Should I Buy A..........

[stormy13]

Hmmm IIRC we had a poster with that very same PC asking the same question (but with a GTX 480 instead of a HD 5870).

That would also happen to be this OP,

http://www.sevenforums.com/graphic-cards/126182-should-i-buy-gtx-480-a.html

and had the questions answered with regards to how much space needs to be available in the case for the card to fit, and that he will need a new power supply.

And to answer the question from here,

http://www.sevenforums.com/graphic-cards/129211-should-i-buy-radeon-hd-5770-a.html

the card is ~8.5" long, so will need at least that much from the back panel to the drive cage, and you will still need a new power supply for the 5770.

 

[Fluffy]

I have an ATi 5770 see specs for details and it does support eyefinity aka 3 monitors, its a very powerful mid-range card. Hope that helps. As for your PSU you didn't state its wattage, it needs 500W single and 650W for crossfire.

 

[Ipwnedx]

Thanks for replying, i am not sure what my PSU is, it is probably weak.
I think about 300-350 PSU / Watt usage. I don't know. Maybe.
Someone do some research for me? I only got so much time.

 

[Fluffy]

Open up the case and look on the PSU. We can't do everything for you.

 

[Der Stich]

Someone do some research for me? I only got so much time.

Strangely enough - so do we :sarc:

 

[Ipwnedx]

Okay, i researched some and i found out that my computer has a PSU of 350 watt usage.

 

[parabellum]

I'd get a new PSU and a 6850, although it depends on the games you play. A 5770 is an OK choice. I'd recommend an Antec TP-550 assuming that the motherboard isn't proprietary and un-upgradeable.

 

[Ipwnedx]

Okay but, my computer has a 350 watt usage and the HD 5770 has a usage of 129 - 212 watts.
I found this at
Radeon HD 6870 Power Consumption and Thermals | bit-tech.net
I may be wrong or not.
Please help.

 

[stormy13]

Three threads asking the same question,

http://www.sevenforums.com/graphic-cards/129131-should-i-buy-radeon-hd-5870-a.html

http://www.sevenforums.com/graphic-cards/126182-should-i-buy-gtx-480-a.html

and the answers will be the same as in those other 2.

 

[linnemeyerhere]

Didn't we already go over this earlier in another post?

 

[parabellum]

Okay but, my computer has a 350 watt usage and the HD 5770 has a usage of 129 - 212 watts.
I found this at
Radeon HD 6870 Power Consumption and Thermals | bit-tech.net
I may be wrong or not.
Please help.

You also need to include your i5 + your RAM + the motherboard + HDD's and ODD's etc. It all add's up.

 

[SlackerITGuy]

Okay but, my computer has a 350 watt usage and the HD 5770 has a usage of 129 - 212 watts.
I found this at
Radeon HD 6870 Power Consumption and Thermals | bit-tech.net
I may be wrong or not.
Please help.

It's pretty simple mate.

You'll need a new PSU, and most likely a new case as well in order to upgrade to a mid/high end card.

 

[GeneO]

Okay but, my computer has a 350 watt usage and the HD 5770 has a usage of 129 - 212 watts.
I found this at
Radeon HD 6870 Power Consumption and Thermals | bit-tech.net
I may be wrong or not.
Please help.

That doesn't mean your PSU can handle it. So yours is 350 Watt. It has to handle everything - your CPU (95 watts for an I5 750), graphics card, + everything else. Just your processor and graphics card use up 95+212 = 307 watts. Then there is your Motherboard, RAM, fans, disk drives, etc. etc. The 350 watts isn't adequate. I don't think it is even adequate for what you have now.

Go by the graphics card manufacturer's recommendations. For the 5770 it is at least 450 Watts. Plus your power supply needs to have a 75W 6-pin PCI Express® power connector:

http://www.amd.com/us/products/desk...5770/Pages/ati-radeon-hd-5770-overview.aspx#3

Dells suck as far as upgradability. Their MB are proprietary, their cases pretty inadequate for cooling and not standard ATX, and their Power supplies are always barely enough for the system as ordered.

-Gene

 

[Ipwnedx]

Yes, haha. I made multiple threads.

 

[Fluffy]

I'd get a new PSU and a 6850, although it depends on the games you play. A 5770 is an OK choice. I'd recommend an Antec TP-550 assuming that the motherboard isn't proprietary and un-upgradeable.

The 5770 is more than ok, it is probably the best mid-range card out there.

 

[Ipwnedx]

I am a complete NOOB at finding what to buy for computers (But i can find good graphics cards)
So, what PSU upgrade should i get?

 

[GeneO]

At least 450W Antec, OCZ, Seasonic or Corsair

Look at newegg - they usually have one of these on sale.

It will probably have multiple 12 volt rails each capable of 300W. You'll want the separate PCI-E power connector for the card to be on a different rail than your CPU etc.

You will probably need to beef up the cooling of your case - more or more powerful fans.

Gene

 

[Thorsen]

I agree with GeneO on this as well. I would go a bit higher to 500 though. Even if a 450 is enough to handle the system, PSU's degrade a little over time and its not good to run the PSU at 100% capacity. Allow for enough head room and get either a better fan than your case has or an additional fan. You will need more cooling due to a powerful graphics card being in the case.

Here is a good site for adding up all your components so you can see what your minimum and suggested PSU power would be.

eXtreme Power Supply Calculator

And another resource for cooling:

http://www.heatsink-guide.com/

 

[SlackerITGuy]

I am a complete NOOB at finding what to buy for computers (But i can find good graphics cards)
So, what PSU upgrade should i get?

I'd look for something in the ~600W range.

Like this one:

Newegg.com - CORSAIR Builder Series CMPSU-600CX 600W ATX12V v2.3 Active PFC Power Supply

 

[linnemeyerhere]

SlackerITGuy +1 on that, I would also only consider a modular if it's still affordable for the OP. When they out grow the Dell and case the old PSU can go in and the new PSU and GPU can go in the new build.