Graphics Card Upgrade

[wally1324]

I Have the dell Inspiron 580s and want to upgrade my graphics card on their site i found this 1
ATI Radeon HD 5450 1GB DDR3
will it work

 

[sygnus21]

Is this a desktop or laptop?

If this is a laptop, did you check to see if the card can be replace? Most laptops have integrated cards that can't be replaced.

Have you checked to see if your card is replaceable?

 

[yowanvista]

I Have the dell Inspiron 580s and want to upgrade my graphics card on their site i found this 1
ATI Radeon HD 5450 1GB DDR3
will it work

Yes it will work as it has a PCIe slot
Inspiron 580 Desktop Details | Dell

 

[sygnus21]

Well there you have it

 

[linnemeyerhere]

wally1324,
I'm showing 300 watt power supply for this model and a mini tower case. Three things you need to pay close attention to.
1) Can you install a larger premium power supply because 300 watts won't power a premium GPU properly?
2) Measure the length available at the PCIe slot which you intend to install the new card and pay attention to if the card as power terminations on top or the end of the card and add length if needed.
3) Does my case have enough cooling fans and air flow to hold temps in check during heavy use and summer months and if not then review other options like better fans, additional fans or the like.
Checking with most of the 5450 designs they call for a minimum 400 watt PSU....If you need to replace the PSU as well then please look to upgrade to a modular design and go for at least a 500-650 watt unit rated 80% Silver or Bronze.

 

[stormy13]

yowan that he has the 580s, not the 580. The 580s only has a 250W power supply,

Inspiron 580s Desktop Details | Dell Canada

It comes with the option of adding in the G310 (OEM version of the G210, and identical in every way), which on the raw specs requires more power than the HD 5450,

Video Card Comparison - GPUReview.com

It may not be an option now but it also looks like Dell did sell that model at one timne with the 5450 in it,

Dual monitor with 1Mb ATI Radeon HD 5450 on Inspiron 580S - Desktop Video Forum - Desktop - Dell Community

Now with all that said it will probably be fine with the 540 in it as Dell tends to use better than average power supplies (and underrate them, so that 250W is probably comparable to a good quality 275-300W).

If you do decide to get the card do yourself a favor and do not get it from Dell. Almost $100 from Dell,

Graphic Cards : Desktop Accessories | Dell

when you can get it elsewhere for 1/3 the price,

Newegg.com - HIS H545HO512 Radeon HD 5450 512MB 32-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready Low Profile Ready Video Card

 

[wally1324]

what about this one

VISIONTEK ATI Radeon HD 5450 512 MB DDR3 PCI Express Graphic Card : Desktop Accessories | Dell

 

[linnemeyerhere]

That must be an underrated PSU as see the power req. listed here.http://biz.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7114057&CatId=3669 Boy it boils down to who do you believe? Good luck....I see a PSU in your future.....I predict ! The 5450 will likely run as these aren't large demanding cards but have you added anything else like additional HD's or opticals drives....do you plan to add additional HD's, then things can tighten up even further. All the manufactures skimp on components and if they say 250 or 300 then I would never assume more power is available.

 

[wally1324]

I havent added anytihing to the orignal its as is this will be the 1st upgrade

 

[Ivan the SoSo]

$126 dollars!! check out this Newegg.com - HIS H545HO512 Radeon HD 5450 512MB 32-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready Low Profile Ready Video Card

The big question is what do you want to do? Light gaming/watch movies/play crysis on max....because that is a weak card...also is it a full tower or a mini tower....and as linnemeyerhere said a psu is in your future/do you want to buy one now, or after the smoke.....

 

[wally1324]

When i max out the processor i use 155w and i have a 250w psu will the card use 95w all by its self?

 

[Ivan the SoSo]

AMD does not make power supplies....they do recommend a 400 watt or greater PSU, for the 5450. Why? ATI Radeon HD 5450 - Power Consumption & Temperatures

So yes It uses about 160 watts....total 315 with nothing else +if you run a PSU at max or over expect a very short life.

Never said what you want the upgrade for/to do, and more important budget....

 

[stormy13]

Ivan that is total system power, not just the card. Here's a better look at the power consumption for the 5450 as they only show what the card requires and not total system use,

Sapphire HD 5450 512 MB GDDR3 Review - Page 28/33 | techPowerUp

 

[Ivan the SoSo]

Ok, I can admit to being wrong, but why is the minimum recommended supply 400watts? AMD has no profit motive...

 

[wally1324]

so i should be all set with that one because it only uses 13w of power

 

[Ivan the SoSo]

Do what you want.... ATI Radeon

 

[stormy13]

Ok, I can admit to being wrong, but why is the minimum recommended supply 400watts? AMD has no profit motive...

For the most part it's called CYA. They make it higher so that it removes them from support for those that don't have one strong enough. Of course that doesn't help with those with their $20 no-name 600W power supply, and can't figure out why their shiny bew card won't work.

Dell is one of those that under states the specs on theirs. That 250W in the 580s is probably closer to a 300W which as long as the system isn't overloaded with hard drives (not sure where you would put them) and USB devices should be fine. As I posted earlier Dell offers that model computer with the G310 which has a slightly higher power requirement than the 5450 (30W for there G310 vs 20W for the 5450).

Wally you should be fine. If you do get the card whatever you do, please do not get it from Dell unless you like paying 3-4 times more for it than you can get it from elsewhere

 

[wally1324]

Ok, I can admit to being wrong, but why is the minimum recommended supply 400watts? AMD has no profit motive...

For the most part it's called CYA. They make it higher so that it removes them from support for those that don't have one strong enough. Of course that doesn't help with those with their $20 no-name 600W power supply, and can't figure out why their shiny bew card won't work.

Dell is one of those that under states the specs on theirs. That 250W in the 580s is probably closer to a 300W which as long as the system isn't overloaded with hard drives (not sure where you would put them) and USB devices should be fine. As I posted earlier Dell offers that model computer with the G310 which has a slightly higher power requirement than the 5450 (30W for there G310 vs 20W for the 5450).

Wally you should be fine. If you do get the card whatever you do, please do not get it from Dell unless you like paying 3-4 times more for it than you can get it from elsewhere

will the g310 work as well

 

[stormy13]

Will it work, yes. Is it worth buying, not at all. It is the lowest of the low end for a desktop card, and about a half step better than Intel onboard video.

I can't find any reviews for the G310 (remember it is an OEM only card; meaning only available from Dell, HP, etc), but it is identical to the G210. Here's a couple of reviews for that one,

Nvidia GeForce 210 and GeForce GT 220 Review: Revenge of the Low-End?. Page 15 - X-bit labs

Gigabyte GeForce 210 - Bjorn3D.com

 

[wally1324]

whats the best card that is low profile and uses minimal power