Dell Inspiron 530 Review
If you're thinking of buying a new PC, you now have more options than ever before. In the face of so many new choices, it's hardly surprising that more and more people are turning to the tried-and-trusted Dell desktop machines, particularly the Inspiron models which have their own specially trained Dell Inspiron technical support service.
So is the Inspiron 530 the right way to go if you want that extra performance edge?
The basic Inspiron 530 configuration has an Intel Celeron 430 processor and an amazing price tag of about £269, but for only a few pounds more you can step up to the dual or even quad core models. As such, it doesn't really make much sense to go for the basic configuration - in fact, it's probably only featured on Dell's website to make the other versions look that much better. But what else should you expect from the Inspiron 530?
The Inspiron 530 is probably the Dell machine with the most configuration options. I wouldn't recommend taking a Celeron processor, but anything above that will do the job nicely. The base configuration has an integrated graphics solution, which you may want to upgrade - you can choose one of Dell's dedicated graphics cards (ATI Radeon), or you can stick with the integrated graphics to save money and install a graphics card later on when you need it.
Here are some key points to consider when configuring your Inspiron 530:
- Processor:
As mentioned above, the Dell Inspiron 530 can be configured with an Intel Celeron, but the best value option here is probably the 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo E8200 processor with 6MB cache. FSB speed is important too, as this affects how quickly data can pass from memory to the processor (the Inspiron 530 E8200 model comes with a fairly ripping 1333 MHz FSB speed).
- Memory:
The best value configuration on the Dell site is 2GB, although 1GB is the default for new Inspiron 530 systems. However, Dell often run special offers where you get extra memory upgrades for free (or at a reduced price), so it's worthwhile keeping an eye out for these.
At the moment, the Dell memory upgrades are very reasonable, and because RAM has such an impact on performance, you should get as much as you can.
On the other hand, you can always add more memory later on if you need it. Installing extra memory (or a new video card/hard drive) is actually a very simple process, so you shouldn't be afraid of giving it a go. Going from 2GB to 4GB can sometimes cost up to £80 extra if you have Dell install it for you in your build, but you can get 4GB of Inspiron memory elsewhere for around £60. If this is the case, then even if you hire someone to install it for you, it may still be cheaper to upgrade your memory afterwards (this doesn't affect your Dell warranty).