Dell power supply enough for Radeon 3870?

[bloodandsoil]

Will the power supply in a Dell XPS 410 be enough to power a Radeon HD 3870 video card?

 

[Ares_]

Yes, it has a 375 watt PSU. I have run a 3850 on a dell 305 watt PSU before.

 

[invisik]

yes should work fine.

 

[topper743]

Yes but with a caveat. It depends on the other components in the system. Also is the PSU working at it's best? The only thing to do is to try it since I assume it's an older one. If it doesn't cut it opt for a new psu from a good oem and good effiency and a higher supply rating, say 550+. Personally I think a 600-700 unit is the sweet spot. PSU work best and last longer if they are not pushed and stressed to the last watt, a little overhead is a good thing. Nothing better than getting something good on sale.

 

[cjl]

It'll work fine. My friend is running an XPS 410 with a 3870 right now.

 

[sailer]

I agree with topper743. It depends on the total components in your computer and the age of the PSU. It might work, but it might not. Only way to find out is to try and see what happens. If you get artifacts or anything else strange, the card may be starving for power. If you stay with a single card, a quality 550wt PSU should work fine. Unless you're running a lot of hardware, there's no need to go larger with a single card.

 

[ohiou_grad_06]

If you want to be safer, the 4670 may be a way to go, with no external power connector, although it's probably a little slower than the 3870.

 

[kpo6969]

Will the power supply in a Dell XPS 410 be enough to power a Radeon HD 3870 video card?

Yes, it has a 375 watt PSU. I have run a 3850 on a dell 305 watt PSU before.

Provided your psu isn't like 3+ years old 30amps is plenty for a 3870.

 

[bloodandsoil]

If you want to be safer, the 4670 may be a way to go, with no external power connector, although it's probably a little slower than the 3870.

What do you mean by external power connector?

Does the Dell XPS 410 have an external power connector? Do I need one if I want to get the 3870?

 

[delluser1]

You have the required PEG connector, and plenty of power.
Dell sold the box with a Q6600 and an 8800 GTX, no psu upgrade.

 

[NoPlaceLikeCub]

I've got an XPS 410 that was purchased in Sept 06:

6600 Intel Core 2 Duo @ 2.4GHz
2GB RAM
Geforce 7900 GS

At the risk of sounding redundant, I have a similar question with a few twists.

1. Did I read this thread correctly? The Radeon HD 3870 will operate safely with no PSU alteration?

2. Is there a better deal anywhere? The card's running about $140 retail right now. Would this be a good enhancement for my system if I wanted to play some higher end games? (Not looking to play Crysis) I'd rather not pay this much, but I'm okay with paying more or less if I'm getting a good value.

3. When I purchased this system I upgraded the GPU slightly from the default setting in order to play WoW smoothly, and it gave me 35-60 FPS, slowing down only in high load areas. Essentially, what I'm wondering, is if this will give me a high frame rate using high graphics settings in current FPS's probably including Left 4 Dead, TF2, Unreal 3.

 

[delluser1]

1- Yes and Yes
2- For $20 ($5 after rebate ) more you could get a 4850 that would give much better performance and still not have a problem with power.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102770

Or, stick with Nvidia and find a 9800GT for around $15 bucks less and still get better performance than the 3870.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130435

Can't help out with question 3, sorry