Best budget graphics card for dell dimension 5100?

[Gareth Robinson]

i am upgrading a dell dimension 5100 for my nethew and i was wondering what the best graphics card would be to put in it?
it has a 500w psu with 2 pcie connectors.
any other upgrades you recommend would be grateful too

 

[Kisianik]

What is your budget?

You have BTX case - problem for upgrades

Physically you can fit inside nothing stronger than HD7770 which is max $120, if it is too much, let me know.

If you want more upgrades, let me know how much you can spend after video card.

Waiting for response.

 

[Gareth Robinson-1366267]

What is your budget?

You have BTX case - problem for upgrades

Physically you can fit inside nothing stronger than HD7770 which is max $120, if it is too much, let me know.

If you want more upgrades, let me know how much you can spend after video card.

Waiting for response.

Yes that is way too expensive for what im looking for, hes only going to play lightweight games like minecraft and sims 3, it needs to be compatible with xp which i have put on it and be around the $50 (£30) mark
Thanks

 

[Kisianik]

Gareth Robinson said:
Yes that is way too expensive for what im looking for, hes only going to play lightweight games like minecraft and sims 3, it needs to be compatible with xp which i have put on it and be around the $50 (£30) mark
Thanks

It is not so easy to find good cheap card, because they all looks good, so I decided to stop this masochism on 2 options, one with fan and one without. Card is HD6450, which is entry level stronger than embedded motherboard chip, however it appears that it should be enough for Minecraft I had to stop at HD6450 due to money constrains - you can not get much for 30 pounds.
So first choice is surprisingly Dell, which I have chosen for fan, and second is fanless XFX.
Dell HD6450 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dell-Radeon-Graphics-DisplayPort-Display/dp/B009NQYXJQ/ref=sr_1_28?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1374598144&sr=1-28
XFX HD6450 http://www.amazon.co.uk/XFX-HD6450-Graphics-GDDR3-Memory/dp/B004Y9ZK7G/ref=sr_1_20?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1374626844&sr=1-20

Those are the latest WinXP drivers for HD6450 http://www.amd-drivers.com/download-RadeonHD6450-graphics-driver-for-WindowsXP-32bit.html

If you want to look by yourself go here (choose the highest model number - explaining in simple language, except FireGL), basically all cards in your price category fit nicely.

It was stated in many instances that Minecraft is more processor intensive, however given your money constrains, you will be fine, because you are somewhere in between Minimum (Intel P4/NetBurst architecture or its AMD equivalent (AMD K7)) and Acceptable (Intel Pentium D or AMD K8-Based CPUs and better) Requirements based on processor. Note that you can not upgrade your processor beyond Pentium D 945, which is top supported one.

I think I am done.
Anything else I can help you with?

 

[Gareth Robinson-1366267]

Gareth Robinson said:
Yes that is way too expensive for what im looking for, hes only going to play lightweight games like minecraft and sims 3, it needs to be compatible with xp which i have put on it and be around the $50 (£30) mark
Thanks

It is not so easy to find good cheap card, because they all looks good, so I decided to stop this masochism on 2 options, one with fan and one without. Card is HD6450, which is entry level stronger than embedded motherboard chip, however it appears that it should be enough for Minecraft I had to stop at HD6450 due to money constrains - you can not get much for 30 pounds.
So first choice is surprisingly Dell, which I have chosen for fan, and second is fanless XFX.
Dell HD6450 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dell-Radeon-Graphics-DisplayPort-Display/dp/B009NQYXJQ/ref=sr_1_28?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1374598144&sr=1-28
XFX HD6450 http://www.amazon.co.uk/XFX-HD6450-Graphics-GDDR3-Memory/dp/B004Y9ZK7G/ref=sr_1_20?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1374626844&sr=1-20

Those are the latest WinXP drivers for HD6450 http://www.amd-drivers.com/download-RadeonHD6450-graphics-driver-for-WindowsXP-32bit.html

If you want to look by yourself go here (choose the highest model number - explaining in simple language, except FireGL), basically all cards in your price category fit nicely.

It was stated in many instances that Minecraft is more processor intensive, however given your money constrains, you will be fine, because you are somewhere in between Minimum (Intel P4/NetBurst architecture or its AMD equivalent (AMD K7)) and Acceptable (Intel Pentium D or AMD K8-Based CPUs and better) Requirements based on processor. Note that you can not upgrade your processor beyond Pentium D 945, which is top supported one.

I think I am done.
Anything else I can help you with?

Thankyou very much! which would you reccommend out of fan and fanless? and how much further would i have to stretch my budget to see a noticable difference in performance on both minecraft and Sims 3?

