Can this Dell be saved? How can I keep it alive with upgrades?

D

DaveM88

n00b
Joined
Apr 4, 2016
Messages
30
I currently use my laptop as a desktop.
Dell Inspiron N4010
8gb RAM, Intel Pentium P6100 @ 2.00Ghz
USB 2.0 << my biggest problem.

BUT, apparently, my mother has this desktop and she doesn't need it anymore.

DELL Inspiron 570
AMD Sempron 140 Single-Core 2.7GHz; 2GB RAM, 500GB HD

So ... if I were to upgrade that desktop. What can be upgraded? SSD drive? More Ram? USB 3.0? please advise. Having bought an SSD, USB3 card and multiple usb 3 HDs, I'd rather put that into an old system than buy a new one.

I also was looking at a recent Dell deal where I can get for $471 the following
XPS 8900
Intel Core 6th Generation i5-6400 Processor (6M Cache, up to 3.3 GHz)
1 TB SATA Hard Drive (7200 RPM)
8GB Dual Channel DDR4 at 2133MHz
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 745 4GB GDDR3
for just $471

Thoughts?

What I do on my computer?

1) Lots of web browsing with many, many tabs open (RAM killer)
2) Light Adobe software usage
3) Downloading and transferring large files to USB 3.0 flash and HD drives.
4) Some programs that would benefit from fast processor.
 
So ... if the only 3 things that really bother me
1) Slow USB 2.0
2) Slow DVDFab program
3) A little slow on Adobe products

for those 3 improvements I'd be spending $500. Trying to think if it's worth it for me.

By the way, my other route is what my friend is trying to sell to me
$700 = Macbook Air 13, i7-3667u, 3.2ghz, 8GB Ram, 128gb SSD

At least there I'll have a functioning laptop? That I can resell later on? Any thoughts? How much slower will it be compared to the desktop? I mean USB3.0 is there and SSD is there as well. So maybe laptop?
 
For me now the thinking is ... I have USB3 card that I can place into any USB2 desktop. I have an SSD drive that I can place into a desktop. I just need a desktop that can handle 8gb ram. That's where my old desktop falls short. Other than that, everything else in terms of speed was fine for me. So, can my mother's desktop work out in this situation>?

she has
DELL Inspiron 570
AMD Sempron 140 Single-Core 2.7GHz; 2GB RAM, 500GB HD

if I can upgrade it to 8gb ram and add SSD drive to it and if it's USB2 I can replace it with USB3 card ... will it be a faster system compared to my current laptop.

Dell Inspiron N4010
8gb RAM, Intel Pentium P6100 @ 2.00Ghz
USB 2.0 << my biggest problem.
 
DaveM88 said:
I currently use my laptop as a desktop.
Dell Inspiron N4010
8gb RAM, Intel Pentium P6100 @ 2.00Ghz
USB 2.0 << my biggest problem.

BUT, apparently, my mother has this desktop and she doesn't need it anymore.

DELL Inspiron 570
AMD Sempron 140 Single-Core 2.7GHz; 2GB RAM, 500GB HD

So ... if I were to upgrade that desktop. What can be upgraded? SSD drive? More Ram? USB 3.0? please advise. Having bought an SSD, USB3 card and multiple usb 3 HDs, I'd rather put that into an old system than buy a new one.

I also was looking at a recent Dell deal where I can get for $471 the following
XPS 8900
Intel Core 6th Generation i5-6400 Processor (6M Cache, up to 3.3 GHz)
1 TB SATA Hard Drive (7200 RPM)
8GB Dual Channel DDR4 at 2133MHz
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 745 4GB GDDR3
for just $471

Thoughts?

What I do on my computer?

1) Lots of web browsing with many, many tabs open (RAM killer)
2) Light Adobe software usage
3) Downloading and transferring large files to USB 3.0 flash and HD drives.
4) Some programs that would benefit from fast processor.
Click to expand...
I do not recommend wasting one single penny on upgrades for that old Dell:

1) It does not have SATA III capability at all. Its SATA ports are limited to SATA II (maximum sequential transfer speed of only 270 MB/second). However, current SSDs have sequential transfer speeds that far exceed the maximum capability of that Inspiron 570's SATA II interface.

2) Adobe programs increasingly require a multi-core, multi-thread CPU just to even run at all. Unfortunately, the Sempron 140 is strictly a single-core, single-thread CPU. This means that some (if not all) of the Adobe programs will crash with an error message every time you even launch such programs: It simply will error out and return you back to the Windows desktop without even launching at all.

3) All separate USB 3.0 cards use third-party chipsets that either are slow and unreliable or lack UASP (USB Attached SCSI) support.

