Dell Inspiron 530 Desktop Computer (Intel Celeron 450, 500GB HDD, 3GB)

CNET editors' take

• Reviewed by:
  Matthew Elliott
• Reviewed on: 06/26/2007
• Updated on: 10/10/2007
• Released on: 06/26/2007

Dell has dropped its venerable Dimension desktop brand. Now, both its mainstream consumer desktops and laptops will carry the Inspiron name. Along with the name change, Dell's new Inspiron 530 and 530s PCs usher in Intel's latest G33 chipset (aka Bearlake), which features a speedy 1,333MHz frontside bus. The other two models in the lineup, the Inspiron 531 and 531s, feature AMD processors on Nvidia's MCP 61 chipset. The 530s and 531s units feature a slim chassis akin to the Dimension C521's. Each of the four models boasts a wide array of configuration options; prices start at a rock-bottom $349 and can quickly top $1,500 when you start adding upgrades. For complete details, read our full review of the Dell Inspiron 531, which won an Editors' Choice.

The big range in price is due in large part to the wide array of CPU options. The Intel-based models offer both low-end Celeron and dual-core Core 2 Duo processors, while the AMD-based models offer both low-end Sempron and dual-core Athlon 64 X2 processors. Memory ranges from 512MB to 4GB. All four major flavors of Vista are offered as well, and though you have to hunt around on Dell's site to find it, the Inspiron 530 is available with either Windows XP Home or Pro.

Both the midtower and the slim chassis offer two hard drive bays (which you can populate with two 500GB drives for a 1TB of storage) and the option for a PCI Express graphics card (the half-height variety for the 530s and 531s units). Also available in all models but particularly useful in the slim models, which are likely candidates to be shoehorned into home theater racks, is an optional 802.11b/g (but sadly, not 802.11n) Wi-Fi card, which will save you from having to run an Ethernet cable through your living room. Another living-room friendly technology, Bluetooth, is an option, and a Blu-ray drive is offered on a higher-end model. One note about the optical drive: the Intel G33 motherboard features only serial ATA connections, meaning you're out of luck if you want to add in an old parallel ATA optical drive you may have lying around.

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Reviews from around the WebPowered by alaTest

• alaTest.com

  Editors' rating: 92

  Summary: alaTest has collected and analyzed 1651 reviews of Dell Inspiron 530 from international magazines and websites. Experts rate this product 73/100 and users 85/100. Comparing these reviews to 65046 other Desktops reviews gives this product an overall alaScore™ 92/100 = Excellent.

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• techradar.com

  Editors' rating: 80

  Summary: However, if you can live with that, and would appreciate the extra storage space, then the Inspiron 530 looks like a real bargain

  Read full review

• pcworld.com

  Editors' rating: 89

  Summary: If you want a value desktop with an excellent price-to-performance ratio and some room to grow, Dell's Inspiron 530 is arguably the best deal among the budget PCs we've tested recently

  Read full review

• pcmag.com

  Editors' rating: 60

  Summary: While the Dell Inspiron 530 is a capable system for tackling home tasks (as well as some multimedia apps), there are better value systems that offer more.

  Read full review