Replacing graphic cards on a 7 year old machine?

Colette · 08 Aug 2015

Hi,
Computer - Dell Precision T7400 purchased in May 2008 with 2 screen monitors.
Base, Dual Intel Xeon E5420 (2.50GHz,1333FSB,2x6MB,Quad Core),
Memory, 8GB, 667MHz, ECC Memory (8x1GB),
Video Card, 512MB PCIe x16 nVidia Quadro FX 1700 (MRGA14L), Dual Monitor DVI or VGA Graphics Card,
Hard Drive, 320GB (7,200 rpm) SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive with NCQ and 16MB DataBurst Cache x 2
Network Cards, Dell Wireless 1505 (802.11a/b/g/n dual band) PCIe Card with Antenna,
Modem, Dell 56.6k Internal Data/Fax Modem, 129091, [530-11771]
Raid Connectivity, C21- All SAS drives, RAID 1, 2 drive total configuration
I run Autodesk Softimage/Maya, Zbrush, Photoshop and Lightroom.
Was originally XP Professional x64 Edition SP2 and I upgraded it to Win 7 professional.

I’ve the notification saying that is ready for Win 10 but can’t find an upgrade test for Win 10 only 8.1, which I ran and the graphic cards did pass. I think though I need to replace the graphic cards, I have two of them. Specs - nVidia Quadro FX 1700 Video Card - Reviews, Specifications, and Pictures - GPUReview.com.
Probably a silly question but do I need to still get 2 to replace the 2 I have or will 1 good one run both monitors?
Is it worth me spending money on new graphics card(s), will my computer last me much longer, I think it will but I am not sure. I’ve always had these random blue screens of death. I didn’t have one since Microsoft said I was Win10 ready until I upgraded ITunes and QuickTime, blamed them and promptly removed. I can’t figure out what is causing the BSODs, I’ve a long list, event viewer is currently saying 97 errors in the last 7 days. (All drivers and software are up to date).
Another thing that has me put off about changing the graphics cards is the actual replacement. Dell’s manual has me petrified with making sure I’ve myself grounded and all talk about not get electrocuted! Are the cards easy to replace?
Silly question 2 - how do I know if a new graphics card fits in the current computer, from the manual:
In a configuration without dual graphics and the associated graphics riser
Card Your Dell™ computer provides the following slots for PCI and PCI
Express cards:
• One PCI card slot
• One PCI Express x16 card slot
• Three PCI Express x8 card slots (wired as x4)
• Two PCI-X card slots
In a configuration with dual graphics and the associated graphics riser card:
Your Dell™ computer provides the following slots for PCI and PCI Express
cards:
• Two PCI Express x16 card slots (reserved for dual-graphics cards)
• One PCI Express x8 card slot (wired as x4)
• Two PCI-X card slots

As another comment, the thing that is also putting me off replacing the graphic cards is that this desktop is a tank weighting in at 55lbs/24.94kgs, I’ve an upcoming apartment move and it is on the only thing that I’m worried about being transported. Maybe easier to replace it with a laptop, but I’d have to save for that first, but I think it has more years in it and don’t really want to get rid of it.
Thanks :)

Mellon Head · 08 Aug 2015

Hi Colette,

Replacing a graphics card isn't as hard as Dell makes it sound. It's actually pretty easy, and you can do it safely and easily in the comfort of your own kitchen.

The harder thing to worry about is what kind of graphics card to get. Pretty much all new cards will support more than one monitor. If I assume that you want to stay with Nvidia, I'll have to let some of my forum friends advise you on what model to choose from. One important thing is to make sure that your power supply can support the new card, and that the new card's dimensions will fit within your computer's case.

Most new GPUs are of the two slot variety, meaning that they take up two of the slots at the rear of the computer. They don't use two slots on the motherboard, just the two on the rear panel. As long as you have room to put in a two slot card, you're fine. The other thing to worry about is the length of the card. You will have to measure the inside of your case from the back panel to the front of the case or drive towers to find the depth of your case. The card can be no longer than that dimension.

The final thing to worry about is the power supply. Depending on how many drives, fans and whatnot you have in your PC, your power supply must be up to the task. Most new GPUs have a power connection on them that comes direct from the power supply. Your power supply should have that connection. For a newer card, your PSU should also supply around 500W to give you enough margin to run one of the newer cards.