4) And because the Sempron 140 is only single-core and single-thread, adding more RAM would be a colossal waste of money because the performance improvement would have been far less than the money spent.

In other words, donate it to a school that does not require much if any CPU horsepower, and get yourself the newer XPS 8900.
 
E4g1e said:
I do not recommend wasting one single penny on upgrades for that old Dell:

1) It does not have SATA III capability at all. Its SATA ports are limited to SATA II (maximum sequential transfer speed of only 270 MB/second). However, current SSDs have sequential transfer speeds that far exceed the maximum capability of that Inspiron 570's SATA II interface.

2) Adobe programs increasingly require a multi-core, multi-thread CPU just to even run at all. Unfortunately, the Sempron 140 is strictly a single-core, single-thread CPU. This means that some (if not all) of the Adobe programs will crash with an error message every time you even launch such programs: It simply will error out and return you back to the Windows desktop without even launching at all.

3) All separate USB 3.0 cards use third-party chipsets that either are slow and unreliable or lack UASP (USB Attached SCSI) support.

4) And because the Sempron 140 is only single-core and single-thread, adding more RAM would be a colossal waste of money because the performance improvement would have been far less than the money spent.

In other words, donate it to a school that does not require much if any CPU horsepower, and get yourself the newer XPS 8900.
Click to expand...


Great info ... really appreciate it.

Alright ... I'll finally make up my mind and this is going to be my last question that I hope will point me into the right direction as I have no one else to ask.

I don't do any sort of crazy tasks that require latest and greatest. I feel sad (cheap) spending $500 or even $300 just because I am longing for a USB 3.0

I have a desktop that is Dell Inspiron 530. I already placed a SSD drive on it (95% full ... this may be one of my problems in speed) and upgraded to USB 3.0. I also only have 4gb RAM on it. System is running on 32bit.

Can I upgrade that desktop to 8gb RAM and 64bit? Because right now, probably because it's on the 32 bit system, it doesn't even utilize those 4 gb ram I have in it. Only uses 3.2gb or something.

Thanks!
 
DaveM88 said:
I have a desktop that is Dell Inspiron 530. I already placed a SSD drive on it (95% full ... this may be one of my problems in speed) and upgraded to USB 3.0. I also only have 4gb RAM on it. System is running on 32bit.

Can I upgrade that desktop to 8gb RAM and 64bit? Because right now, probably because it's on the 32 bit system, it doesn't even utilize those 4 gb ram I have in it. Only uses 3.2gb or something.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
Not cost-effectively, no. The Inspiron 530 uses DDR2 RAM when the mainstream RAM is DDR3 but it's slowly being replaced by DDR4. As such, that DDR2 RAM cannot be moved to a new PC. In addition, there are no Windows 8 or 10 drivers available for that PC so you can't use Windows 8 or 10 on that PC. Windows 7 is only 4 years away from end of extended support and already reached end of mainstream support.

Dude, you really should just save your money. Yes the upgrades themselves might be cheap in terms of costs but in terms of actual cost-effectiveness, they're absolutely horrible.
 
I had a Dell 530 back in the day, and it was limited to 4GB by the BIOS. If you put 8GB in it, it wouldn't boot. They may have fixed that in a later revision, but not likely.

And as the poster above said, it's not cost effective. Older generations of memory tend to be at least 2x the cost per GB of the following generation. So DDR3 being ~$40 per 8GB, you'd be paying at least $80 for that much in low density, non-ecc unbuffered DDR2 (and a whole lot more if you have to get two 4GB modules instead of four 2GB modules).
 
The processor that's already on the 530 will support a 64-bit OS. If you want to upgrade from Vista to Windows 7, I'd say just go for it... 4GB is plenty for Windows 7. If that machine does last long enough that you end up needing Windows 8 or 10, then you might be able to get those Windows 7 drivers working by modifying INF files and disabling driver signature verifitcation, or may not even need them. Sometimes Windows supports stuff without the manufacturer's drivers... it even supported my old laptops. I'm pretty sure enough people will be dragging their heels to keep Windows 7 viable for a few more years, probably right up to 2020. XP was pretty usable right up until 2014, provided you didn't need 8GB of RAM or any 64-bit programs.

You really don't need any hardware upgrades, IMO. 4GB is plenty of RAM for everything you're likely to do with it. Anything that needs 8GB would probably also need a better processor and a decent video card.
 
athenian200 said:
The processor that's already on the 530 will support a 64-bit OS. If you want to upgrade from Vista to Windows 7, I'd say just go for it... 4GB is plenty for Windows 7. If that machine does last long enough that you end up needing Windows 8 or 10, then you might be able to get those Windows 7 drivers working by modifying INF files and disabling driver signature verifitcation, or may not even need them. Sometimes Windows supports stuff without the manufacturer's drivers... it even supported my old laptops. I'm pretty sure enough people will be dragging their heels to keep Windows 7 viable for a few more years, probably right up to 2020. XP was pretty usable right up until 2014, provided you didn't need 8GB of RAM or any 64-bit programs.

