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Dimension E510 video card upgrade considerations
Hello all,
I'm currently running a middle aged Dimension E510, still in it's OEM form. I want to do some mid-level gaming with the help of some upgrades. Currently, the system is as follows:
- Pentium D @ 3.20 Ghz (945P/Lakeport chipset as far as I can tell)
- 1Gb RAM (dual 512 Mb)
- 250Gb SATA HD (I assume, XP is rating it at 228) [ WDC WD2500JS - as seen in Device Manager]
- WinXP Media Center Edition, SP3
From what I've gathered, the CPU is pretty close to the top of the limits for what the motherboard/OS can handle. The HD has barely 20 Gb used so that's in good shape too. I'm looking to install a PCIe card and new RAM. Preferably, I'd like to avoid a new PSU (OEM part, 305 W I believe but apparently rated lower than it actually is) however, if needed, it is an option. After a few hours of research, it seems like many people have had good results with the Radeon HD 4670 series. I'd like to upgrade to 2GB PC5300 RAM as well. OK, enough background, now for the questions!
1) As far as the HD 4670 series is concerned, any general thoughts? Is it possible the factory PSU could handle a card of this series? Any better recommendations for my system config?
- Edit: current consideration: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102854
2) Should I consider more than 2GB RAM over dual channel mode? I had figured dual 1GB sticks would be good for for DC, but I'm now wondering which would have a greater impact on performance. Also, I'd appreciate any brand recommendations for RAM, I haven't been in the PC parts market for a few years.
3) Say all goes well with the planned upgrades, is the HD going to bottleneck either upgrade?
4) I know very little about the workings of power other than what a GPU needs. Would the new GPU and RAM require significantly more power than either component alone (i.e. say the new GPU works with factory PSU alone, is it possible/likely that the upgraded RAM would push it over the limits if also installed)?
If any other info is needed, I can likely obtain it - just post a reply and let me know. Thanks for sharing your expertise!
fireberd
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33.3K Posts
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June 2nd, 2010 17:00
I have an E510.
First, the power supply. If you are considering upgrading the first suggestion is the power supply. We have seen a very large number of E510/5150 power supply failures and for that reason alone I would suggest an upgrade. The E510 uses a standard ATX power supply. I would recommend a minimum of 400 watts.
Memory can be upgraded to 4GB maximum (four 1GB memory modules). However a 32 bit operating system can't fully address 4 GB so you will wind up with approx 3.3GB useable memory. We recommend Crucial memory as it is guaranteed to work in Dell's. Not all brands will work in evry Dell. www.crucial.com
If you go for the referenced video card, go for a 500 watt power supply. However you need to check the dimensions to see if it will physically fit. We have seen reports of some cards not fitting because of size.
freakmarket
270 Posts
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June 4th, 2010 18:00
i would stop upgrading a pentium 4 system ... its too expensive ... no matter what upgrades you do the P4 cpu is going to choke everything ... start saving to buy a new system ... even Dell's $299 Inspiron 560 base system with a modern celeron CPU will run faster than your old e510.
if you do decide to upgrade memory and video card the ATI 4670 is a good choice. You have 305 watt power supply which can handle a 4670 no problem.
Just dont spend a ton of money to upgrade a computer with a slow obsolete CPU (pentium 4).
maddtekk
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July 12th, 2010 19:00
I am trying to do the same thing right now... My computer has the same specs to it, but I have 2gig of memory to start with. I am not sure if mine is older or not, but I got mine in 2005. I was just wondering if anyone can follow up with this case. I am trying to upgrade my video card to play a game that is coming out in Sept. It is suppose to require a ATi X2900 512MB minimum.... I want to know if the HD 4670 worked for you and if you motherboard can support it.
I understand from reading above I would need a new power source, that shouldn't be an issue. But in theory will my computer will be able to support this video card upgrade.
I am looking into a HD3850 but if the HD4670 works I might as well do that one....
Thank you all...
rayloathome
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August 12th, 2010 16:00
I too have the same dilema! I have the Dimension E510 and an old RADEON X300 SE 128MB HyperMemory. I don't want to spend a lot so I found a DIAMOND ATI Radeon™ HD 5450 DDR2 512MB PCI Express Video Card. Will that be sufficient for my computer? I've upgraded the memory to 4gb through Crucial and added 1TB of storage. That's all that I've upgraded. Do I need a new power supply with the upgraded video card?
MChiocca
37 Posts
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March 20th, 2017 12:00
When I upgraded my E510's video card to an nVidia GeForce GT 730 I needed to get a new PSU. The stock OEM PSU is only 305 W, which wasn't good enough for the nVidia. I used Cooler Master's PSU calculator to help me determine exactly what I needed.
www.coolermaster.com/power-supply-calculator
You simply enter all of your computer's hardware information into the calculator and let it tell you exactly what your power consumption is going to be. From there it's easy to identify a good PSU that will satisfy your needs. I got the Corsair CX430M "modular" PSU for my E510. It's worked out great.