EDIT: According to the spec sheet I found, the PSU is capable of 980 Watts, so you should be OK, no matter what GPU you pick.

http://www.dell.com/downloads/global..._specsheet.pdf

ThrashZone · 08 Aug 2015

Hi and welcome to SevenForums,
This was my first time at adding a new gpu/ graphic's card,
Adobe spec's show no graphics card installed

It is amazingly easy but you will need to take some measurements of the out side of your case and post them so we have a better idea of size of your case,
Also we love pictures :)
So also open the side panel and usually on the bottom where all of the wires are coming out we need to see your psu/ power supply and the tag on it so we can see what wattage it is
That will show us what it can handle.

Review the link above there's some good stuff there :)
Mine was obviously a small case so yours is like a lot bigger
So get the camera out and have some fun

Colette · 09 Aug 2015

Thanks for the replies :)

The power supply, from the manual :
DC power supply
Wattage 1000 W
Heat dissipation 1250W or 4265 BTU/hour (system with
power supply)
NOTE: Heat dissipation is calculated based
upon the power supply wattage rating.
Voltage auto-sensing power supply—90 V to 265 V
at 50/60 Hz
Backup battery 3-V CR2032 lithium coin cell

I was thinking of getting GeForce GTX 960 SuperSC,
2 GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 SuperSC ACX 2.0+ PCIe Graphics Card
that's if I needed 2, if only the 1 replacement card I could up the budget a bit.

Measurements, the back of the computer the slot is 1" high and over 4" wide. As you'll see i've about 4 free slots. Inside the length of the current card is about 6". For to measure the depth

Not so nervous now about replacing them now, though I'm moving in a week so I think it will have to wait til after that. Suggestions for cards would be appreciated. :)

Thanks again

ThrashZone · 09 Aug 2015

Hi thanks,
1 card will be fine now days evga 980ti sc is an awesome card lets just see if you can use it
No need to get in a hurry

I believe I spotted the additional power plug for it look at it and confirm how many pins it is 4-6-8 ?
Also see if there are any other ones and how long is the slack in it ?
It needs to go to the new card
Attachment 368583

This bar would need to be removed to install the new card but we might need a closer shot of this area

Replacing graphic cards on a 7 year old machine?-bar.jpg

Mellon Head · 09 Aug 2015

My only concern would be the distance shown from front to the rear of the case, to see if a long card would fit.

Replacing graphic cards on a 7 year old machine?-dell.jpg

It looks like there is a fan, or bracket at the front of the case, but I can't really tell. But as long as you got a card that fits into that space, you'd be fine. Just make sure that you check the length of the card in its specs before you buy it.

ThrashZone · 09 Aug 2015

Yep this is a good card just don't know if you have the cable for it
It does come with an adaptor for power to Molex otherwise you have to have 2>6 pin cables like I pointed out previously on the white plug
EVGA - Products - EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti Superclocked+ ACX 2.0+ - 06G-P4-4995-KR

EVGA - Product Specs - EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti Superclocked+ ACX 2.0+
I would guess it has Molex connections

This card I'm sure is 11" my hybrid says the same 10.5" at it was 11"

The other issue might be across the top of the card where the blue bar might get in the way = possibly

Mellon Head · 09 Aug 2015

The blue bar might be able to be left out. It just looks like its a holder/guide for the cards. It doesn't seem to provide any structural bracing - at least it doesn't seem that way from the pictures.

ThrashZone · 09 Aug 2015

Yea I realize it comes out but it is a structural bar for the side wall
Not sure if it holds up anything ?
As long as the card doesn't stick up too far past the mounting clip as shown by the 980ti image it should be fine
the 980ti does stick up a little but not much

Big question is getting power to it and if he has a 1-Molex or 2 6-pin cables ?

Colette · 10 Aug 2015

The 980ti would be lovely but maybe a tad over budget :), cheaper to get in the US though, if they’ll ship it to here. It’s a good starting point to look for something similar.

P24 is the one you highlighted above, it is too short. P19 seems longer but it is a bit tangled up, it has 8 pins, the P5 it seems to be attached to as per the drawing has 6. P18 has 6.

Curious, but how come the two cards already installed aren’t plugged into the power supply, is the board its attached to the power ?

The depth is about 17cm / 6¾”, across is 19cm / 7”, but I stopped before the silver grid thing to the left, it can go to 10 or 11” probably if it raised and bypasses the silver grid thing to the left.

The blue bar is called a card retention device, not sure whats its purpose is but it probably could be left out when the new card is put in.

I probably should have left this til after my move. I’ll shop round for a card that will hopefully fit and also see if I can find someone to do it for me.

Thanks for all your helps guys. I’ll come back to update. :)

Just came across this video, the guy fitted a Quadro FX 5800 and its dimensions are 4.36" Height x 10.5" Length.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7JyxSvhh-g