i need a regular card. im so confused.


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## motostu93 (May 2, 2009)

A Cheese Danish said:


> Yeah, that's what is confusing. Cuz the link I posted about his Dell, has a standard card in it.
> 
> @motostu93: What resolution does that 22" max out? Because 1gb will truely help if it's running 1920 x 1200. But if you are running at 1680 x 1050, 1gb never hurts


1680 x 1050is what im running. so i should just get the 1 gig?


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## A Cheese Danish (May 2, 2009)

Yeah, shoot for the 1GB card for now. And if your computer does, in fact, look like the one I posted in at the beginning off the dell site, you do not need a low profile card.
However, I see where they are coming from, because if you get a crazy graphics card (like a 4850 x2), it will bottleneck the system, or will be pushing the rest of your system to the max, and still get enough.


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## motostu93 (May 2, 2009)

VisionTek 900225 Radeon HD 3650 1GB 128-bit GDDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card

thats what im thinking now that i know what i know. should work right? and it says it only needs a 300 watt PSU. my dell has a 320 watt so will that work fine this card or do i need to get a new PSU?


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## A Cheese Danish (May 2, 2009)

You shouldn't need a new power supply. That actually, should work perfectly.


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## motostu93 (May 2, 2009)

really? sweet ya i was hoping i wasn't going to have to change out a whole power supply. what plug form the power supply goes into the graphics card. im asking this seemingly dumb question because my graphics card is integrated into the mother board.


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## A Cheese Danish (May 2, 2009)

Its ok. But that particular card doesn't have its own power adapter. It draws it through the PCIe slot


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## motostu93 (May 2, 2009)

k thanks well if all looks good with that card im gonna order it tomorrow some time


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## A Cheese Danish (May 2, 2009)

Sounds good mate. Hope all works out!


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## motostu93 (May 2, 2009)

wow well it looks like it never ends. now my joystick wont configure right. even after configuring it about 10 times. when i turn the throttle on the joystick all the way up(full throttle) i only get 75%. and when i back it all the way down i onyl get 25%. and word on what i can do. i had this joystick(saitek cyborg 3d usb gold) on my old dell running xp and it worked great, now i hooked it up to my dell with vista and it doesn't configure right. im not really sure how to go about fixing that issue? what would you guys recommend?


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## motostu93 (May 5, 2009)

well i order my stuff. got that card i was talking about. and a APEVIA ATX-CW500WP4 500W ATX Power Supply. i was wondering how to put in the power supply and connect all the cords right?


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## motostu93 (May 5, 2009)

so my comp only has 2 gb of ram and im looking to bump that up to like 3 or maybe 4 gb's. on the dell website under my comp(inspiron 530) it says it uses DDR2 SDRAM at 800MHz- 2DIMMs. will both of these card work?

Patriot Signature 1GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Desktop Memory - Retail 


SUPER TALENT 1GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Desktop Memory - Retail 

any help would be greatly appreciated thanks


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## A Cheese Danish (May 5, 2009)

motostu93 said:


> well i order my stuff. got that card i was talking about. and a APEVIA ATX-CW500WP4 500W ATX Power Supply. i was wondering how to put in the power supply and connect all the cords right?


Depending on the card, it should have either a 6 or 8 pin connector on it.
And just look at the connectors on your hardware and match it up with the power supply connectors



motostu93 said:


> so my comp only has 2 gb of ram and im looking to bump that up to like 3 or maybe 4 gb's. on the dell website under my comp(inspiron 530) it says it uses DDR2 SDRAM at 800MHz- 2DIMMs. will both of these card work?
> 
> Patriot Signature 1GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Desktop Memory - Retail
> 
> ...



Yes, they would both work. I would recommend getting the Patriot memory.


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## motostu93 (May 5, 2009)

A Cheese Danish said:


> Depending on the card, it should have either a 6 or 8 pin connector on it.
> And just look at the connectors on your hardware and match it up with the power supply connectors
> 
> 
> ...


yeah i read thru the reviews and the patriot sounds better and a little bit bigger of a company


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## motostu93 (May 7, 2009)

k im totally confused now. i check my order status at newegg and it says my order has shipped and that i should have received at tracking number. however upon checking my email i have received no email. anybody know how i can obtain the tracking info?


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## motostu93 (May 11, 2009)

so i just checked tracking on my order from newegg and its arrived and will be out for delivery in the morning. what do i need to know to put in the new RAM, and PSU, and video card.

do i just turn the whole comp off and then put in the ram cards in the open slots?

do i just unplug the plugs from the components and then pull the PSU. and then put the new PSU and connected all the plugs to the components?

and do i just slide the card through the slot in the case and press it into the slots on the motherboard?


