Alienware x51 upgrade graphics card

[fluzcapacitor]

Hi everyone,

So i have an alienware x51 and wanted to upgrade the graphics card.
I bought a geforce gtx 960 graphics card. Specs of the card are below:
http://www.geforce.com/hardware/desktop-gpus/geforce-gtx-960/specifications

After I installed the graphics card and connected my monitor the ports on the graphics card, the display does not work. So i plugged the monitor to the graphics card on the motherboard and tried to detect the card via device manager. The newly installed graphics card is not detected and does not display on the device manager menu. I ran a diagnostic of the hardwares on my computer and when it tested the graphics card, i heard the fan running. So i am certain power is going through it.

One conclusion i made was that it may be because of the psu. Alienware x51 only has a 330W and according to the specs sheet of the graphics card, it recommends a minimum system power of 400W. So i assumed this was the cause of it not working. However, i've been looking on these forum threads and it seems other people have been able to use graphics cards that require much more graphics card power and system power than the gtx 960. So i am not sure this is the problem any more.

Could anyone help me with this? Any suggestions?

 

[James Mason]

Did you connect the 1x6 pin PCIE power connector to the graphics card?
It would be on the top/back of the card.
If you did, it's also possible the 330w PSU isn't enough, it certainly is cutting it very close, i'd expect a system with a 960 to use somewhere between 280-350 watts, and you'd want 100+ watts extra of what you're using anyways.

 

[fluzcapacitor]

Did you connect the 1x6 pin PCIE power connector to the graphics card?
It would be on the top/back of the card.
If you did, it's also possible the 330w PSU isn't enough, it certainly is cutting it very close, i'd expect a system with a 960 to use somewhere between 280-350 watts, and you'd want 100+ watts extra of what you're using anyways.

Hey James,

Thanks for the response.
I definitely did connect the PCIE power connector to the graphic card, so that is probably not the problem.
My initial thoughts were that it could be because of the psu, however I've read other forum threads where other alienware x51 owners have been able to get graphics cards that require higher power to work. Some of the graphics cards they used require up to 600W of power and they were able to run it with the 330W psu.

Are there any other suggestions that I can try out? I am also thinking the graphic card i received could be defective too..

Thanks

 

[Larry Litmanen]

Any chance you have a buddy with a PC who can plug in the card and see if it works on his PC?

 

[fluzcapacitor]

Any chance you have a buddy with a PC who can plug in the card and see if it works on his PC?

Hey Larry,

I can give this a try.

Thank you.

 

[madjoshy]

Yesterday i just installed on my Alienware x51 R2 330w i7-4790 - 16GB ram a PNY XLR8 Geforce GTX 980 CG 4GB ( cumsontion for this card is only 165w) So is compatible with an Alienware X51 R2 ( only is you have a psu 330w) is working like a charm. Games like witcher 3 fps are above 60. make sure youll get this model PNY XLR8 Geforce GTX 980 CG thats the best that you can get for now. its around 519 in amazon. the card will fit. only you need to remove the small front fan and replace it if you want with a thinner one.