You really don't need any hardware upgrades, IMO. 4GB is plenty of RAM for everything you're likely to do with it. Anything that needs 8GB would probably also need a better processor and a decent video card.
Click to expand...

But that is NOT going to help with the programs that are running slow. The CPU is slow, the RAM throughput is slow, and therefore not worth "upgrading" for what the system is needed for.

I say get the XPS system as it is going to be an incredible increase in speed.
 
cyclone3d said:
But that is NOT going to help with the programs that are running slow. The CPU is slow, the RAM throughput is slow, and therefore not worth "upgrading" for what the system is needed for.

I say get the XPS system as it is going to be an incredible increase in speed.
Click to expand...

Well, obviously, but he mentioned that he does a lot of web browsing and light Adobe software usage. If all he does is use an old version of Photoshop and surf the web, then I think it's a little pointless to buy a whole new computer just so he can transfer his backups to a hard drive or USB stick a little faster via USB 3.0.

He seems to really want to hold onto that computer, I'm telling him that he should probably just be satisfied with the performance it has and just slap Windows 7 on it, run it into the ground rather than try to put any new hardware on it.

I really just don't think he needs 8GB of RAM or a fast processor to surf the web and use Photoshop. If he were gaming or playing with 3DSMax or something, I'd say he definitely needs a new computer.

I'm pretty sure he knows he needs a new computer soon, but he's trying to get the most out of the old one. And if he's on Vista or XP, then going to Windows 7 makes sense as a cheap way of extending the computer's life if it's got 4GB of RAM. That's no small amount, I have a Surface Pro and a Celeron-based SOC that have that amount, and they work fine for web surfing and basic computing tasks.

If he wants to see a real performance improvement, he should just get a new one like you said. But otherwise, I think he'd be better served just changing his behavior and doing stuff like limiting himself to 6-10 tabs rather than 20-30.
 
Thanks guys for all the feedback.

For now, I am using my laptop that I was able to upgrade to 8gb ram. It helps. I usually have lots of browser tabs open and that slows down my computer a lot. Reason why I am using laptop right now and not my desktop 530 is because of the ram, AND because it's running 64bit Windows 7. My desktop is 32 bit Windows 7.

believe me, if my laptop had USB3.0 I'd be alll set.

Anyway ... what's the best thing I can get for $200-300 that will give me USB 3.0, allow me to upgrade to 16gb RAM, and support future upgrades. And overall be a bit faster than my laptop
Dell Inspiron N4010
8gb RAM, Intel Pentium P6100 @ 2.00Ghz
 
Honestly, the best thing you can do with $200-300 is save up for however long it takes to have $500-600 for a decent entry-level computer. The $200-300 models are for people who don't already have a computer, but absolutely have to one right now and don't have any more money.
 
ryan_975 said:
Honestly, the best thing you can do with $200-300 is save up for however long it takes to have $500-600 for a decent entry-level computer. The $200-300 models are for people who don't already have a computer, but absolutely have to one right now and don't have any more money.
Click to expand...

I am just being cheap :) alright, thanks to all.

When I am ready for a new one ... i5 vs i7 XPS899 vs XPS8700? thoughts?
 
DaveM88 said:
I am just being cheap :) alright, thanks to all.

When I am ready for a new one ... i5 vs i7 XPS899 vs XPS8700? thoughts?
Click to expand...
Depends on the pricing difference and what programs you're talking about in your #4 listed usage.
 
ryan_975 said:
Honestly, the best thing you can do with $200-300 is save up for however long it takes to have $500-600 for a decent entry-level computer. The $200-300 models are for people who don't already have a computer, but absolutely have to one right now and don't have any more money.
Click to expand...

^^^ Pretty much this.
Save your cash for now. Push along with the stuff you have and save till you have enough for a new system.
Upgrades on your current hardware is just flushing money.
 
Should I just get this?

$199

Inspiron 3847, Windows 7 Professional English 64bit (Includes Windows 10 Pro License)
4th Generation Intel® Core™ i3-4170 Processor (3M Cache, 3.70 GHz)
4GB Single Channel DDR3 1600MHz (4GBx1) - I'll upgrade to 16gb
500GB 7200 rpm Hard Drive - don't care about this. I have external HD and SSD drive
Intel® HD Graphics

OR

$499 (hate to pay so much only because I am missing USB 3, BUT, maybe for faster program running, launching, and faster Adobe lightroom usage...)

