Affordable Graphics Card for small system

[Guest]

http://reviews.cnet.com/desktops/acer-aspire-x1700-u3700a/4505-3118_7-33508017.html#reviewPage1

There is a link of the system i am currently running out of the box, next month im looking to buy a new graphics card for this - as for gaming it seems to be the only thing that lets me down.

As you can see the physical size of the system is small - so i would forsee this as a problem, so any help on choosing an affordable graphics card for gaming while fitting inside this system - if thats even possible, would be appreciated.

Thanks in Advance!

 

[jimishtar]

try nvidia gt 240. they are small and powerful, unless u have a big resolution.

 

[Tamz_msc]

A 5670 should also work.It is the most powerful card available that does not require extra power connectors.

 

[Guest]

For the 2 above cards - do you think they would be able to fit inside? It is quite a small case

 

[jyjjy]

His case requires a low profile card so neither of those suggestions are good ones. Also his power supply is 220w. If anything worth gaming on is going to both fit in there and work on that PSU it will be the HD5570;
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127481

 

[Tamz_msc]

Looking at those pictures, you wont be able to fit any card as there does not seem to be any PCIe slot on the motherboard.

 

[Guest]

In regards to the above card - would i need to change my board or anything like that? i was talking to a friend - and he was saying that due to me currently running onboard graphics i might need to get a new board. If not, and it is just a case of plug and play - then il definetly get the one you recommended.

 

[Guest]

Looking at those pictures, you wont be able to fit any card as there does not seem to be any PCIe slot on the motherboard.

If this is true is there any way to get around this or would i need to just buy a new computer

 

[infernox_01]

according to the review it says the computer has 'a single 1X PCI Express slot (already occupied by a modem).' in that case I don't think you would be able to upgrade the graphics card. you could get another case and motherboard and put some of the components from this pc onto it, but it depends on how experienced you are.

 

[Guest]

Not very experienced i must say - only ever changed a few components in other towers like HD's etc.

Looking to get more experience in it though so thats why i browse this place a lot.

 

[eloric]

Replacing a video card is a simple affair. Getting one to fit into your system that actually works is another matter. The low-profile 5570 may suffice, but you are going to have one or two extra connectors that will be dangling inside the box since you do not have an extra slot on the case.

Also and more importantly, even with the low powered card, you will be stressing the power supply. Here is a PSU calculator. When your numbers are plugged in with the new card on a 2 year old machine, the recommended PSU is 237 W. This calculator seems surprisingly conservative considering it came from a manufacturer (Antec). The bottom line: don't be surprised when it blows, and cross your figners that it does not fry the motherboard. Sorry for the bad news.


Really cute small machines don't upgrade very well, especially mass produced pre-built ones. Sorry for the bad news.

 

[Guest]

Yeah i was beggining to get the impression it wouldn't come to much - i have been browsing ginger6 and seen a really nice selection of custom built gaming rigs for a really good rice - so i think il need to just buy a new system - start from scratch and maybe make sure i can expand onto this one :lol:

 

[infernox_01]

is that a shuttle power supply? i think there are 500w shuttle power supplies but again the problem is a lack of pcie slots, so it doesnt really matter. you could sell this system to gain some money or like i said reuse some of the parts in your new system to save some money.

 

[jyjjy]

Your current system DOES have a PCIE x16 port and you are not using integrated graphics but rather an Nvidia G100 card. I don't know why people give advice without bothering to look these things up. Also "you are going to have one or two extra connectors that will be dangling inside the box" is not true. On the card I linked you wont be able to use the vga output but it is removable.
Your current card uses has a TDP of 35w according to Nvidia while the HD5570 is at 39w according to ATI. I really doubt 4 watts is going to have any effect on your PSU.
To sum up; you can use the HD5570 on your current system.
As for a new system it is actually a good idea but I certainly would not recommend another prebuilt computer. That your current one is so recent and you are already looking to replace it should be lesson enough. You should build your own instead. It is really not as hard as you might think. Basically if you can use a screw driver and plug cards/cables into slots you can handle it. The hardest part is picking out the parts and that is what message boards like this are for. In the end you'll have a faster computer for less money built with more recent, reliable and upgradeable parts. If this is what you want to do let us know your budget and we can recommend what kind of parts you should be looking at to get the best gaming system for the money.

 

[infernox_01]

i checked now and yeh there is a pcie x16 slot thats currently occupied by the g100 card. i guess the 5570 would be the affordable solution. i asked powercolor last week about the low profile 5750/5770 and they said that the low profile 5750 would be released in august/september. it might work on your current psu, if not like i said there are 500w shuttle psus available.

 

[eloric]

Took a look at Ginger. If you get the 13 15 17 custom gaming computer, upgrade the CPU to 15-760, upgrade the PSU to Therkmaltake 600W and upgrade the GPu to 5850, the the total price is 743 pounds (sorry I don't know the keystrokes for Pounds Sterling).