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Windows 7 - Thinking about a huge GPU upgrade |
05-24-2011
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#1 | | Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit |
Thinking about a huge GPU upgrade I currently have a Dell XPS 8100 (Upgraded to 750W PSU) with an ATI Radeon 5770. I am considering upgrading to two GPU's (for even more monitors) but I don't have the room. I was looking around and found a thing that gives me 2 more PCI express slots. I'm still a little effy on how it exactly works though. Would there be a PCI express card that is put in my computer that has a cable leading to the port expander? I'm also not quite sure how 2 GPU's would work. I know its possible, but do both GPU's have to be the same model or something?
If there is better hard ware (or cheaper) please tell me, all is appreciated! Thanks!
Here is the PCI express thing: Amazon.com: StarTech.com PCI Express to 4 Slot PCI Expansion System PEX2PCI4 (Black): Electronics
(I might have to get this depending on the size of the GPU) http://www.amazon.com/Express-2PCIE-.../dp/B002I9SK5S
And here is my current GPU (I will probably get another to put int he PCI express thing) Amazon.com: XFX Radeon HD 5770 1GB DDR5 PCIE Graphics Card HD577AZNFC: Electronics | My System Specs | | System Manufacturer/Model Number Dell XPS 8100 OS Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit CPU Intel Core i7 860 @ 2.80GHz Motherboard Dell Inc. 0T568R Memory 8.0GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 529MHz 4-7-7-20 Graphics Card ATI Radeon HD 5770 Sound Card Realtek High Definition Audio Monitor(s) Displays 3 Widescreen HD Monitors Screen Resolution 1600x800 Keyboard Logitech Illuminated Keyboard Mouse Logitech MX PSU 750W Case - Cooling Fans Hard Drives 1000GB Seagate ST31000528AS (SCSI)
1500GB Western Digital WDC WD1001FALS-00J7B1 (SCSI) Internet Speed 6MBS-15MBS Upload Other Info Laptop (Dell Studio 1537)
Intel Mobile Core 2 Duo T6400 @ 2.00GHz
4.0GB Dual-Channel DDR2 |
05-24-2011
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#2 | | |
That is not going to work for you unless you want to add some PCI cards.
Your card supports 3 screens, how many more screens did you want to add?
If you want to just add screens, then you can add any card you want, doesn't have to match the one you have.
you only need matching cards if you want to run Crossfire or SLI, which improves gaming performance on 1 screen, or on an eyfinity/surround group. | My System Specs | | System Manufacturer/Model Number HAL-9000 OS Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit CPU Intel i7 2600K @ 4.44Ghz Motherboard Asus P8P67 Pro Rev 3.1 Memory 16GB DDR3 1333 Corsair XMS3 Graphics Card XFX HD5850 1GB EyeFinity Sound Card Logitech G35 & Sennheiser PC135 & VIA HD Monitor(s) Displays 23" HP 2310e, 23" Samsung B2230, 21.5" Viewsonic Screen Resolution 5760x1080 Keyboard Logitech G15 and G13 Mouse Logitech G700 Gaming Mouse PSU Antec True Power New 650watt Case Cooler Master HAF-932 Cooling Corsair H60 Hydro Cooler, 3x 230mm Fans, 2x120mm Fan Hard Drives 16TB of Storage
128GB & 256GB Crucial M4 SSD's, 2X 1TB WD Black, 3x 2TB WD, 3x 2TB Samsung F4, 1.5TB Seagate, WD 500GB, Internet Speed 50/10 Mbit Other Info Speakers : Alesis M1 Active Mk2 Studio Monitors , APC RS 1200 UPS, HP 4500DN Color Laser, HP P1006 mono Laser, Kodak 8500 Dye-Sub, Epson 1280 inkjet, Epson Worforce 610 MFC |
05-24-2011
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#3 | | |
Assuming the case for your Dell can take a full size ATX motherboard, a new motherboard with 2 PCI-E x16 slots would much more sense than that external device. If fact you could build a decent computer with the required number of slots for what one of those external devices costs (~$500.00).
Something like this, Newegg.com - ASUS P7P55 LX LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard
would do the job. | My System Specs | | System Manufacturer/Model Number Me OS Win 7 Ultimate x64 CPU Phenom II x4 955 @ 4 GHz. Motherboard Asus M5A97 EVO Memory 2x2 GB Kingston HyperX DDR3 1600 Graphics Card Sapphire HD 6850 Sound Card X-Fi Xtreme Music w/ Logitech X-530 Monitor(s) Displays Acer S232HL Abid Screen Resolution 1920x1080 Keyboard Logitech Wave Mouse Logitech G5 v2 PSU Antec Earthwatts 650W Green Case Antec Three Hundred Cooling Cooler Master 212 EVO Hard Drives 120 GB OCZ Vertex 3
500 GB Seagate 7200.12 Internet Speed 24000/1000 |
05-24-2011
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#4 | | Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit |
I never thought of upgrading the mother board for some reason, but that makes me ask a new question, can I upgrade my motherboard so I can get a Sandy Bridge i7/i7 extreme? | My System Specs | | System Manufacturer/Model Number Dell XPS 8100 OS Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit CPU Intel Core i7 860 @ 2.80GHz Motherboard Dell Inc. 0T568R Memory 8.0GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 529MHz 4-7-7-20 Graphics Card ATI Radeon HD 5770 Sound Card Realtek High Definition Audio Monitor(s) Displays 3 Widescreen HD Monitors Screen Resolution 1600x800 Keyboard Logitech Illuminated Keyboard Mouse Logitech MX PSU 750W Case - Cooling Fans Hard Drives 1000GB Seagate ST31000528AS (SCSI)
1500GB Western Digital WDC WD1001FALS-00J7B1 (SCSI) Internet Speed 6MBS-15MBS Upload Other Info Laptop (Dell Studio 1537)
Intel Mobile Core 2 Duo T6400 @ 2.00GHz
4.0GB Dual-Channel DDR2 |
05-24-2011
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#5 | | |
I can't see why you would need more monitors. You could switch out your 5770 with a 5870 and run two or three large 22 inch monitors. The 5870 should stay within your power supply and the card will last for several years. | My System Specs | | OS Windows 7 64 bit CPU AMD Athlon II X4 630 Motherboard ASUS M4A87TD EVO Memory PQI DDR3 4 GB Graphics Card ATI Visiontech 5850 Sound Card none Monitor(s) Displays acer 22 inch PSU Cooler Master Silent Pro 850W Case NZXT m59 Cooling CM (2) 140mm, (1) 120mm, V8 cpu cooler, (2)nzxt 120mm |
05-24-2011
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#6 | | Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit |

Quote: Originally Posted by stormy13 Assuming the case for your Dell can take a full size ATX motherboard, a new motherboard with 2 PCI-E x16 slots would much more sense than that external device. If fact you could build a decent computer with the required number of slots for what one of those external devices costs (~$500.00).
