PC Computer Graphics Card/PSU Upgrade

[Lord Diddy]

Edit: The upgrades worked perfectly, everything fit perfectly (although a bit cluttered). Very happy with the performance.

 

Been a while since I've been on this forum :mrgreen: , after a lot of research I found reasonable purchases, but I thought why not get the old tip.it forums audience advice.

 

--Planning to buy the following upgrades

Rosewill RP600V2-S-SL 600W ATX12V v2.01 Power Supply

Radeon HD 5670

 

Edit-

CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V

Radeon HD 5770 (Juniper XT) 1GB

 

Current Setup

Operating System

-MS Windows XP Media Center Edition Professional 32-bit SP3

PSU

-375 Watt Power Supply

Processor

-Intel Pentium D 820

Memory

-4.0GB Dual-Channel DDR2 @ 332MHz (5-5-5-14)

Mobo

-Dell Inc. 0YC523 (Microprocessor)

Video Card

-256MB RADEON X600 256MB HyperMemory (ATI)

Hard Drives

-156GB SAMSUNG SAMSUNG (IDE)

-625GB Western Digital WDC (IDE)

Optical Drives

-SONY DVD-ROM DDU1615

-PHILIPS DVD+-RW DVD8701

-HSRCB PM70DQZW SCSI CdRom Device

Sound Card

-SigmaTel High Definition Audio CODEC

 

--recommended PSU Wattage: 366 W

 

Questions:

Will both purchases be fully compatible with my system?

Are there any products that would be a better alternative?

Would using a VGA to DVI converter from monitor to Pc port slow down my performance?

[Tim]

VGA -DVI doesnt altar the performance, It merly changes the wiring around in the converter so a DVI/VGA plug can fit because the other type doesnt fit.

 

Personally I'm not a fan of Radeon but that's only because of bad experiences with it and that stupid Catalyst Control Center - If something goes wrong it makes a mess of things. So I stuck with nVidia (Mine being a EVGA nVidia GTX480.)

 

Any power supply will fit, its a case of the plugs. because you have IDE-based Hard drives, you might need a SATA->Molex plug for them, unless the PS comes with two Molex plugs. Ex: my PS,Fatal1ty, is gaming designed, and you can plug in alternate plugs, weather its SATA or Molex. good for customizing.

[Lord Diddy]

Knew I forgot something about my HDDs and their connectors. Also to be sure, these converters wont have any effect on my read/write speeds on the drives correct? Im on a budget so a psu in the $50-$80 price range is what im after.

 

Thanks for the feedback.

[Hegelstad]

I don't really think you will need a new PSU with that setup. Atleast purchase the graphics card first, if it doesn't run, buy a new PSU as well. The card is okay, but not especially good. However what Tim stated is a bit outdated, because AMD recently released a new beta of the Catalyst Control Center, which lifts the standard almost to the level of nvidia's tool. But of course, Nvidia for best stability!

[OldJoe]

Personally i'd nick this or this power supply, your new card uses about 50w.

 

What's your current psu?

[Lord Diddy]

I don't really think you will need a new PSU with that setup. Atleast purchase the graphics card first, if it doesn't run, buy a new PSU as well. The card is okay, but not especially good. However what Tim stated is a bit outdated, because AMD recently released a new beta of the Catalyst Control Center, which lifts the standard almost to the level of nvidia's tool. But of course, Nvidia for best stability!

 

I really didn't go for the highest level cards, I just compared prices to benchmarks to give me a sense of whats a good deal. Im not looking to play Crysis on max settings at a high fps, just casual gaming along with video/photo edditing. Seems like the card better suited for my tastes along with a good price. Also i've been seeing more affordable prices for ATI compared to Nividia because in my experience they are of equal level, just depends on preference. Thanks, and replys are always appreciated :grin:

Personally i'd nick this or this power supply, your new card uses about 50w.

 

What's your current psu?

