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1456
November 9th, 2018 15:00
X51-R?, GPU upgrade?
Hello, the attached picture details my Alienwares specs.
I recently upgraded my RAM to 8gb.
I need to upgrade my graphics card, but need help in understanding which is best given my Alienwares specs.
Can anyone please help /point me in the right direction?
Thank you !
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JOcean
9 Legend
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12.6K Posts
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November 15th, 2018 05:00
Considering the age of the system, I would not do much in the way of an upgrade. The system uses a power adapter so the largest you can go is the 330W adapter. That means the 1050 card would be the highest you can upgrade to since it does not need a power plug. I would look at cost for the adapter and card and decide if you want to spend that for an upgrade or toward a new unit.
Power adapter from Dell. You can purchase cheaper from somewhere else but this is the Original OEM adapter.
https://www.dell.com/en-ca/shop/accessories/apd/332-1432?cid=3852&st=&gclid=CjwKCAiAz7TfBRAKEiwAz8fKOOfTboj8dG5sco1_AEfToO6p9-h0GMXCMcCiki-RJSibvawqJGmpVxoCdk8QAvD_BwE&pdv=c&lid=&VEN1=s,98275113197,901mtv7630,c,,332-1432&VEN2=,&dgc=st&dgseg=dhs&acd=1230881379501410&VEN3=811204622882627033
GTX 1050
https://www.amazon.ca/Gigabyte-Geforce-GV-N1050D5-2GD-Graphic-Cards/dp/B01MEGB6LK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1542287968&sr=8-2&keywords=gtx+1050+video+card
JOcean
9 Legend
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12.6K Posts
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November 9th, 2018 16:00
The picture is not showing yet (has to be cleared by a moderator). But assuming you have a 330W power supply, the options are limited. Any card from a GTX 1060 on up require at least 400W power supplies and a 6 pin (or more) power plug. The GTX 1050 would work (make sure it is one of the versions that does not need a 6 pin plug) as it draws it's power from the PCIe slot. If you have the smaller power supply (there were 2), then you would have to replace the power supply for any card upgrade.
Vlady90
4 Posts
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November 10th, 2018 13:00
Appreciate the reply JOcean .
It is in fact 240w power supply, so I will almost certainly need to purchase more power from what you say.
Are there any other components to be mindful of, other than power supply, when upgrading the graphics card?
And It's an i3-2120 (3.3 GHz , 3mb L3 Cache , 2C).
Vlady90
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November 15th, 2018 20:00
Jose1959
2 Posts
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August 13th, 2019 16:00
I have the same system as the other person had. I purchased a 330watt power supply and a nvidia gtx660 and when I boot up it freezes on the Bios. You just see the alienware logo and the blue bar below it. Did i get the wrong video card? Thanks