Upgrading X51 to nvidia 680

if i'm correct, the gtx 680 is as long as the gtx 660 so x51 could eat it

but the power requirement for reference gtx 680 is 195W and 550W of system while gtx 660 is only 150W and 450W

and if you are using SNB i7 for x51, you may want to lower it to i5 cause it needs less power while you upgrade your graphic to something like GTX 660 or 670(170W).

if you really want to go to gtx 670/680, you may need to downoclock somehow

you don't need to change the cooling

The only way I think it could be possible is to drop down to a i3 3225 as its power use is only 55w, then ditch the 3.5 hdd in favor of a ssd.  Then to further remove power from the system, ditch the dvd drive.  Not sure if it would give the 680 the needed power, but it would be a start.

I already have an i3. but I'm not sure if I want to downgrade everything else. just to upgrade the graphics card.

Also if I were to upgrade it from an Nvidia 545 to a Nvidia 680 how much more FPS would I get on games like, Far cry 3 and battlefield 3? I want to upgade my x51 to be able to play Far cry 3 on ultra graphics with about 35-40 FPS. (If possible)

gtx 660 should be better. the gtx 680 produces more heat than gtx 660, and in such a tiny case like x51, it may not be performing better than gtx 660

I've seen someone on youtube do it. his username is Ray2kay. He upgraded his x51 to an Nvidia 680 and it works great. I'm not sure if he had to mod the case to fit it in. He didn't go into to much detail on how he fit it in his x51. I know he had to upgrade the power supply. I don't know if he had to upgrade his cooling tho.

If the nvidia 680 won't fit, is there a graphics card that is as powerful that will fit with no problems? Thats also in the same price range as the 680?

Upgrading to a GTX is also what I'm going to do in the next week or two. I mentioned this in another thread.

This is the card I'll be getting:

www.evga.com/.../Product.aspx

It would be wise for you to be aware that the stock PSU does NOT have enough power to meet the requirements of the X51. From what I know, Ray2kay has been the only one successful to upgrade to the GTX 680. However, he had to do some modding as well as add on a second n more powerful PSU that powers the GTX 680 directly.

Here you go:

[View:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khbU3KtO2dw]

I'll be following Ray2kay's route n getting a second PSU. Personally, I think the 850W PSU Ray2kay used is overkill. The one I'm going to get is 520W. Although the specification sheet of the GTX 680 state that it requires a 550W PSU, because the second PSU will power only the GPU itself n nothing else, I think the 520W PSU I'll be getting would suffice. However, if you'd like to play it safe, then you might want to go with the minimum of 550W.

I'll be getting the parts in the next week or two. I'll follow up in another thread

Best Regards...

I would recommend you to get the 660 since it will require less power and will run smoother. The Alienware Engineering Team has only tested that one on the x51, the 680 is not certified for it.

Oh man, looks like posts can't be deleted or modified.

Edits to my previous post :
"Upgrading to a GTX is also what I'm going to do in the next week or two."
Should be: *Upgrading to a GTX 680 is also what I'm going to do in the next week or two.

"It would be wise for you to be aware that the stock PSU does NOT have enough power to meet the requirements of the X51."

Should be: *...stock PSU does NOT have enough power to meet the requirements of the GTX 680.

Upgrading to a GTX is also what I'm going to do in the next week or two. I mentioned this in another thread.   It would be wise for you to be aware that the stock PSU does NOT have enough power to meet the requirements of the X51.