Desktop Video Card Upgrades FAQ (7/27/2010)

Hello,

I have a Dell sudio xps 8000 with standard hardware: processor Intel i5 750, a 350watt power supply and a geforce gts240.

Now last week Nvidia came with the new GTX460. and I am really interested to switch my current card with that one. On several websites I found that this card also requires a 450Watt power supply (this is the same requirement as the gts240).

I also found on websites that the power consumption of the GTX460 should be similar to the GTX260 which is an upgrade option for this computer.

Now my questions:

Can I switch my Geforce gts240 for a GTX 460 without replacing the power supply??

and if not: what would be a wise alternative power supply?

If anyone could answer me I would be really pleased. And thanks in advance.

Jiri Soukup,

No idea, we never tested. You will have to check it for us and post the results.

Insane_QQ,

The Studio XPS 8000 350w power supply was validated with the following video cards. I cannot find any Dell documentation on the GTX460. Ati says the Radeon HD4870 requires a 500w power supply yet it works on our 350w power supply. Stands to reason that the GTX460 would work since both Ati and Nvidia overstate the power supply requirements.
GeForce GTX 260 P201N
GeForce GTS 240, P118N
GeForce 9300GE, M114N
GeForce GT220, M205
Radeon HD5670, M206
Radeon HD4870 RV770XT
Radeon HD4870 RV770, P117A
Radeon HD4350, M113

Other than the one 6pin that will go to the video card, list all other available power supply leads.

Thank you for the answer. I also have had contact with dell support on this. They say that the 350watt power supply is sufficiant for the GTX460. But there is a catch. all GTX460 cards require 2 times a 6-pin power connector and the 350watt power supply only has 1 of those connectors.

Now I do not know if there are any conversion cables from the available connectors to 6-pins....

Though if I would want a geforce GTX260 i also have a problem as far as I found the gtx260 that are sold seperatly also require 2 of those connectors while the gtx260 dell uses in this system has only pne 6-pin connector. The 2 replys a got from dell are:

"Thank you for contacting Dell hardware support. Please excuse the delayed reply. Because of unexpected several issues on our E-Mail Servers, many E-Mails were misrouted and this was the cause for the hold-up in the reply time. We are very sorry for this and hope you have comprehension with it.  
Anyway, I will do my best to help you with your query. 
 
According to the various tests which you can read on internet, GTX 460 really has similar (or even lower) power consumption as older GTX 260. So if your computer works fine with GTX 260, it should also work fine with GTX 460. 
 
If you had any other queries or questions, please don't hesitate and let me know. " 

after this I  asked about the power connectors. This because I found on the nvidia site that both the GTX260 and gtx460 require 2 of the 6-pin connectors. the reply from dell:

"I have checked the GTX 260 card which we mount into Studio XPS 8000 and it has only one 6-pin connector. That's why you don't have two 6-pin connectors in your computer. Therefore, it seems that it could be a problem to mount GTX 460 into your computer.

Maybe if you found some reduction cable which would create another 6-pin connector, the card might work. However, we have never tested it, so I cannot guarantee the functionality of this setup. Furthermore, in the case that the computer's power supply couldn't handle two 6-pin connectors and it would break down, you would cause the warranty void.

If you had any other queries or questions, please don't hesitate and let me know."

So now I got a question: Can I somehow create a second 6-pin power connector??

I am afraid that those options are quit poor. The power connectors that I have left:

Two  serial ata power connectors (called P7 on the wires) (these are the kind of power connecters modern HDD's can connect to)

and one serial ata connector which is smaller (called P4 on the wire)

So in total I have only 3 connectors left. (this is ofcource besides the already existing 6-pin connector that is powering my currect video card)

Check here for a sata to 6-pin converter. You can then look for one locally at Frys or another electronics store.

thanks very much. I will try this.

I've got an XPS 410 running a nvidia 7900 GS.  I checked the PSU and its a 375w (L375P-00).

I want to upgrade to a GTX 460, do you think I have enough juice?

Thebiz125,

I doubt it. The GeForce GTX 460 uses 270w loaded. That only leaves you 105w for everything else.

Chris,

Thanks for your input.  I find it a little puzzling though because you say above that a ATI Radeon HD4870 works with a 350w power supply.  Based on a couple reviews I glanced at, it supposedly draws 280w under load which is in the same ballpark as the Nvidia GTX 460.

To be safe though I'll probably just get a new PSU.

Because I was reffering to the Dell 4870, not the retail video card. The specifications are different. The GTX 460 is a retail card.

thanx

Chris,

I am working on My sister's PC and I am having problems with the video card. The PC is a Dimension 4600, service tag < ADMIN NOTE : Service tag removed per privacy policy >. The video card is a Nvidia geforce 5200. She was getting a BSOD related to the video card. I initially thought the video card was bad, so removed it and switched her to the on-board video card. She still got a BSOD so I thought it was the motherboard. I replaced the motherboard, and the video card with the same makes. Was able to get it to work for a short period of time but the system still crashes with the same BSOD (sorry I don't have it with me). The only other alteration I have made is adding RAM. She now has 3GB. We were able to start the PC in safe mode, uninstall the driver, and restart the machine normally to reinstall the driver. The system crashed again and now she can not even get to system start up to go into safe mode again.

If I tell her to switch over to the on-board video card, will that get her to be able to boot in safe mode? I was hoping to uninstall the driver and use the windows default driver to troubleshoot.

Can I get her a better video card that will not crash like the 5200?

Any help you can offer would be appreciated. Thank you!