Difference between revisions of "Dell Inspiron 531"

From Eugene Eric Kim
(Moved bullet points here. Updated some of the content.)
(More updates)
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I bought this in 2007.  I'm going to convert it into a media center PC in February 2013, swapping out the Nvidia GEFORCE 9400GT for one of these [http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=Property&Subcategory=48&Description=&Type=&N=100007709&IsNodeId=1&IsPowerSearch=1&srchInDesc=&MinPrice=&MaxPrice=&OEMMark=0&PropertyCodeValue=696%3A9641&PropertyCodeValue=696%3A53938&PropertyCodeValue=696%3A33099&PropertyCodeValue=686%3A49755&PropertyCodeValue=686%3A25271&PropertyCodeValue=686%3A42010&PropertyCodeValue=3209%3A100123&PropertyCodeValue=3209%3A56831&PropertyCodeValue=3209%3A23120&PropertyCodeValue=2953%3A18921&PropertyCodeValue=3200%3A22195 video cards with HDMI] (see [http://www.sevenforums.com/graphic-cards/230928-advise-video-card-media-center-pc.html this] for more information), and attempting to use the 9400GT in a [[Hackintosh]]. I'll also need a [http://www.amazon.com/LG-Electronics-Internal-Rewriter-WH14NS40/dp/B007VPGL5U/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1360971942&sr=1-3&keywords=blu-ray+drive Blu-Ray drive].
I bought this in 2007.  I'm going to convert it into a media center PC in May 2013. Current specs:


* Primary OS is [[Ubuntu]] Jaunty Jackalope
* Primary OS is [[Ubuntu]] Jaunty Jackalope
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The default max capacity is two 500GB drives. Upgrading BIOS to 1.0.13 (suggested by [http://icrontic.com/forum/showthread.php?t=78838 this piece]) boosted the capacity. I now have two 1TB drives in there.
The default max capacity is two 500GB drives. Upgrading BIOS to 1.0.13 (suggested by [http://icrontic.com/forum/showthread.php?t=78838 this piece]) boosted the capacity. I now have two 1TB drives in there.
== Video ==
EVGA GEFORCE 8400GS 1GB. Replaced a Nvidia GEFORCE 9400GT, which now resides in my [[Hackintosh]]. Used [http://www.sevenforums.com/graphic-cards/230928-advise-video-card-media-center-pc.html this post] as a guide to help determine which video card to get.


== History ==
== History ==


;April 3, 2013
;April 3, 2013
:Migrated to my [[Hackintosh]] as my primary machine.
:Migrated to my [[Hackintosh]] as my primary machine. Swapped out my video card and my DVD-RW for a Blu-Ray drive.  
;June 22, 2009
;June 22, 2009
:Upgraded BIOS to [http://support.us.dell.com/support/downloads/download.aspx?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&releaseid=R210331&formatcnt=1&libid=0&fileid=295867 1.0.13].
:Upgraded BIOS to [http://support.us.dell.com/support/downloads/download.aspx?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&releaseid=R210331&formatcnt=1&libid=0&fileid=295867 1.0.13].

Revision as of 14:52, 6 April 2013

I bought this in 2007. I'm going to convert it into a media center PC in May 2013. Current specs:

Memory

PC2-4200/5300/6400 DDR2 SDRAM DIMMs. This site recommends maximizing the memory in each bank. Also see this site.

Hard Disk

The default max capacity is two 500GB drives. Upgrading BIOS to 1.0.13 (suggested by this piece) boosted the capacity. I now have two 1TB drives in there.

Video

EVGA GEFORCE 8400GS 1GB. Replaced a Nvidia GEFORCE 9400GT, which now resides in my Hackintosh. Used this post as a guide to help determine which video card to get.

History

April 3, 2013
Migrated to my Hackintosh as my primary machine. Swapped out my video card and my DVD-RW for a Blu-Ray drive.
June 22, 2009
Upgraded BIOS to 1.0.13.
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