Best Middle of the Road GPU for XPS 420 Core 2 Quad Q6600

[seakay]

Hello all,
I can't afford a new build and was just gifted an older XPS 420. It seems like a pretty decent machine but would like to upgrade the GPU for modern gaming. I just upgraded to Windows 7 64, planning on upgrading to 8gb RAM and would like a middle of the road GPU for under $150 that won't be bottlenecked by the Core 2 Quad Q6600. Is bottlenecking even a concern? Could I go with a top of the line GPU and experience max performance? Not sure as to what PSU comes with the XPS but would prefer not to have to replace. Any input would be appreciated.

 

[XxMongermaniacxX]

i have a q6600 overclocked at 3.4 ghz with an amd 7950 (same as r9 280) and i have a massive bottleneck. I would reccomend getting an older gtx from around 2011... you will have massive bottlnecks with sooo many cards thatare out right now. for example, If you bought a gtx 760 you would have a massive bottleneck as well. ( i am coming from experience cause when i play bf3 on ultra, i stay at 45 fps @1080p bu when i change the settings, there is no fps gain)

 

[seakay]

Will the GTX 750ti work or is that overkill also?

My CPU is not overclocked which would probably bottleneck even more. Would I need to invest in extra cooling if I wanted to consider overclocking?

 

[garneroutlaw]

Radeon hd 7750 is your best bet. Find one used and cheap. Shouldnt have to worry about psu with it.

 

[garneroutlaw]

Yes 750 ti is overkill.

 

[maxalge]

Hello all,
I can't afford a new build and was just gifted an older XPS 420. It seems like a pretty decent machine but would like to upgrade the GPU for modern gaming. I just upgraded to Windows 7 64, planning on upgrading to 8gb RAM and would like a middle of the road GPU for under $150 that won't be bottlenecked by the Core 2 Quad Q6600. Is bottlenecking even a concern? Could I go with a top of the line GPU and experience max performance? Not sure as to what PSU comes with the XPS but would prefer not to have to replace. Any input would be appreciated.

looking at the xps 420 specs, it seems to have 375w power supply.


A gtx 750 ti - make sure it is a version that does NOT need additional pcie cables plugged in - should work as they run purely off the pcie slot power.

And if you ever upgrade you can keep the card.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127784

 

[seakay]

Anyone aware of any possible compatibility issues between upgraded GPU's and factory builds. GeForce told me the GTX 750ti may not be compatible with my BIOS and that Dell may not have any updates available. Any input?

 

[maxalge]

Anyone aware of any possible compatibility issues between upgraded GPU's and factory builds. GeForce told me the GTX 750ti may not be compatible with my BIOS and that Dell may not have any updates available. Any input?

as long as you can go into the bios and set UEFI to legacy mode it should work under win 8. you have win 7 so that should not be an issue.

look up other users with your system, if they have upgraded their gpu then you know its possible