Confused Inspiron 530, 531 and 530s

[kdee69]

Am VERY new to all this so please be gentle with me


Am wanting to order one of the above tonight and am looking for a decent spec home machine - nothing fancy

All we do is surf t'internet, use i-tunes, banking, and excel, word, powerpoint.
Don't do gaming.

I have an external hardrive so memory isn't so much of an issue.

I quite like the idea of the "s" version but am wondering if I'm compromising somewhere else if I choose this one.

I want a "quiet" keyboard and a 19 inch monitor.

I notice none of them come with speakers, is this the norm now?

I'd quite like a dvd writer and the ability to connect wirelessly.

my budget is £400

Can anyone advise or assist?

[Paul]

Hi kdee,

I think the Inspiron 530 Evalue system D025010 (3rd one down in the list) will suit your needs perfectly and also offer you the ability to upgrade the graphics card in the future if the need arises, i.e if you decide you would want to play cutting edge 3d games.

The Inspiron 530s is a slimline machine and would therefore limit future graphics card upgrades while the AMD processors used in the Inspiron 531 do not offer the performance of the Intel Core 2 Duo processors used in the Inspiron 530.

When you are configuring the system on the Dell website there is an option for a wireless networking card and also options for speakers, although these options would take you slightly over your budget of £400.

If you need any more advice please ask.

[spannerzone]

I'm more than happy with the recent Dell Vostro's that I've had (these are the same hardware as the 530, but aimed at small business)

Couple of things to consider, ideally get 2Gb of ram if possible, Vista will run better for sure, don't confuse this memory with the external storage you mention, it's totally different type of memory (it's RAM whereas your external drive is harddrive storage)

Make sure you get DVD RW as a few models still come with CDRW/DVD which means it can burn CD's but only play DVDs... DVDRW means it can play and burn CD and DVD.

The keyboard option Logitech™ Cordless Desktop™ EX110 isn't bad but the mouse is a bit flimsy for my liking but a cheap upgrade and not much to lose really (you can always change a keyboard/mouse if needed later on)

Get the wireless card option as it's cheap and also consider the 19in1 media bay as this is a cheap handy option - allowing easier connection of memory sticks and cards... adding this later is a pain and much more expensive..

Finally, the cheapest speakers aren't actually bad but the neatest option is a Dell soundbar that clips under your chosen dell monitor - but this is a costlier option.

Do check out the various DMX offers listed and spec up the machine that fits the bill.... sometimes upgrading the cheapest model works out dearer than choosing a higher priced models that requires less upgrade options when choosing before purchase. (eg base model with slower CPU / less memory costs more if you add more memory/CPU speed compared to the next model up which has the more memory/faster CPU as standard)