radeon 5870 in dell t3500

As long as you have 11" of space, then it should fit.  I just recommend taking a measurement.  Also make sure you have the right connections on your power supply for the HD 5870.  Is there a specific one you are interested in?  Most go with the newer HD 6950 is it offers more performance and uses less power.   I don't see any reason to upgrade to another power supply if you have the right connections for the card.  

I see that the 6950 is actually a similar price to the 5870. is it a much better card?

thanks again.

Many thanks for your reply Jmichael!

there is plenty of physical space for the card to tuck in behind the hard drive.

However... I can only see one loose 6pin connector... might there be another one plugged into the current fx580?

In the literature for the machine, it says that graphics cards like the fx5800 are supported. this is a 2gb beast of a card, so you would think that the psu would have the 2 6pin plugs needed to power it.

I was particularly interested in the novatech ati radeon 5870 or similar around the £200 price point as these cards have been recommended to me for use with rhino 3d which is my main use for the computer. 

thanks again.

It is really just a newer card with newer technology as the HD 5870 will be phased out.  They really are about equal in performance, but given the same cost, I would choose the HD 6950 given several improvements that come with this new GPU over the 5000 series.  

Thanks again Jmichael,

Do you have any idea whether the t3500 takes a standard ATX power supply? I can't seem to get a straight answer from anyone, and it looks as though I'm going to have to replace the PSU to get the 2 6pin power plugs needed for the 6950.

John.

Many thanks Jmichael.

I'm beginning to think I should just buy the card, see if I can make it work, and then upgrade the psu if not...

Pretty sure its a ATX though judging by its dimensions and connections.

John.

I don't know if this system could fit a standard ATX power supply.  If you only have one PCIe 6-pin connector, I would use the adapter power cable that comes with most cards to make it work in this situation for the 2nd 6-pin needed.  Otherwise, I have heard that the T5500 power supply would work in the T3500 system as shown HERE, but try to verify.  It is 875 watts and does have the two 6-pin cables.  

I've just finished upgrading 5 T3500s with Nivida GeForce 460GT cards that require two 6-pin power connectors.  

The 525 watt power supply in the T3500 do not have the required connectors.  It only has one 6-pin and one 4-pin connector available, so you can't even use the two 4-pin to 6-pin connectors that come with the video cards.  You have to replace the power supply.  It's possible to replace them but two issues will quickly become apparent.  

1. While the screws of a standard ATX power supply will line up to the holes in the T3500 case and can be screwed on, a standard ATX is just a little smaller than whatever size the factory power supply is.  It will fit and work, but you'll have an inch gap between the bottom of the power supply and the case. 

2. Dell ran some of the power cords from the factory power supply behind the motherboard and the case.  You'll have to pull everything out of the case down to the motherboard to get those cables out.  Or as an alternative, you can use a pair of scissors and cut the cables, leaving them behind the mobo.  Of course this means there's no going back to the factory PS at that point.  

Hi,

Thanks for that. I have just done exactly the same thing. 

I decided to remove the mobo to get those wires free as i may sell the dell psu on ebay... It was all relatively painless. 

I was a bit dissapointed at the dell psu not having these two psi for upgrading the graphics card. surely this is a pretty standard connection these days...

I should also say that when I contacted dell they tried to sell me a cable (8pin to dual 6pin pci) that would remedy this problem for the price of £41. Ridiculous. for another £20 I bought a new power supply.

Also, I had to move the hard-drive ( I only have one ) to the lower slot in the case to fit the graphics card, as when it is in the upper bay, it obstructs the sockets of my new graphics card. 

The other thing I had to do was to remove the blue graphics card support arm, as this wouldn't close with the new card in.

After this experience I doubt I would buy another dell, or, if i did, I would definitely start with a larger cased base model (t5500-t7500).

But, at least now others will know that it is possible (if not that simple) to make this upgrade.