Which option would you recommend?

I've been looking into buying a new graphics card for over a month now but can't decide. I'm using a dell inspiron 530s with core 2 duo E4500 @2.2ghz, 3gb DDR2 ram, 240gb sata, 1280x1024 19inch monitor and windows xp. Since its a slimline computer I can only go for low profile cards. I'm currently using a HD2400 pro which has been overclocked from 525/400 to 650/500.


The main problem is of course the 250w tfx power supply that came with the dell. The amps for the power supply are +3.3V (11/0.0A), +5V (18/2.0A), +12V (17/0.0A), -12V (0.3/0.0A), +5VSB (2.0/0.0A), +5V and +3.3V-120W maximum output. I've had this computer for over a year using the overclocked graphics card without any problems.


The four options I currently have are:


1. Buy the hd5570-low power card with alot better performance then my current card. I think it should work fine as it has a max power draw of 42w while the stock 2400 pro has a max power draw of 25w. No idea how much power the overclocked 2400 pro uses.


2. Wait for the HD5670 low profile-no idea when its coming out or the cost. The normal 5670s are cheaper then the 5570's in the UK. The normal 5670 has a max power draw of 61w but I'm expecting the low profile version to have slightly less. I was told it could work on a dell 250w power supply but still risky.


3. Buy this psu and wait for the HD5670 low profile-Would reduce the risk as the psu has more watts and is more efficient but it would increase the cost. If low profile version is priced the same as the normal then the decision is about whether i should spend £25 more for 10-15 fps increase on the 5570. I could maybe go for the 5750 low profile when it releases.


4. Buy a new case, psu and HD5670/5750/5770-The psu I'm looking at is a corsair cx400w. Costs the same as the tfx power supply and case is pretty cheap aswell. The motherboard is mATX so it should work with an ATX psu. With a better power supply and more space I could fit a better graphics card but that would increase the cost. There is also the issue of moving the motherboard into another case which I have never done before, so it could be risky. Wondering if it would be worth it since I can only use DX9 with windows xp.

I wouldn't hold your breath for low profile 5670s or 5750s, tbh - particularly not in the UK where we don't often get the "interesting" graphics cards.

Have you considered a HD4350 / HD4550? It'd be a big step up from the 2400pro while probably using less power - although it's still not a gaming card really... are you thinking about the upgrade for gaming?

Personally, I'd go for the 5570: ebuyer have stock of a sapphire version for £65 which is pretty reasonable. Given the age of the PC and the spec, which is pretty moderate, I don't think it's worth sending more money on new cases and PSUs to get a more powerful graphics card...

+1 for the 5570

having to change case and psu to get a 5670 probably isnt worth it

Alos you have to be carefull with dells as they still insist on using custom boards and componants which make it impossible to transfer to a new case or upgrade easily :(

alright thanks for the help guys. the price for the 5570 has actually gone down today. not sure which brand to go though. the powercolor 5570 is £62 while the sapphire 5570 is £65. the powercolor does have a lower memory clock and from the reviews ive seen that means it uses less power aswell. im sure i could overclock it pretty easily.

If you mean this powercolor on ebuyer it appears to be a non-standard full height card rather than a low profile, so you'll have to go for the sapphire...

i thought the only full height 5570 cards were the ones with gddr5 memory but i guess not. ive seen that when the sapphire 5570 is overclocked it comes very close to the 5670. im not sure if i should risk overclocking it. ill put it in my system and wait for a few weeks then overclock it slightly to see how it runs. if it runs fine then ill keep overclocking. ive also realised from some reviews on newegg that it uses pci-e 2.0 interface (written on the box) but the description says a 2.1 interface. i guess thats better for me, i think i have a 1.0 interface.

A G33 will be pci-e 1.1 it was the g4x/p4x that brought in pci-e 2.0 to intel chipsets, however that's not a real issue as none of these cards will come close to the bandwidth of pci-e 1.0

For gaming performance the best low profile card I know of is the sparkle gts250 http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SPARKLE-GTS-25...719481ffec4f47
not exactly cheap and I'm not sure the psu could cope with it.
Also the sparkle 9800gt low profile (which is still faster than a 5670) http://www.trusthardware.co.uk/produ...X98GT512D3L-NM again not what you'd call cheap or low power, lower power demands than the gts250 but still requires a 6pin pci-e connector

I cant find the 9800gt low profile, 9600gt low profile or the gts250 low profile in the uk unfortunately. i have found the gt240 low profile. it costs more then the 5670 and its the ddr3 version. it does state a minimum power supply of 250w which is odd. I think im just gonna go with option 1 as you guys have recommended. Going for the sapphire 5570 1gb ddr3 version.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by infernox

i thought the only full height 5570 cards were the ones with gddr5 memory but i guess not.

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They would be 5670s ;) According to the reference designs, the 5570 is a low profile card using the same GPU as the 5670 but GDDR3 instead of GDDR5. However that doesn't stop AIB manufacturers from mix-matching the components however they want... you have to be very careful when ordering graphics cards these days as you can't trust the model number to accurately represent the specification. ATi seem to have particular issues keeping their partners under control - I've seen far more non-standard ATi cards than nvidia cards...

You can get the Sparkle GTS250 low profile graphics card from CCL Computers:

http://www.cclonline.com/product-inf...67&tid=gsearch

http://www.cclonline.com/product-inf...68&tid=gsearch

The GTS250 would *definitely* require a beefed up PSU, which I suspect (given you've got a low profile case) would mean getting a new case as well (it's unlikely that a Dell SFF PC is going to use a standard ATX PSU...). At that point, frankly, you might as well sell the Dell and build new from scratch, given the age and lower-end nature of the existing PC. Any upgrade above a 5570 is likely to be wasted on that PC...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by CAT-THE-FIFTH

You can get the Sparkle GTS250 low profile graphics card from CCL Computers:

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nice find, guess google shopping isn't very accurate. that would cost £30 more then the 5570 and I would have to buy the £30 power supply aswell. it would end up costing around twice the 5570 price so I'm wondering if it has twice the performance.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by scaryjim

The GTS250 would *definitely* require a beefed up PSU, which I suspect (given you've got a low profile case) would mean getting a new case as well (it's unlikely that a Dell SFF PC is going to use a standard ATX PSU...). At that point, frankly, you might as well sell the Dell and build new from scratch, given the age and lower-end nature of the existing PC. Any upgrade above a 5570 is likely to be wasted on that PC...

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just realised the original post didnt link to the power supply I was looking at buying. I'm stuck with tfx power supplies and this is the best I could find in the UK.

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/FSP-F...-21-80plus-PSU

I asked scan as the details shown don't match the product code and they told they were there just an illustration and to buy based on the product code. The full specs of it can be found here:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817104072

are you sure that you can just get a new PSU and stick it in your existing case? Dell SFF cases tend to use non-standard PSUs to fit in the smaller space...

the psu currently used has a tfx form factor. the fsp psu im looking at also uses a tfx form factor. ive checked the dimensions of both and they are very similar. its actually a few mm smaller in all 3 dimensions. it does come with a few 4 pin molex adapters which could be converted into a 6pin pci-e adapter.