Hi guys,
Here is my config:
Dell Inspiron 530 - Intel Core 2 quad Q6600 2.4Ghz, 1066FSB, 4GB Ram 1066Mhz(2x OCZ 2x1GB DDR2 PC2-8500 kit ), 2 Samsung 500GB 72000rpm Hard drives, XFX Geforce 8600GTS 256MB PCI-e, Linksys WMP54G, PSU 350W. (Vista Premiun 32bit)
I know the Dell motherboard can handle 1333FSB because it comes also with the E6550.
I'm a Mainframe Sofware Configuration Manager, so PC computers are not my field of expertise and there are among you guys some seriously insane overclockers.
I want to go up to 3Ghz 1333FSB but questions:
Is it possible? If yes, do I need a new PSU? should I change the fan? which one?
how do I overclock step by step?
If it's not possible what Intel CPU can I upgrade with? For later when the price drops.

I also own a copy of Vista Ultimate 32bit and 64bit and I would have loved to go to 64bit but all my geek friends are telling me my softwares won't run anymore.
I run ZoneAlarm Pro, System Mechanics Pro, OpenOffice, Firefox, Thunderbird, Yahoo Music jukebox for my MP3 players, digital camera software,.. and games.
Is it worth for me going to Vista 64bit? But I'm not sure the Dell Mobo and Bios would support Vista 64bit, I need to ask Dell first.

Thanks for your time and for educating me .
Pascal.

Sorry my friend but Dell doesnt support overclocking.You need a new motherboard and powersupply and a better cpu heatsink to OC your Dell.

Yup Pascal, Mothow's right with his answer. To start with, the best way to OC is through
Bios (there are also desktop programs to do this) and Dell locks the BIOS to prevent
this. You have to get a new motherboard to OC, and this would void your warranty with
Dell The PSU as Mothow mentioned, would have to be replaced with a higher rated
wattage (at least 500w). You have a powerful CPU, which's capable being overclocked
easily to 3.80GHz plus (by experienced overclockers). Your RAM is good RAM too.
But if you're prepared to upgrade your motherboard (not through Dell) then you can
start to OC. You'd need a higher grade Heatsink Fan as well. I'm into liquid cooling,
so I'm not as clued up these days on what's the best HSF to get. But I used to have
the Zalman 9500 which was excellent for OC'ing. There's other guys in this forum
like Crashnburn, Mothow, Dublin Gunner, etc who could help you out for choosing
a heatsink if you decided to upgrade.

Might I add that OC'ing is frustrating as hell when you first start off. I jumped in at the
deep end when I started off, and it took me weeks, even months to get a stable OC.
I'd to read up loads by googling, etc, and had to figure out much myself by taking
numerous risks and gambles with hardware. I'm probably making this sound more
difficult than it actually is, but it's true.

Thanks guys. that's what I suspected and it's not a big deal when I'm ready to do it, timewise etc... I'll buy a new case, MOBO, PSU, HSF,... and dig up into forum, google etc..

I have an Inspiron 530 a Conroe Core 2 Duo. The motherboard is the FoxConn G33M. It runs Dell based Phoenix BIOS. Can this be re-flashed to run the AMI Bios that FoxConn provides on their website? It seems like a cheap way to convert my non-overclockable computer into one that can be overclocked.

Thanks in advance

David

If its the same board other than the Bios yes it can be flashed

Do you think I could update to the AMI BIOS via the FoxConn Windows based BIOS update program, or should I do it with the system completely down?

Just make sure you understand the RISK that you are taking.
You will void any Dell warantee.
But if it is out of warantee, then just make sure that you have good system backups that are not dependent on installed SW.

Gerritt

I'm just wondering if you have tried flashing your bios with a Foxconn one?

It seems that the mobo is a customized Foxconn G33M-S so it might work.

Would love to find out but don't feel I can risk it without seeing someone else having a success.

Foxconn G33M-S: http://tinyurl.com/6c9894

thats risky, I would advise against flashing the BIOS with a different one.

You're probably right!

I would not recommend flashing your BIOS with anything other then a Dell BIOS, as you could end up killing the board and making it unusable if the board. Only flash it with a Foxconn BIOS if others have done it successfully and without any issues. Maybe try looking over on the official Dell forums, as there is a lot of Dell users over there and they have lots of answers. When ever I am working on fixing a Dell and have a problem I go there and almost always find answers to my questions.

Even if you do flash it successfully with the Foxconn BIOS, it still probably will not be a great overclocking motherboard. Foxconn isn't usually regarded as a good overclocking board although a few models they make are pretty solid boards for overclocking.

If you want a faster CPU you could either buy a faster CPU or get a new motherboard such as an affordable Asus, Gigabyte, Abit, or DFI P35 or P45 based motherboard. You should be able to use all the rest of the components from your Dell although you may run into some issues possibly with the PSU, and case. Dell PSUs usually do not have switches on the back, and in my experience most of the time their cases have weird proprietary CPU coolers that sometimes have huge airducts going out the back of the case.