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## A Cheese Danish (May 11, 2009)

Here is a list of what I would do.
1. Unplug everything and take it to a table somewhere where there isn't any carpet or static of any sort. Usually like a kitchen table or basement.
2. Put the RAM stick in wherever you have room for it.
3. Take out the old power supply, put in new one.
4. Put in new video card
5. Hook all the power connectors into all the devices

That should work. And about the video card, you will have to screw the latch to the case.
But yes, you just slide it into the slot.


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## motostu93 (May 11, 2009)

A Cheese Danish said:


> Here is a list of what I would do.
> 1. Unplug everything and take it to a table somewhere where there isn't any carpet or static of any sort. Usually like a kitchen table or basement.
> 2. Put the RAM stick in wherever you have room for it.
> 3. Take out the old power supply, put in new one.
> ...



very good, thanks all let you all know how it goes when united pot smokers(UPS) drops off my package.

the plugs that i need to plug in from the new power supply are pretty self explanatory? in other words is it easy to figure out what plugs/wires go were?


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## A Cheese Danish (May 11, 2009)

motostu93 said:


> the plugs that i need to plug in from the new power supply are pretty self explanatory? in other words is it easy to figure out what plugs/wires go were?



Yup, just match the connectors on the components to those on the psu.
Easy as that


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## motostu93 (May 11, 2009)

A Cheese Danish said:


> Yup, just match the connectors on the components to those on the psu.
> Easy as that


thanks lots!!!


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## motostu93 (May 12, 2009)

well i got my stuff today and put it all in and when i tried to start up the computer after hooking the cords back up nothing happened. i talked to my dada who is a house electrician and he said it hey could here a noise from the power supply(which he thought was possibly a relay) when i press the power button in the front of the comp. 

as far as i know i hooked everything back up correctly. one the power supply is hooked up to an outlet i see a yellow light on the motherboard right above the ram slots. so that make me believe im getting power to the mother board but im not sure. 

im VERY frusterated and am not really sure what to do. there doesnt apear to be any thing very obvious that i did wrong.

the only things i changed in the computer are: 2 new 1gig ram cards, graphics card, and power supply.

any help or suggestions would be greatly aprecciated. thnks!!


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## A Cheese Danish (May 12, 2009)

Since your dad is a house electrician, see if he can test the PSU out of the system.
And since you are getting a light on the mother board, it is getting power.
Another thing you could try is to put the old power supply back in and see if it starts.


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## motostu93 (May 12, 2009)

A Cheese Danish said:


> Since your dad is a house electrician, see if he can test the PSU out of the system.
> And since you are getting a light on the mother board, it is getting power.
> Another thing you could try is to put the old power supply back in and see if it starts.


well i fingered out the problem and it was minor. im on my own comp right now. and its good havent tried out fsx yet but it all looks good. the ram worked great 4 gigs now. 

the problem was with that long 24 pin connectro that goes onto the motherboard. i had the 20 pin plug in right. but the 4 pin squarte plug was someone how hooked up wrong. but its all good now. thankfully


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## A Cheese Danish (May 12, 2009)

Haha thats great!


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## motostu93 (May 13, 2009)

hey my dads a electrician and we both are into rc planes and rc cars. now with the lithium(lipo) batteries we use, we have to have a special charger that is dc only, not ac. so its kinda a hassle to have to hook it up to a battery. and now i that i got my new power supply i have no use for my old 300w PSU. i gave it to my dad and he looked it over and was trying to determine if he can get 12 volts dc power out of it. he hooked up his meter to a few of the cords and got no were. just wondering if there is a schematic or a way of somehow getting dc out of my old PSU with out having it hooked up to a comp.


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## stabbim (Aug 20, 2009)

*About turning on the power supply by itself*

Ran across this thread while searching for the meaning of the Inspiron's power light being yellow. Dunno if the OP will get notified of this post, hope so though.

About using the old power supply for 12v DC output. You just find the green wire on the 20-pin connector, and short it to any of the black wires (which are all ground) to turn the power supply on. Then just find a yellow wire; that will be +12V.

None of those wires *should* be able to put out any dangerous voltage, 12V should be the highest, so I'd classify this as quite safe especially when one of you is an electrician.

Here's an article:

http://www.techpowerup.com/articles/other/22


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