Dell Inspiron 560 with 300W, what graphics card is best for me?

[mike2012]

Hi, Mike here. I have a Dell Inspiron 560 with 300W. I know the psu crappy, but help me out here. I've opened the case and I saw that I had one PCI-E x16 slot, that I can use for a graphics card. Currently, I play games with the integrated x4500hd card, but I'm looking to upgrade. If it helps here are some of other specs:

Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit (6.1, Build 7601) Service Pack 1 (7601.win7sp1_gdr.111118-2330)
Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: Dell Inc.
System Model: Inspiron 560
BIOS: Default System BIOS
Processor: Pentium(R) Dual-Core CPU E6700 @ 3.20GHz (2 CPUs), ~3.2GHz
Memory: 4096MB RAM
Available OS Memory: 4060MB RAM
Page File: 4097MB used, 4022MB available
Windows Dir: C:\Windows
DirectX Version: DirectX 11
DX Setup Parameters: Not found
User DPI Setting: Using System DPI
System DPI Setting: 96 DPI (100 percent)
DWM DPI Scaling: Disabled
DxDiag Version: 6.01.7601.17514 32bit Unicode

So what would the best graphics card be for me?

 

[mahroofali]

The best graphics card for you is according to your need and budget. Where do your monitor take power from? If it is to the power supply,I'm afraid you will have to choose a low end,passive cooling card. What we need to know is the amount of power your existing system requires,giving the amount of RAM or your DPI setting won't help. List out all items in your system and check the maximum Power requirement and calculate the grand total. If it exceeds 200w,you can't add a high end or even a mid-range graphics card. Again pls provide your use and budget

 

[de5_Roy]

300 is pretty steep margin for discreet gfx card. without replacing the psu, radeon hd 5570 1gb or 6570 1 gb. neither are for gaming. x4500hd is not that bad for built in gpu, it's fine for basic stuff. some samples -
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814129181
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102934
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127611
or even lower, 6450
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102933
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150581
more
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&N=-1&isNodeId=1&Description=radeon+6450&x=0&y=0
if you replace your cpu with a higher wattage one like corsair cx 430 v2 (idk if it'd fit your case, check with your case dimensions) - you could add gfx cards like radeon 6770 or 6790.

 

[mike2012]

300 is pretty steep margin for discreet gfx card. without replacing the psu, radeon hd 5570 1gb or 6570 1 gb. neither are for gaming. x4500hd is not that bad for built in gpu, it's fine for basic stuff. some samples -
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814129181
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102934
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127611
or even lower, 6450
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102933
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150581
more
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&N=-1&isNodeId=1&Description=radeon+6450&x=0&y=0
if you replace your cpu with a higher wattage one like corsair cx 430 v2 (idk if it'd fit your case, check with your case dimensions) - you could add gfx cards like radeon 6770 or 6790.

Thanks. Both the 5570 and 6570 1gb sound like what I'm looking for, so I'll check those out. When I get a bigger budget though, I'll definitely look into upgrading my PSU. One more question though, adding a video card will give me a little extra FPS on games right?

 

[de5_Roy]

Thanks. Both the 5570 and 6570 1gb sound like what I'm looking for, so I'll check those out. When I get a bigger budget though, I'll definitely look into upgrading my PSU. One more question though, adding a video card will give me a little extra FPS on games right?

the cards i listed are not gaming cards. you should consider a full system uprgade for a decent gaming pc.
yes, any of these should give you extra fps in games. check the gaming gfx card hierarchy chart below to see where gma x4500hd and radeon hd 6450 stand.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107-7.html

 

[jaguarskx]

The best option for a 300w PSU is the Radeon HD 7750.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161403

 

[mike2012]

Best answer selected by Mike2012.

 

[diec4st]

I hope you didn't buy a 6450 lol it's horrible. Get a 7750 like jaguarskx said.

 

[mike2012]

I hope you didn't buy a 6450 lol it's horrible. Get a 7750 like jaguarskx said.

I might. It'll run alright on a 300w PSU though right?

 

[de5_Roy]

the reason i didn't recommend a 7750 is that i couldn't figure out OP's case dimensions. i noticed that inspiron had both standard and slimline case. second - pc's (mostly psu's) age and how much that 300w psu would be able to deliver now. third - budget, since OP should upgrade (at a later time, after saving up money) to a better gaming config e.g. core i3/i5 + gtx 560ti/7870/whatever kepler equivalent.
i agree that a 7750 might be the best for a 300 psu ....disregarding it's age.

 

[mike2012]

the reason i didn't recommend a 7750 is that i couldn't figure out OP's case dimensions. i noticed that inspiron had both standard and slimline case. second - pc's (mostly psu's) age and how much that 300w psu would be able to deliver now. third - budget, since OP should upgrade (at a later time, after saving up money) to a better gaming config e.g. core i3/i5 + gtx 560ti/7870/whatever kepler equivalent.
i agree that a 7750 might be the best for a 300 psu ....disregarding it's age.

Hmm, well mine is only 3 months old. So would I be good with a 7750?

 

[de5_Roy]

Hmm, well mine is only 3 months old. So would I be good with a 7750?

i didn't mean the duration you have had this pc in your possession. i mean the actual age of the psu, from the time it was built. from your specs it looked like the pc is at least 2 years old (lga 775 cpu and stuff).
the 7750 (or any modern gfx card that runs without an extra pcie power connector like 6570, 7750) won't be a problem. and you can always put in a new cheap but good psu like corsair builder series cx 430 v2 or antec earthwatts 380w psu.

 

[mike2012]

One last question though before I buy. How do I know which PCI version I have? All I know is inside my computer it says PCI gen 2.

 

[de5_Roy]

One last question though before I buy. How do I know which PCI version I have? All I know is inside my computer it says PCI gen 2.

usually written somewhere beside the pcie x16 (where the gfx card sits) slot. usually pcie 2.0 slots have blue color. gen 2.0 is currently the most widely available pcie version. gen 3.0 just launched with sb-e's x79 motherboards. pcie standards are mostly backwards and forward compatible. 7750 will run fine on a gen 2.0 slot.
you can also use monitoring softwares like gpu-z to see which gen your gfx card slot is.