 

Its a standard Dell 375 Watt PSU. Im looking for a higher wattage (500-600) for future upgrades. I was considering one of those but I thought i'd spend the extra and get one to last my needs. Also trying to find one that has molex pins so I wont have to worry about HDD converters.

 

Edit: Going for the Radeon HD 5770 its more expensive but its much better.

[Sbrideau]

So it is a Dell computer you have? None of this might actually be compatible, since it's a Dell. If you open the case, on which side is the motherboard?

[Tim]

So it is a Dell computer you have? None of this might actually be compatible, since it's a Dell. If you open the case, on which side is the motherboard?

I think Dell is swapped, as well as HP, depends on the model. It pissed me off when I did repairs..

 

"Okay, lets replace the dead mobo with a giga- oh wait, Dells is on the LEFT hand side.

[OldJoe]

Damn, i completely missed it was a dell.

[Lord Diddy]

 

PIcture of my mobo video card slots, please excuse the excessive size. Correct me if im wrong but it look like they will fit (unless im looking at this entirely wrong).

[Sbrideau]

The mobo is on the wrong side of the case. No standard video cards will fit in there.

[lordkafei]

I am reading that upgrading the power supply on a Dell system can be a very bad idea.

 

What specific Dell model do you have?

[Lord Diddy]

I am reading that upgrading the power supply on a Dell system can be a very bad idea.

 

What specific Dell model do you have?

 

Xps 400, I had read that this model along with others do not use a Dell proprietary power supply. This PC is from 2006, so Dell has a bit more upgradeability in these models. I do admit that a chance of frying my motherboard isnt good to hear.

 

The mobo is on the wrong side of the case. No standard video cards will fit in there.

 

Im sorry but when I look at this from a spacial and logical viewpoint it matches up perfectly regardless of mobo placement, unless im just being delusional because I want the upgrade so badly.

[lordkafei]

I am reading that upgrading the power supply on a Dell system can be a very bad idea.

 

What specific Dell model do you have?

 

Xps 400, I had read that this model along with others do not use a Dell proprietary power supply. This PC is from 2006, so Dell has a bit more upgradeability in these models

 

Mmmkay, but my concern wasn't the proprietary nature of connectors - it was the possibility of the mobos themselves being unable to handle that much current.

[Hegelstad]

I don't really think you will need a new PSU with that setup. Atleast purchase the graphics card first, if it doesn't run, buy a new PSU as well. The card is okay, but not especially good. However what Tim stated is a bit outdated, because AMD recently released a new beta of the Catalyst Control Center, which lifts the standard almost to the level of nvidia's tool. But of course, Nvidia for best stability!

 

I really didn't go for the highest level cards, I just compared prices to benchmarks to give me a sense of whats a good deal. Im not looking to play Crysis on max settings at a high fps, just casual gaming along with video/photo edditing. Seems like the card better suited for my tastes along with a good price. Also i've been seeing more affordable prices for ATI compared to Nividia because in my experience they are of equal level, just depends on preference. Thanks, and replys are always appreciated :grin:

Personally i'd nick this or this power supply, your new card uses about 50w.

 

What's your current psu?

 

Its a standard Dell 375 Watt PSU. Im looking for a higher wattage (500-600) for future upgrades. I was considering one of those but I thought i'd spend the extra and get one to last my needs. Also trying to find one that has molex pins so I wont have to worry about HDD converters.

 

Edit: Going for the [url="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=

pensive but its much better.

 

 

Ehhhh its _not_ up to personal feelings wether one wants a AMD or Nvidia graphics card.... You know, i have had both lately and my friend has the same model as me and we are both experiencing driver trouble and spikes. Do yourself a buy nvidia, even a nvidia card with worse specs are much better because of the drivers good quality and efficiency. If i lived closer i would let you buy my 5870 cheap so that i could buy a new Nvidia. AMD is goddamn crappy -.-

[OldJoe]

Mr Norwegian, how much bullcrap are you going to spew out against AMD on this forum?

