Dell Studio 540 Slim graphics card upgrade

[StopherSylvia]

I was given a Dell Studio 540 slim from my uncle's "computer guy" and after a long time of learning how computers work and about the different components I have found that the weakest part of my system is the Graphics card and thus I want to upgrade.

I contacted the "computer guy" and he told me that I should get a VisionTek 900549 Radeon HD 7750 because I need a low profile card due to my small case and I would also need to upgrade my power supply. I took his word for it and the time had come to buy the new card and power supply, but I took it upon myself to investigate in a different low profile graphics card and I think I found one that is better, GeForce GTX 750 ti. I read that MSI makes a low profile version of the 750 and have found one on newegg but I don't know enough about computers to 100% confirm that my computer could use the card or if the power supply would work for it. I will link to the Cards and power supply and list the specs for my computer.

The Card the guy told me to buy:
VisionTek 900549 Radeon HD 7750

The card I found and am wondering if it is better and will still work for my computer:
GeForce GTX 750 ti

Power Supply:
TFX SFF watt upgrade for 250w-400w

My Computer (sorry if something is left out I wouldn't know):
Motherboard - (Default for a 540 slim?) 0M017G
CPU - Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 2.33 ghz
Graphics Card - GeForce G100
RAM - 8 GB

I would prefer to stick with Nvidia because I know how it works (some what), so if the card I listed isn't a low profile or won't work for some reason could some one show me to a different Nvidia Low Profile card?

Also My sister came across a box of random computer stuff and inside was a case for a regular Dell Studio 540 (not slim) but all it has is a graphics card, 6 gb of ram, and a motherboard (I believe that there is a cpu as well). Would it be better (and possible) to just transfer my computer to the shell of the larger one? Also the shell doesn't have the lid that covers the top (or side, depending on orientation), so would it be to hazardous to use it without a lid or does anyone know of a location where I could buy just the lid?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[BFG1nsane]

The GTX 750ti is the better option, I would get that over the hd 7750, which is essentially now the r7 250 card which are newer and more common by the way. In certain games your q8200 might be a bottleneck both of those cards but it should handle most games at medium settings, if not low. You could always go for a GTX 750 instead of the ti to save a little money. The r7 250 does have Mantle support which might help performance wise when playing games that support mantle but in the end a 750/ti would be probably better. Also I know Dell can be finicky with what brand or type of gpu your installing and sometimes might not accept it or read it. In my experience with upgrading a dell, I never had a problem with EVGA for nvidia side and powercolor on amd's side and asus for a both, but you should be fine with either choice. That 420w psu will help a lot but what's your current psu cause you might get by with a r7 240 or 250 or a gt 730 with your stock one? Also you should be able to transfer to the larger shell that you have and you could get a bigger power supply at the standard atx form which means you can get a 80+ ranked psu which would be a lot better and your not limited to low profile slotted cards anymore, plus probably slightly better air flow. I would probably do that but that's up to you.

 

[BFG1nsane]

I just noticed the lid part for the bigger case, it wouldn't be the end of the world but it would get dirtier a lot faster plus noisier. You could always get a decent new micro atx case like this one for under $40 if you still wanted or liked the idea of a bigger case

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811553011
or even this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129186

 

[StopherSylvia]

That 420w psu will help a lot but what's your current psu cause you might get by with a r7 240 or 250 or a gt 730 with your stock one?

I don't know a lot about PSUs, it's an AcBel model number PC7067 and it says 120W max. I would prefer to stay with my case to avoid any extra hassle. I think the GTX 750 said it required 400W so would the power supply I linked work or do I need a different one?

 

[BFG1nsane]

Ya I understand, the less you have to do the better haha plus its cool that it doesn't take much space being a slim model. Actually the gtx 750 and 750ti only need a 300w psu but due to your old q8200 it wouldn't hurt to have a little bit of headroom plus more room to overclock you gpu if you ever wanted to. That 420w will work and it is hard to beat for $24 but I would recommend one of these 2 because its Seasonic which is a reputable brand plus 80+ gold efficiency and 350w is all you need. I actually have an overclocked g3258 and a gtx 750ti running 24/7 as a minecraft server and backup computer on a 350w psu so I know its enough.
Here's the links:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151114
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151115
might be able to find them cheaper on amazon, not sure