Something like this, Newegg.com - ASUS P7P55 LX LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard
would do the job. That doesn't look like it will fit in my case. | My System Specs | | System Manufacturer/Model Number Dell XPS 8100 OS Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit CPU Intel Core i7 860 @ 2.80GHz Motherboard Dell Inc. 0T568R Memory 8.0GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 529MHz 4-7-7-20 Graphics Card ATI Radeon HD 5770 Sound Card Realtek High Definition Audio Monitor(s) Displays 3 Widescreen HD Monitors Screen Resolution 1600x800 Keyboard Logitech Illuminated Keyboard Mouse Logitech MX PSU 750W Case - Cooling Fans Hard Drives 1000GB Seagate ST31000528AS (SCSI)
1500GB Western Digital WDC WD1001FALS-00J7B1 (SCSI) Internet Speed 6MBS-15MBS Upload Other Info Laptop (Dell Studio 1537)
Intel Mobile Core 2 Duo T6400 @ 2.00GHz
4.0GB Dual-Channel DDR2 System Manufacturer/Model Number Me OS Win 7 Ultimate x64 CPU Phenom II x4 955 @ 4 GHz. Motherboard Asus M5A97 EVO Memory 2x2 GB Kingston HyperX DDR3 1600 Graphics Card Sapphire HD 6850 Sound Card X-Fi Xtreme Music w/ Logitech X-530 Monitor(s) Displays Acer S232HL Abid Screen Resolution 1920x1080 Keyboard Logitech Wave Mouse Logitech G5 v2 PSU Antec Earthwatts 650W Green Case Antec Three Hundred Cooling Cooler Master 212 EVO Hard Drives 120 GB OCZ Vertex 3
500 GB Seagate 7200.12 Internet Speed 24000/1000 |
05-24-2011
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#8 | | Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit |

Quote: Originally Posted by stormy13 Am I not seeing something or does that only have 1 Sata port?
EDIT: I was looking around and saw this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...Tpk=13-131-711
Would that work for me? (I'm not as concerned about 2 GPU now as much as Sandy Bridge i7)
EDIT again: What makes one i7 better than the next? I want to get the best i7 Sandy Bridge with this (excluding extreme, but I might go there). I'm not sure what to look for in a processor to see what makes it better than another.
Last edited by ZenixNet; 05-24-2011 at 07:54 PM..
| My System Specs | | System Manufacturer/Model Number Dell XPS 8100 OS Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit CPU Intel Core i7 860 @ 2.80GHz Motherboard Dell Inc. 0T568R Memory 8.0GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 529MHz 4-7-7-20 Graphics Card ATI Radeon HD 5770 Sound Card Realtek High Definition Audio Monitor(s) Displays 3 Widescreen HD Monitors Screen Resolution 1600x800 Keyboard Logitech Illuminated Keyboard Mouse Logitech MX PSU 750W Case - Cooling Fans Hard Drives 1000GB Seagate ST31000528AS (SCSI)
1500GB Western Digital WDC WD1001FALS-00J7B1 (SCSI) Internet Speed 6MBS-15MBS Upload Other Info Laptop (Dell Studio 1537)
Intel Mobile Core 2 Duo T6400 @ 2.00GHz
4.0GB Dual-Channel DDR2 |
05-24-2011
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#9 | | windows 7 ultimate 64 bit |
Crossfire can be a pain with a motherboard with built in PCIE slots....also if you change motherboards your Dell Windows 7 will not work...Also OEM's "sometimes" use a odd ball case, so a ATX standard motherboard may not fit....
I would suggest either a 6950/6970/580 single video card, or a completely new build....Try this site iBUYPOWER: 2011 Memorial day Specials Play with the configurator...the price updates as you go...Reviews are mixed on their systems, but you can see how far, how much you want to spend can go.... | My System Specs | | System Manufacturer/Model Number homemade OS windows 7 ultimate 64 bit CPU amd x4 965 Hyper 212 plus 2 120mm 90cfm fans Motherboard Biostar A770E3 Memory 12 gig 4Gx2/2Gx2 Mushkin DDR3 1333 Graphics Card Sapphire 5850 Monitor(s) Displays hanns g 1680X1050 Screen Resolution 1680x1050 Keyboard z merc Mouse microsoft wireless 5000 PSU dual Antec 650 & Rosewill 530 watt continuous Case homemade Cooling 4 120mm@50cfm each/2 120mm@90cfm Hard Drives western digital ssd 64 gig + 2 junk Internet Speed dsl Thinking about a huge GPU upgrade problems? All times are GMT -5. The time now is 09:48 AM. |  |