 

[Gareth Robinson-1366267]

If your budget allows, you could always shoot for an HD 6670 Low Profile http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AHV7NNE/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00AHV7NNE&linkCode=as2&tag=b0b929-20

why would you choose the low profile version instead of full size? and i was seriously considering this card already

 

[Kisianik]

If your budget allows, you could always shoot for an HD 6670 Low Profile http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AHV7NNE/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00AHV7NNE&linkCode=as2&tag=b0b929-20

why would you choose the low profile version instead of full size? and i was seriously considering this card already

Amazon UK doesn't have this particular card for whatever reason http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=HD667XCLF3
However there are many more 6670 cards which can fit in you system.

At the end it is all depends on your budget, if you stretch it up, more better and stronger options appear.
I would not recommend you to go over 7750 card (remember, the strongest to fit is HD7770) due to the limitation of your processor.

So, quick search Amazon UK cheapest 7750 to fit:
the best for less
VTX3D AMD Radeon HD 7750 Graphics Card (1GB, GDDR5, PCI Express 3.0) £68.29 and free shipping http://www.amazon.co.uk/VTX3D-Radeon-Graphics-GDDR5-Express/dp/B008J1MO3S/ref=sr_1_4?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1374677620&sr=1-4&keywords=hd+7750

Next search for 6670 to fit for lowest price.
PowerColor Radeon HD 6670, 1GB DDR3 £50.99 however + £7.00 UK delivery = £57.99 with delivery http://www.amazon.co.uk/PowerColor-Radeon-6670-1GB-DDR3/dp/B0052C4QDS/ref=sr_1_2?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1374678366&sr=1-2&keywords=HD+6670
Somehow the same card offered here for less http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/B0076Z4XEG/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new&qid=1374678366&sr=1-3
Look for £51.00 + £4.65 UK delivery option

All above card checked to fit.

Anything else I can help you with?

 

[Gareth Robinson-1366267]

If your budget allows, you could always shoot for an HD 6670 Low Profile http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AHV7NNE/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00AHV7NNE&linkCode=as2&tag=b0b929-20

why would you choose the low profile version instead of full size? and i was seriously considering this card already

Amazon UK doesn't have this particular card for whatever reason http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=HD667XCLF3
However there are many more 6670 cards which can fit in you system.

At the end it is all depends on your budget, if you stretch it up, more better and stronger options appear.
I would not recommend you to go over 7750 card (remember, the strongest to fit is HD7770) due to the limitation of your processor.

So, quick search Amazon UK cheapest 7750 to fit:
the best for less
VTX3D AMD Radeon HD 7750 Graphics Card (1GB, GDDR5, PCI Express 3.0) £68.29 and free shipping http://www.amazon.co.uk/VTX3D-Radeon-Graphics-GDDR5-Express/dp/B008J1MO3S/ref=sr_1_4?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1374677620&sr=1-4&keywords=hd+7750

Next search for 6670 to fit for lowest price.
PowerColor Radeon HD 6670, 1GB DDR3 £50.99 however + £7.00 UK delivery = £57.99 with delivery http://www.amazon.co.uk/PowerColor-Radeon-6670-1GB-DDR3/dp/B0052C4QDS/ref=sr_1_2?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1374678366&sr=1-2&keywords=HD+6670
Somehow the same card offered here for less http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/B0076Z4XEG/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new&qid=1374678366&sr=1-3
Look for £51.00 + £4.65 UK delivery option

All above card checked to fit.

Anything else I can help you with?

Unless i can get a cheaper one on ebay i think ill go with the hd6450, would you go with fan or fanless? will sims 3 work on the hd 6450? and what are the pros and cons of buying second hand cards compared to new? thankyou

 

[Kisianik]

Sims will work, but at low to medium settings, I seen reports confirming this http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/313665-33-card-sims-answer

Again, 6450 is the cheapest one, and it fits the bill, stronger are always better.

Buying used one is dangerous, you have to look for the one with return option, just in case.
Since you have limited budget, you can save on getting stronger card for cheaper, but please don't look for 6450 on eBay, this is too much.

Fan vs fanless - I like fans for cooling, and I seen fanless in small Dells which were overheating, this is my point of view.

Anything else I can help you with?

 

[Gareth Robinson-1366267]

Sims will work, but at low to medium settings, I seen reports confirming this http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/313665-33-card-sims-answer

Again, 6450 is the cheapest one, and it fits the bill, stronger are always better.

