need some computer help.

[knightwept]

hello,
currently ive been wanting to upgrade my curretn computer to something more powerfull.
i dont have the money to straight out buy a new computer so i was thinking of upgrading just the parts to it.

currently i have http://processorfinder.intel.com/det...px?sSpec=SLA3H

and some other information i dug out of my computer banks.
manufactior-dell
model- inspirion530S
proccsor- intell pentium dual CPUE2160 @180GHz
memory- 3.00 GB RAM
system type- 32 bit operatiing system.
also i have vista.

reason i ask is it sucks having 10FPS in near any situation.
i will take any advice at this point.

[nwo]

Can't help you unless we know what graphics card and motherboard you have now. Also, it would be nice to know how much you would be willing to spend.

If you have a PCI-e graphics card right now or an open PCI-e expansion slot (with onboard graphics) then getting a new graphics card should be the first thing you should upgrade. That will cost you around $100 or less, assuming you live in the US.

[baelon]

"Inspiron 530

Released on June 26, 2007, the Dell Inspiron 530 is Dell's first desktop to use the Inspiron name. The Inspiron 530 has an Intel Celeron 450, and can be customized up to an Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550. It has 2 GB of DDR2 SDRAM at 800 MHz, which can be upgraded up to 8 GB. The desktop has a 320 GB 7200 RPM Serial ATA hard drive w/DataBurst Cache, which can be upgraded to 750 GB. There are also data recovery versions of the 320 and 500 GB hard drive sizes. The Inspiron 530 is customizable with a variety of DVD+/-RW and Blu-ray Disc drives. The Inspiron 530 has integrated Intel GMA 3100, and can be customized up to an ATI Radeon HD 4670 discrete grapics card. It has integrated 7.1 channel audio and can be customized up to a Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer sound card. The Inspiron 520 has no initial Wi-Fi card, but can be customized up to a Dell 1505 Wireless-N PCI-e card. The Inspiron 530 has two variants of motherboards, both made by Foxconn and based on the G33M series. The G33M02 which supports up to Core 2 Duo processors and the DG33M03, which supports up to Core 2 Quad processors. Inspiron 530 systems sold with Pentium Dual-Core or Core 2 Duo processors can not be upgraded to Core 2 Quad processors without adding at least a 350W power supply and swapping motherboards to the DG33M03 motherboard. The reason the G33M02 doesn't support Core 2 Quad processors is because it only has 6 voltage regulator ICs, the DG33M03 has 11.

Can I play Video Games on this machine?

Yes, simply add/replace the video card with your choice of PCI-e compliant cards and the system is good to go.

Inspiron 530s

The Inspiron 530s has the same design as the 530, but it is 41% slimmer. However, because of its design, it is not physically compatible with all desktop hardware, especially graphics cards (Dell only gives you the option of the ATI 2400 XT, which is not a high performance card). The case used in the 530s can accommodate one 5.25" optical drive, one external 3.5" drive (either a 1.44Mb floppy or 19-in-1 card reader), and up to two standard 3.5" hard drives. The motherboard used in the 530s is the exact same Foxconn G33m02 mATX motherboard used in the Inspiron 530. While almost any low profile PCI-E x16 video card will physically fit in the 530s, the custom sized Delta 250W power supply that the 530s is equipped with may seriously limit the potential for using higher end cards."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dell_Inspiron#Inspiron_530

Sounds like at the very least you'd need a new chip (~$150-$200), new video card (~$100-$150), and new case/psu (~$100) to fit and power the new video card & cpu, in order to upgrade your machine to better play WoW. You'd only be keeping the original drives, motherboard and peripherals (mouse, kb, monitor, etc.).

Not very cost effective considering it'd be an upgrade to a last-generation system, and really, when you're replacing almost everything, it's more like a new system than an upgrade anyway.

How much are you willing to spend, and can you / are you willing to build a system?