Unsolved
This post is more than 5 years old
12 Posts
0
136049
Dell XPS 420 Graphics Card Upgrade
I have a dell xps 420 with a stock 375 w power supply and a 8800GT graphics card installed. However today the card has gone faulty and I now need to replace this.
I was thinking of putting a 260 GTX card in however the nvidia web site suggest 450w + power supply. It also says 450w+for the 8800GT, however Dell didn't consider this when they put it in...
I assume Dell must rate their power supplies differently, therefore does anyone know if I can successfully install a GTX 260 card without further upgrading the power supply?
Will the GTX 260 fit in an xps 420? Does it use the same connector as the 8800GT did?
If I do the installation how can I tell if the power supply is not up to the job? Will it burn out etc??
Let me know your thoughts as I need to resolve this issue...
Thanks
Mark
JMICHAEL
1.7K Posts
0
August 24th, 2010 21:00
I would not recommend using a GTX 260 on our current power supply since it does use a lot more power than your Dell supplied 8800 GT as these are not the same as the retail versions. Unless you are getting a used GTX 260 on ebay or something, I certainly would not spend the money on a new one when they have the GTX 460 out now that has superior performance, less power consumption, runs cooler and has a smaller size for the same cost. The GTX 260 and the GTX 460 require two 6-pin PCIe power connections and you only have one. I think the GTX 260 is 10.5" long and the GTX 460 is only 9" or 9.5", but either one would fit fine in the XPS 420. I would upgrade to a good name brand power supply that has at least 500 watts or more. Some to consider would be Corsair, Antec, Seasonic or Enermax. This one HERE is very reasonable in cost and has all the connectors you would need.
I was just watching ebay as I was typing this and someone just got an EVGA GTX 260 Superclocked card for only $95 and was the only bidder. Again, if you're buying new, get the GTX 460 not the GTX 260.
mdavenport
12 Posts
0
August 25th, 2010 05:00
Ok,
without upgrading my PSU or PCIe 2.0 power connectors in my XPS 420 what would be the best graphics card I could install?
Would I get a 9800 in there?
If I can't get a better one in then I may have to just go with a like for like replacement of the 8800GT that Dell originally supplied.
I appreciate you guidance..
mdavenport
12 Posts
0
August 25th, 2010 12:00
Guys,
What do you think about a GT 240? Will this work?
How would this compare to my 8800GT - better or worse?
Thanks
Mark
mdavenport
12 Posts
0
August 25th, 2010 13:00
Glad you said that I after continuing to read stuff I started look at the 5 series. Could I get away with a 5770 in my XPS 420?
JMICHAEL
1.7K Posts
0
August 25th, 2010 13:00
The GT 240 would be worse than your 8800 GT. You can look at the 9800 GT's, but they're really about the same as your 8800 GT with a different number. Nvidia will release some newer Fermi models coming up soon that will have lower power consumptions and newer technologies. They will be the GTS 450, 440 and 430 models. If you want to jump over to an ATI 5000 series card, they offer better performance and lower power consumption right now that would probably work with your current power supply like the ATI HD 5750. This card has better performance over the 9800 GT and 9800 GTX needing less power.
JMICHAEL
1.7K Posts
0
August 25th, 2010 14:00
That is possible as others have done it with success on their XPS 420 when they upgraded from the 8800 GT and had no issues at all.
mdavenport
12 Posts
0
August 25th, 2010 15:00
Bit confused now.. What the difference between:-
Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 5770 Vapor-X 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card
and
Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 5770 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card
otherthan the price??
Which of the following 5770's would you recommend to purchase:-
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/productlist.php?groupid=701&catid=56&sortby=nameAsc&subid=1515&mfrid=
Thanks
JMICHAEL
1.7K Posts
0
August 25th, 2010 17:00
Vapor-X is just another type of cooling that Sapphire uses and you can read about it on their website. The XFX card is the only one that really exhausts heat outside of the case so it is worth considering when put into Dell cases with little ventilation and air flow. It also has a double lifetime warranty and is very popular. Another popular card that most like is the MSI Hawk. I'm an Nvidian so I am not sure which one I would buy, but getting the heat outside of the case versus keeping it inside would be something to think about. I would just go over the reviews to see what people are saying about each card to see if it sounds good to you. The 8800 GT does not exhaust heat and has been known as a hot running card so these others will run cooler. Therefore, if you have not had any issues with heat build up in your case then maybe you will be OK. Also, if you have any concerns about noise levels then read the reviews to see which card might run more quietly. Normally, the ones with the larger fans like the Vapor-X are more quiet versus the smaller turbine type fan pushing the air out like on the XFX card. There are always lots of things to think about when buying a video card.
mdavenport
12 Posts
0
August 26th, 2010 06:00
Thanks for all your help and guidance. I am at the point where I think I will be getting the MSI Radeon 5770 HAWK 1GB.
Before I click "Purchase" can you provide me any feedback how this performs with Flight Simulator X as this is my main game.
I appreciate FSX is very CPU hungry and not GPU, however I would be interested on how people rate ATI particually the 5770 around this game.
How would this compare to the 8800GT?
Let me know your thoughts
JMICHAEL
1.7K Posts
0
August 26th, 2010 07:00
I know in the past that Nvidia cards always outperformed ATI cards in FSX. Even your 8800 GT performed as good as any other video card with this game being CPU intensive as you mentioned. I think the newer 5000 series cards now perform better with this game, but I don't know how much better. With higher resolutions, it will need more GPU power so you will be better off with the 5770 and 1GB of video ram. Also, max out your system ram.
ryno_80
13 Posts
1
September 8th, 2010 15:00
Funny, my 8800GT just took a dump too. I've tried everything to fix it. I was concerned about HD5770 and power consumption and how hot it would run. I know the 8800GT was almost always on fire under load. I do not want to replace stock 375W psu. I'm still a newb when it comes to this, but it looks like only difference between 5770 and 5750 is clock speed. I'm very close to getting 5770. I'm nervous now though. Not sure what went wrong with 8800GT.