Buying used one is dangerous, you have to look for the one with return option, just in case.
Since you have limited budget, you can save on getting stronger card for cheaper, but please don't look for 6450 on eBay, this is too much.

Fan vs fanless - I like fans for cooling, and I seen fanless in small Dells which were overheating, this is my point of view.

Anything else I can help you with?

no thankyou, youve been very helpful! think ill try this one - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dell-Radeon-Graphics-DisplayPor...

actually one last thing, will this be compatable with xp and with it being pcie 2.1?

 

[Kisianik]

Your link is not complete, not working.
PCIE is backward compatible, no problems here.
XP, hm, need more time (leaving home now), I think I saw driver page somewhere.

 

[Gareth Robinson-1366267]

Your link is not complete, not working.
PCIE is backward compatible, no problems here.
XP, hm, need more time (leaving home now), I think I saw driver page somewhere.

the link is just the dell hd 6450 with the fan, could you let me know as i am solely relying on you 😛

 

[Kisianik]

Your link is not complete, not working.
PCIE is backward compatible, no problems here.
XP, hm, need more time (leaving home now), I think I saw driver page somewhere.

the link is just the dell hd 6450 with the fan, could you let me know as i am solely relying on you 😛

OK. I personally prefer anything with fan, so you got your answer here.
Regarding drivers, this is Dell drivers, seems old to me http://www.dell.com/support/drivers/us/en/19/driverdetails?driverid=HMNXK

And this is official AMD page http://www.amd.com/us/products/desktop/graphics/amd-radeon-hd-6000/hd-6450/Pages/amd-radeon-hd-6450-overview.aspx#4
Look at top green bar, AUTOMATICALLY DETECT AND INSTALL THE RIGHT DRIVER>>, this looks better than Dell choice.
At any case you have to uninstall old drivers using Add/Remove programs Windows feature, insert the card and go to AMD site (Dell site just in case), click to check and download.

Anything else I can help you with?

P.S. If you finding any answers particularly helpful to you, please mark it as Pick A solution, to solve the thread - it will benefit others, searching for the same question.

 

[Gareth Robinson-1366267]

Your link is not complete, not working.
PCIE is backward compatible, no problems here.
XP, hm, need more time (leaving home now), I think I saw driver page somewhere.

the link is just the dell hd 6450 with the fan, could you let me know as i am solely relying on you 😛

OK. I personally prefer anything with fan, so you got your answer here.
Regarding drivers, this is Dell drivers, seems old to me http://www.dell.com/support/drivers/us/en/19/driverdetails?driverid=HMNXK

And this is official AMD page http://www.amd.com/us/products/desktop/graphics/amd-radeon-hd-6000/hd-6450/Pages/amd-radeon-hd-6450-overview.aspx#4
Look at top green bar, AUTOMATICALLY DETECT AND INSTALL THE RIGHT DRIVER>>, this looks better than Dell choice.
At any case you have to uninstall old drivers using Add/Remove programs Windows feature, insert the card and go to AMD site (Dell site just in case), click to check and download.

Anything else I can help you with?

P.S. If you finding any answers particularly helpful to you, please mark it as Pick A solution, to solve the thread - it will benefit others, searching for the same question.

okay thankyou very much, you have helped a lot! i know what im going for and what drivers to download! Great guy 😀

 

[Gareth Robinson-1366267]

ended up gettiing a 6670 if anyone cares, thanks for the help

 

[Gareth Robinson-1366267]

ended up gettiing a 6670 if anyone cares, thanks for the help

 

[Kisianik]

ended up gettiing a 6670 if anyone cares, thanks for the help

I am glad that you went with 6670 instead of 6450, good decision.
Does it perform as expected?

And thank you for posting back.

 

[Gareth Robinson-1366267]

ended up gettiing a 6670 if anyone cares, thanks for the help

I am glad that you went with 6670 instead of 6450, good decision.
Does it perform as expected?

And thank you for posting back.

havent put it in yet, will let you know once its done

 

[andy2128]

Hi,
How did you get on with the card?
I have the same - could someone tell me if it will play GoPro 720/60 videos smoothly and work well with video editing software for this footage? Currently when I try to play these videos in VLC player it's very jerky (standard 5100 PC, 4Gb RAM).
Thanks!

 

[Gareth Robinson]

Hi,
How did you get on with the card?
I have the same - could someone tell me if it will play GoPro 720/60 videos smoothly and work well with video editing software for this footage? Currently when I try to play these videos in VLC player it's very jerky (standard 5100 PC, 4Gb RAM).
Thanks!

yeah it all runs smoothly and even plays some semi demanding games like gta, that is with the hd 6670