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Dimension 9150 and Video Card upgrade
I'm looking into getting a new video card for my Dimension 9150. I'm looking into getting either a 9800gt or an HD4850. However, I'm concerned that my future card won't fit due to the fan cage (due to the new video card being too long AND too tall). Can anyone with a 9150 tell me if this is a real concern or if there's any specifics I should look out for when purchasing a new video card..
contrvlr
1.4K Posts
1
February 12th, 2009 09:00
You shouldn't have a problem with either the fit or power.
Full dual slot cards such as the 8800 GTS 640 fit and don't require a psu upgrade ( there's only a 4 watt difference in power consumption between the two video cards )
evol200
38 Posts
1
February 12th, 2009 09:00
I'm sort of in the same boat you are in, I have a Dimension 8400, but the processor is my bottleneck I have a processor 630 P4 w/ Hyperthreading at 3.0Ghz. To get the full effect of my video card, I'm trying to upgrade my processor from a 3.0Ghz to a 3.6Ghz, so my ATI HD 4650 wont stutter so much on Frames per sec.. (example-I play Oblivion GTY). The other thing too is that our machines are not obselete but they're heading in that direction, the mother board has something to do with it to, you dont want to get something thats soo good that the machine cant fully utilize it because the processor can't keep up, this is why the new machines have 2 processor and are designed much differently.
If you decide to get a new card you might have to get a Newer (plus 50watts, etc.) Power supply Unit as well. The Stock Power supply might not be enough Juice, hence the machine will power off when in use.
These things should be considered. You might know these things already, but from using my HD 4650, I really like it. One of the highlights of that card is that it has a low power consumption rate and if I wanted to I CAN have dual 4650s running at the same time( their crossfire feature), but then again the machine can't keep up.
Doing my own research either cards are pretty good, but it reall comes down to what your machine can really do, once the hardware is maxed out.
I hope this helps. I know there's others that are smarter than me, but some of this is from my understandings. Have Fun
james confused
6 Posts
1
February 12th, 2009 09:00
Thanks for the info! I'll definately keep in mind the psu might need replacing. I figure a 4850 for my Pentium D 3 ghz should be about right (maybe a slight bottleneck on the cpu part but i dont mind).
But I'm literally concerned that this video card (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125238) won't fit in my 9150. Has anyone found that video card selection to be really important for phsyical space requirements?
evol200
38 Posts
1
February 12th, 2009 10:00
You'll get the graghics that your looking for, but the drawback you'll get is when your moving in the game. Example-when roaming in Oblivion for me typically when running through the wilderness, there's always a hill that slowly comes into view and trees in the backraound that should be there, but it takes a fraction of a sec for it to appear, although the Ultra High settings (graphics) dont suffer at all. The other thing to is when running, the game is smooth for about 5 seconds, then it freezes for about 1/10 of a second, its noticable, but not that much.
Like I said ATI HD 4650 is a real good card, that card is not that far behind from the HD 4670. The 4670 has a bit more memory, probably a tad bit faster than the 4650. Not really a huge improvement. Then there' the 4800 series from ATI. Those are good, but again the processor is the main drawback.
If you google Can You Run It you should see this web site systemrequirementslab.com, tthat will tell you where your machine really stands.
The other web site too is yougamers.com go to their website->Games, then click on the small Icon next to the game it says Game-O-Meter. their website will scan your hardware and tell you 3 different hardware requirements, I prefer to use yougamers recommendation because of the stuttering problem I am having when I play Oblivion GTY.
Just mess aound with that and at the end of the scan it will tell you a bunch of stuff as well as video cards that they recommend. If you decide on buying a card from Best Buy go to their web site first and see if anything is on sale, make a print of it and go to the Best Buy around the corner they should honor their own sales because sometimes they don't mark down stuff in their store even though its for sale on their website. Thats one way of out smartin the man.
But overall those websites should give more information and a different perspective on how everything works together.
james confused
6 Posts
0
February 12th, 2009 10:00
BTW, i plan on running it at 1920x1200 with as much gfx as possible
james confused
6 Posts
1
February 12th, 2009 10:00
Thanks for the info! I'll trust your word and go with my video card! (unless you think its overkill and i should just get a 9800gt..)
BoostedWizdom
10 Posts
0
February 23rd, 2010 22:00
Hello, I have installed a GTX 260 GIGABYTE OC, in my Dimension 9150 yesterday. It fits. I had a few extras (second DVD/eSATA etc) being powered so I had to get a splitter for the 6 pin connector, but other than that so far no problems. I ran 3DMARK06 and got 6500 marks. I got 6300 marks with my old 9800GT so dont know if its worth the extra $$. But a great card to keep for use maybe later since they are not too expensive now.
Both work fine. 9800gt had a lot more room around it. But the GTX260 fits fine. No issues so far.
I ended up getting my XPS 730 replaced with a GTX295 so my SLI set up, 2xGTX260's cards got left over. Thats why Im putting a GTX260 in a dimension 9150.
The 9800GT ran everything beautifuly. Just make sure you get a strong one.. not one of the $80 things off ebay.