Need a New Graphics Card

[String3R]

Hi all im new to Hexus,
I have a Dell Dimension E521 specs are as follows:
nvidia 7300LE
2GB RAM
AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 4200+ 2.20 GHz
Vista home premium

im not very techy so i have no idea about upgrading so ive come here for help.

I have a £200 budget for a new graphics card but i need a new PSU aswell so im tryin to stay as cheap as possible but want a good card thats going to last me a while.

Ive been looking at the 9800 GTX+

i dont know which ones best but before i decide i need to know if this card will fit my PC.
Also ive been told that Dell PSUs cant be upgraded

heres a page i found with the details about the PC (cant post link with my post count)
So heres part of it...

"Externally Accessible
Video: 1 DVI, VGA and 1 S-Video (with add-in PCI-Express video card)
IEEE 1394 (optional) - 1 6-pin serial connector
USB: 6 Ports (2 Front, 4 Back) + 2 internal
Audio: Audio – six back-panel connectors for line-in, line-out, microphone, rear surround, side surround, two front-panel connectors for headphones/microphone, integrated 7.1 channel sound
Network: Integrated Ethernet
Integrated 10/100 network interface


Expansion Slots
PCI: 2 Slots
PCIe x1: 1 Slot
PCIe x16 (Graphics): 1 Slots

Chassis
305 Watt DC Power Supply

* Backup battery: 3-V CR2032 lithium coin cell

3.5" Bays: 3 bays (one external; two internal)
5.25" Bays: 2 bays
Memory DIMM slots: 4 available

Dimensions & Weight
H: 16.2" (41.00 cm)
W: 7.4" (18.79 cm)
D: 17.25" (43.80 cm)"

i have no idea what this means but basically what im asking you guys is:

• Whats the best card i can get for £200 (any links to UK websites?)
• Will this card fit my PC
• Can i upgrade the PSU and what wattage would i be looking at needing

sorry this is very long winded

thanks in advance

Stringer

[strike-down]

http://forums.hexus.net/graphics-car...-x-thread.html
Take a look at that thread, should hopefully help

Edit: And as for the PSU, looking at this review http://www.ktechpc.com/delle521/e521.htm the psu is upgradable as it is a standard ATX power supply so good news on that front

[moogle]

i have no idea what this means but basically what im asking you guys is:

• Whats the best card i can get for £200 (any links to UK websites?)
• Will this card fit my PC
• Can i upgrade the PSU and what wattage would i be looking at needing

sorry this is very long winded

thanks in advance

Stringer

Hi Stringer and welcome to hexus

1) There's Scan and eBuyer for a start. Avoid Overclockers I would say unless you live in Staffordshire so you can actually talk to them in person. There are other retailers too but those are the main two I and many others use. The others are usually used if I can't get an item at the first two

2) I'd say probably not, the 9800GTX is a big card! 10.5" iirc

3) Not sure about if you can as I don't know if your case supports an ATX size PSU. (Never had a Dell before sorry! ) It's not all about the wattage it's the connectors it has too, not forgetting the quality. A 400W quality PSU will be able to power your system and it.

The post isn't that long winded you should see Saracen's

[Webby]

Okay from the link Strike-down provided the PSU is standard ATX which is good means you can pick any PSU you like, I would be tempted by the Enermax Pro82+ 425w ~£50 if that is too expensive for you then perhaps the Corsair CX400w would be more your style ~£36.

Graphics card wise we will need to know how much space you have but I would suggest an ATI HD4850, should cost between £105 and £120 depending on the manufacturer and what cooler it uses. It is a huge leap up from what you currently have and will keep you happy I am sure

[String3R]

Thanks everyone

Ok so now i know i can upgrade the PSU, what to depends on the card right?
How would i got about finding how much room i have?
Also ive always felt that nvidia cards are more reliable than ATI, ive always preferd them but im not expert

I want to get the best i can now so itll last me a good few years i play games like cod4 and will be playing cod5 when released id really like to play these games with high settings with good fps

[strike-down]

What resolution to you play games at?? It hinges on that

[String3R]

ive had to turn them all down to make games like cod4 playable on the 7300LE

my monitor is 19" so i think its 1280*1024?

but like i say i need this card to last me a long time and be able to play these type of high demanding graphics games

[strike-down]

You should get the maximum resolution by going into the display settings, and the highest possible setting should be at the bottom of the list (assuming you arent using a CRT). Usually 19" monitors have a higher resolution than 1280x1024, as that is the resolution my 17" monitor uses.

[String3R]

yea i did that but the highest there is 1280x1024 but maybe thats the highest res my current gfx card supports

[Pob255]

For LCD monitors there is no differnce between 17" and 19" both are 1280x1024 or 1440x900 if it's a widescreen

The Dell PSU's are not that bad, you may get away with it but you'd probably be best off replaceing it with a decent 400w-450w psu £35-50 (if it costs £25 or less avoid it)

Size may be a problem
is this your pc? http://compreviews.about.com/od/budg...ensionE521.htm
http://www.vector64.com/5600/IMG_2337small.JPG
problem here is that cpu shroud is going to get in the way
edit: graphics cards with single slot coolers only
we can pritty much rule out a 9800gtx+


I'd actually consider a 9800gt it should fit without problems and they are not very power hungery and should be more than enough performance for a 19"

[strike-down]

The 9800GT would be ideal I think

As for the PSU, as webby said earlier, the corsair CX400 would do the job well

Just stay clear of cheap PSU's. They tend to go BANG. Along with the rest of your componants. As I full well know from an acer computer.

[String3R]

Really appreciate your help guys. So a 9800 GT will allow me to rund cod4, cod5 on high settings with good fps. I will go for the best PSU i can afford most likely the one you suggested strike down.

Im guessing the most expensive brand (XFX, Asus etc.) 9800 GT will be the best?
And would getting some extra cooling be necessary?

[strike-down]

Depends on what your case cooling is like, since the GT is a single slot cooler, it doesnt exhaust the hot air out of the case, so if you havent got anything in your case to exhaust the hot air, it would probably be worth getting a case fan/blower.

[Pob255]

Umm well as I said above, the layout of that dell case makes large graphics card coolers a bit of a problem, not only the cpu shroud but also the position and location of the pci-e slot.
The motherboard is basically a mirror image of a standard layout so the graphics card is upside down and there are no other slots above it, while this shouldn't be a problem for cooling it does make it impossible to install a card with a double back height plate with out some form of modification.

Also the stock cooler on the 9800gt is not that bad (it's better than the ati single slot stock coolers)
You'll not have any real problem with COD4 at 1280x1024 (after a quick google http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.ph...&limitstart=10 ) 76fps good enough
AS too COD5 umm we'll never know untill it's out but it should still cope well

[String3R]

it has a large fan at the front where the gap is in this picture:
http://www.vector64.com/5600/IMG_2337small.JPG

its either the 9800gt or a higher end quivilent of the 9800GTX by ATI if that would fit?
also would a GTX 260 fit?

sorry if im being a pain i just want this card to last me about 2/3 years so i want the best i can afford

[strike-down]

I highly doubt a GTX260 would fit, and it would be wasted power at 1280x1024. Complete overkill. My graphics cards normally last me 2 years before I replace them, and I buy for the resolution I game at, which atm is 1680x1050 (looking to upgrade to 1080p 24" at some point). At the moment I have an 8800GTS in my vostro, and that is still going strong