DELL XPS 8900 i5-6400 8GB RAM 1TB HDD DVD-RW NVIDIA GT 730 WINDOWS 10
Intel 6th Generation Core i5-6400 Processor 2.7GHz/4 Cores/4 Threads/Max Turbo 3.3GHz
8GB Dual Channel DDR4 2133MHz RAM
1TB SATA 7200rpm Hard Drive
 
Again, can you please tell us what programs you're talking about in your #4 listed usage?

Also, is that Inspiron system used or involves a rebate or something? That's absurdly low.
 
Dangman said:
Again, can you please tell us what programs you're talking about in your #4 listed usage?

Also, is that Inspiron system used or involves a rebate or something? That's absurdly low.
Click to expand...

That $199 is with the rebate available right now.

My biggest pain point is
1) Slow USB 2.0
2) Viewing photos (avg 15mb size)
3) Somewhat slow Adobe lightroom
4) Want DVDFab to work faster
5) Usually have 20+ Chrome browser tabs open (after I upgraded my laptop to 8gb ram, seems like almost not a problem)

and I rarely restart my computer.

So, if this $199 PC solves my above mentioned problems, I am a happy camper.

I can always buy a 500gb SSD to use, right?
 
DaveM88 said:
That $199 is with the rebate available right now.

My biggest pain point is
1) Slow USB 2.0
2) Viewing photos (avg 15mb size)
3) Somewhat slow Adobe lightroom
4) Want DVDFab to work faster
5) Usually have 20+ Chrome browser tabs open (after I upgraded my laptop to 8gb ram, seems like almost not a problem)

and I rarely restart my computer.

So, if this $199 PC solves my above mentioned problems, I am a happy camper.

I can always buy a 500gb SSD to use, right?
Click to expand...
What's the price before rebate?

Well both PCs solve problem #1. As for #2, the XPS has a slightly better chance of that since most newer 1TB hard drives tends to be faster than their 500GB counterparts. As for #3 and #4, if my math is right, that Core i3-4170 would be, at worst case, just as fast as the Core i5-6400 with the programs you've mentioned. Best case scenario, the Core i3-4170 would be slightly faster. Finally for #5, either one would do fine once you do that SSD upgrade. I've had 40+ tabs open with a significantly slower Pentium G3258 but because it had 8GB of RAM and a SSD, it wasn't that slow at all.
 
Dangman said:
What's the price before rebate?

Well both PCs solve problem #1. As for #2, the XPS has a slightly better chance of that since most newer 1TB hard drives tends to be faster than their 500GB counterparts. As for #3 and #4, if my math is right, that Core i3-4170 would be, at worst case, just as fast as the Core i5-6400 with the programs you've mentioned. Best case scenario, the Core i3-4170 would be slightly faster. Finally for #5, either one would do fine once you do that SSD upgrade. I've had 40+ tabs open with a significantly slower Pentium G3258 but because it had 8GB of RAM and a SSD, it wasn't that slow at all.
Click to expand...

Original price is $399, coupon code takes it to 299 and then there is a mail in rebate I believe
 
Yup, I'd get the Core i3. It will be over twice the performance of the Sempron you currently have in single-threaded apps, and will give you up to six times the performance in multi-threaded apps.
 
Last edited:
defaultluser said:
Yup, I'd get the Core i3. It will be over twice the performance of the Sempron you currently have in single-threaded apps, and will give you three times the performance in multi-threaded apps.
Click to expand...

Ok, and how about my laptop?
Dell Inspiron N4010
8gb RAM, Intel Pentium P6100 @ 2.00Ghz
 
DaveM88 said:
Original price is $399, coupon code takes it to 299 and then there is a mail in rebate I believe
Click to expand...
Hope you've had good luck with MIR then.
DaveM88 said:
Ok, and how about my laptop?
Dell Inspiron N4010
8gb RAM, Intel Pentium P6100 @ 2.00Ghz
Click to expand...
Waay faster than your laptop. Even before we factor in the 1.7Ghz clock speed advantage, six years of progressive CPU performance increases means that clock for clock, the Core i3 4170 performs about 40% to 50% faster clock for clock.
 
and if I decided to go with XPS8900 .... should I go for i7 or i5? based on my needs? I do plan to use SSD drive and keep whatever drive it comes with inside the machine for backup files.
 
DaveM88 said:
and if I decided to go with XPS8900 .... should I go for i7 or i5? based on my needs? I do plan to use SSD drive and keep whatever drive it comes with inside the machine for backup files.
Click to expand...
i5 will be fine.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top