None of your posts are constructive, all you do is say "AMD cpu/gpu will break, buy Intel and Nvidia!!!!".

Start a separate topic about the quality of a product or a brand if you wish, but stop cluttering up every god damn thread.

 

Thank you.

[Sbrideau]

On a graphics card upgrade thread, I think it is a good idea to debate a little.

 

I do not agree that AMD processors are bad, in fact they're as good as Intel processors on quality side.

 

For the graphics card, I'm going to have to agree with him. From my own experience and what I'm seeing with my friends, while AMD graphics cards are stronger and have better specs, Nvidia drivers are much more stable, which makes both brands peform the same. Unfortunately I've had a few BSODs with Ati drivers while I never had any with Nvidia cards.

[OldJoe]

On a graphics card upgrade thread, I think it is a good idea to debate a little.

 

I do not agree that AMD processors are bad, in fact they're as good as Intel processors on quality side.

 

For the graphics card, I'm going to have to agree with him. From my own experience and what I'm seeing with my friends, while AMD graphics cards are stronger and have better specs, Nvidia drivers are much more stable, which makes both brands peform the same. Unfortunately I've had a few BSODs with Ati drivers while I never had any with Nvidia cards.

My post was directed to all his last few posts on this forum part, in like 5 topics or whatever, that's the only thing he said.

[Sbrideau]

On a graphics card upgrade thread, I think it is a good idea to debate a little.

 

I do not agree that AMD processors are bad, in fact they're as good as Intel processors on quality side.

 

For the graphics card, I'm going to have to agree with him. From my own experience and what I'm seeing with my friends, while AMD graphics cards are stronger and have better specs, Nvidia drivers are much more stable, which makes both brands peform the same. Unfortunately I've had a few BSODs with Ati drivers while I never had any with Nvidia cards.

My post was directed to all his last few posts on this forum part, in like 5 topics or whatever, that's the only thing he said.

 

Oh, I see now.

[Guy]

I had that dell computer that you had. I'm 95% sure that the PSU is a different size to standard PSU's, so you can not upgrade it. I can't say about the graphics card - I upgraded mine but it was only 1 expansion slot high, not 2.

 

If I were you, I would just go the whole way and ditch dell. Buy a case, a new motherboard, a new PSU and a new GFX card. Yes, it will be a lot more expensive. But if your motherboard/PSU breaks in that current setup, you're going to have to do that anyway. It is a lot better to ditch Dell's non-standard parts and get fully standard easily upgradable parts, so you can just replace the components that fail - not the entire computer. I highly reccomend doing this.

 

Tech details of case: it is BTx format, not ATx format (which is standard). The PSU is more square in this dell case, and will not fit in ATx cases. The motherboard is the same. I had this exact machine and those are the problems I faced.

[Lord Diddy]

I had read that someone was saying it was an ATX board on the Dell forums, also heard Btx from another google result. Now would the cables even fit on this board or should I just not try to attempt regardless of it fitting.

 

I was considering going for the whole new case and mobo decision, the only thing is im off to college in a few months. Im really in a debate whether my money should go into a new laptop or getting a nice rig for my desktop. Ill know in a day which route ill take.

 

Thanks for all the reply's so far, greatly appreciated.

[Guy]

Personally, I would not try to fit it.

 

If I were you, given your situation, I'd buy a decent laptop that will do very well for your work as well as RS.

[Lord Diddy]

Really im looking at the facts from other people's situation on upgrading their xps. http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/175571-28-dell-what-power-supply-wattage-system is the first option that came as results and many people have posted on their systems. About halfway down it has a picture of the same model as my case and mobo with a crosair modular 620 watt psu (there is space though from the gap in the back of case). So im still skeptical about these working or not based on the information i seen.

 

Edit: Both PSU and video card worked and fit perfectly. Now im just debating to go for an entirely new pc setup, look forward to a new thread for a new build.

 

Thank you to everyone who posted, even if some advice was misleading I learned a few things :thumbsup: