myothercarsa2cv Posted November 12, 2010 Share Posted November 12, 2010 Dear POBC, I have a Dell Inspiron 531. It's pretty basic, and does the job, but I do enjoy dabbling in a spot of gaming, and would like to play the new Medal of Honour... 😬 It struggles when I'm running lots of programs at once, so I thought I'd add more RAM. It currently has 1GB RAM, and can take a max of 4. I don't know whether the cards are 2x 512Mb or 1 x 1Gb, but my question is: Dell do an upgrade, 1 x 1Gb, for about £40. MrMemory does the same, but for £15. If I go Dell, then I'm pretty sure I'll have no issues, but that's a big price difference. If I go MrMemory, is it better to buy matched pairs? So, replace the one card I have now with one or two matched pairs, and bin the old one? What do you recommend? Any other suppliers that are worth looking at? Thanks in advance! John _________________________ myothercarsa2cv Bugsy: '82 2cv6 😬 Talloulah '08 1.6K Classic Edited by - myothercarsa2cv on 15 Nov 2010 15:43:27 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonpa Posted November 12, 2010 Share Posted November 12, 2010 I've not used Mr Memory. Crucial - www.crucial.com/uk - are always relaible and normally pretty cheap. Dell aftermarket gear is always ridiculously expensive.. HTH - Simon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jingars Posted November 12, 2010 Share Posted November 12, 2010 From Kingston Memory's website: Dell 531: MODULES MUST BE ORDERED AND INSTALLED IN PAIRS for Dual Channel mode. This system supports both DDR2-667 and DDR2-800 memory. These are compatible, however when mixed, they will default to 667MHz. The Kingston site suggests that the system comes with 512Mb as standard, so no idea what you have in there at present. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myothercarsa2cv Posted November 12, 2010 Author Share Posted November 12, 2010 Thanks both I reckon I'll go for two pairs of 1Gb and just rip out the old ones, that way I'm safe and have 4Gb 😬 John _________________________ myothercarsa2cv Bugsy: '82 2cv6 😬 Talloulah '08 1.6K Classic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jingars Posted November 12, 2010 Share Posted November 12, 2010 Don't panic if it only reports 3.5 Gb in Windows after you install your shiny new chips - unless you run a 64-bit operating system it cannot report the full monty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul McKenzie Posted November 12, 2010 Share Posted November 12, 2010 Go to Crucial - it will analyse your computer, and sell you exactly what you need guaranteed to work, simples Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myothercarsa2cv Posted November 12, 2010 Author Share Posted November 12, 2010 Well that was easy! Just ordered from crucial in a whopping 1 minute flat. Turns out I have 2 x 512Mb, so I've gone for another 2 x 1Gb, to give me 3Gb. If I need more I can buy another 2! Thanks for the advice and recommendation POBC never ceases to amaze! 😬 John _________________________ myothercarsa2cv Bugsy: '82 2cv6 😬 Talloulah '08 1.6K Classic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shn7 Posted November 12, 2010 Share Posted November 12, 2010 That sounds like you might not have enough memory slots to install them. Have you checked on that? If you only have two slots then you'll only be able to install the 2 x 1gb cards in place of what's already there. Steve. Not forgetting Percy the Polar Bear who recommends Puddle Pet Care Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jingars Posted November 12, 2010 Share Posted November 12, 2010 Dell Inspiron 531 has four slots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul McKenzie Posted November 12, 2010 Share Posted November 12, 2010 Steve, The Crucial analysis also tells you how many slots you have and what's in each Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myothercarsa2cv Posted November 12, 2010 Author Share Posted November 12, 2010 Yep it's got four That Crucial scan is pretty nifty eh? It also told me to get a better machine John _________________________ myothercarsa2cv Bugsy: '82 2cv6 😬 Talloulah '08 1.6K Classic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shn7 Posted November 13, 2010 Share Posted November 13, 2010 I knew the crucial tool tells you how many slots but John hadn't indicated he'd actually run it and confirmed enough were available so I just wanted him to be sure which clearly he is Steve. Not forgetting Percy the Polar Bear who recommends Puddle Pet Care Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Ford Posted November 13, 2010 Share Posted November 13, 2010 Do you have a discrete graphics card in there or are you relying on the onboard Nvidia 6150 graphics? Graphics card will be the limiting factor for games, and on-board graphics won't be much good for MoH. Good news is that the Inspiron 531 has a proper PCI-e x16 slot in it, so you can fit pretty much any graphics card. A GTX 460 768MB at £115 is probably the best VFM at the moment (and at the top-end of what your current hardware could justify). There are a lot of cheaper options if that's too much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myothercarsa2cv Posted November 14, 2010 Author Share Posted November 14, 2010 Hi Roger, Thanks - I am currently relying on the onboard MoBo graphics card... Would this new card just slot in alongside? £115 is a bit more than I can justify at the moment, do you have any recommendations? TIA John _________________________ myothercarsa2cv Bugsy: '82 2cv6 😬 Talloulah '08 1.6K Classic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve-B Posted November 14, 2010 Share Posted November 14, 2010 🙆🏻 🙆🏻Be careful with Dell's in general. I have a work one (that I hate!) that we had to order RAM for 3 times @ work to get the right combination. They proved utterly clueless to help us wiht their OWN kit get the right RAM. The real sore point is their non-US laptops don't use the same slots physical size, for reasons that seem astounding *mad* *mad* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Ford Posted November 14, 2010 Share Posted November 14, 2010 Come to think of it, your power supply probably isn't up to a GTX 460. Your best bet for cards which don't need external power connectors (which your power supply doesn't have) would be an Nvidia GT 240. Like this 512MB model for £48, or a 1GB model for £62. The Graphics card market is pretty confusing, as the makers are constantly introducing new series and new model numbers within that series. ATI uses the first number for the series, the second for the performance step in the series, and the final two for the model number within the step. But try figuring out whether a 4870 is faster than a 5750 and you'll get nowhere fast! Edited by - Roger Ford on 14 Nov 2010 11:30:06 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TobyCoulson Posted November 14, 2010 Share Posted November 14, 2010 Another for Crucial. Never had any problem with their products or upgrade selectniuhingh8gib8y79on9789hn9yu98ohnb909j yug78gb8 9y Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Ford Posted November 14, 2010 Share Posted November 14, 2010 One issue with Crucial - although they have a lifetime warranty, you have to send stuff back to the US. Unfortunately that means you can get charged VAT and duty on the replacements. It seems this doesn't apply if you bought it direct from Crucial, only if you bought it from a third party. So if you're going with Crucial, get it direct and not from somewhere like ebuyer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myothercarsa2cv Posted November 15, 2010 Author Share Posted November 15, 2010 Thanks Roger, sound advice. Will check out those cards. Is it really just a case of taking out the old one and slotting in the new one with a graphics card? Seems easy John _________________________ myothercarsa2cv Bugsy: '82 2cv6 😬 Talloulah '08 1.6K Classic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myothercarsa2cv Posted November 15, 2010 Author Share Posted November 15, 2010 P.S. Is it worth the extra £'s for a 1Gb card over the 512Mb? Given that my computer will only recognise 3.5Gb of RAM, and I will have 3Gb installed shortly, are there any implications to getting the 1Gb card? TIA! John _________________________ myothercarsa2cv Bugsy: '82 2cv6 😬 Talloulah '08 1.6K Classic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myothercarsa2cv Posted November 15, 2010 Author Share Posted November 15, 2010 Well just put in an order for the 1Gb one you recommended, Roger, I'll blame you if it's naff Figured more memory can't be a bad thing Should keep my computer going nicely. Had a poke about inside, plenty of space for the new card, so no worries there. It's quite dusty... Will have to get an air can 😬 Thanks all for the help and advice John _________________________ myothercarsa2cv Bugsy: '82 2cv6 😬 Talloulah '08 1.6K Classic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Ford Posted November 16, 2010 Share Posted November 16, 2010 Oops, sorry if I didn't answer that. Yes, the 1GB should be worthwhile. Don't you have a compressor? Take it outside and give it a good blast with that. Much more effective than a can of air, and doesn't blow all the fluff around the house. One thing, though, hold the fans with a finger when you blow them. I've never heard of a PC being fried by the back-EMF from a fan being spun by a blast of air, but it seems entirely possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myothercarsa2cv Posted November 16, 2010 Author Share Posted November 16, 2010 Nope no compressor ☹️ Another toy on the wish list... Thanks for the tip! PSU seems to have a switch on it... one side says 115 and the other 230, it's on 230 at the moment, I assume this is the wattage? Seems a bit low for a desktop... Worth upgrading that as well? I wonder... Where will it end! John _________________________ myothercarsa2cv Bugsy: '82 2cv6 😬 Talloulah '08 1.6K Classic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jingars Posted November 16, 2010 Share Posted November 16, 2010 230 refers to the incoming voltage - leave it alone!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myothercarsa2cv Posted November 16, 2010 Author Share Posted November 16, 2010 D'oh that makes more sense, thanks! John _________________________ myothercarsa2cv Bugsy: '82 2cv6 😬 Talloulah '08 1.6K Classic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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