Dell XPS 8500, need new GPU, $250 budget

Batman55

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Jul 24, 2013
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I'm a newbie, so I'll take the advice in the sticky thread and use the official "form." I'm looking for a new video card that will work with the current power supply. Any advice would be much appreciated!


BUDGET RANGE: 200-250

USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming (Bioshock Infinite on high settings, if possible), movies, etc

CURRENT GPU: AMD Radeon HD 7570

POWER SUPPLY: 460 W max voltage

OTHER RELEVANT SYSTEM SPECS:
Intel i7 3770 3.40 Ghz, 4 Cores
8 gigs of RAM
Motherboard Make/Model: Dell 0NW73C

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.com

PARTS PREFERENCES: no preference, just the best card for around $250 that won't overwork the current power supply

OVERCLOCKING: No
SLI OR CROSSFIRE: No

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1080

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Must run most current games on high settings, maxing out not necessary for games released 2012-present.
 

Batman55

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Jul 24, 2013
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I appreciate all the advice so far. I suppose the idea is to get the best video card available within the budget range I listed, without ruining my PC from strain.



It does seem like the GEforce 660 fits the bill here--if I can get away with skipping a new power supply.

I have been told that getting a new power supply for a prebuilt, OEM system is an often complicated, sometimes impossible process. I would prefer to avoid this at all costs.

I wanted to ask.. for those who might know.. if a video card "strains" the power supply, what would be the side effects of this, and what is the worst case scenario? Is it worth it?

A new power supply is more money, requires some know-how (relatively speaking), and then there is the problem of finding one that fits in my DELL case.

Any suggestions? Is there an AMD card that might fit better with my PSU and at the same time approach the quality of the GEforce 660?
 

jinayhvora

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ur PSU can in reality easily handle a 660 or even a 760, neither the cards nor the CPU runs at their max load even in the most demanding of games, the PSU requirements at manufacturer's site always take into consideration full loads, so u're fine
 

John Bauer-1363825

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Jul 16, 2013
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I have no idea what you're talking about, my 660ti runs at full load for lots of games, including Skyrim and GTA IV.
 

Batman55

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Jul 24, 2013
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From a thread exactly one year old, about the Dell XPS 8500, in the official Dell forums:

"Hi ****,

...I'm from the Dell Social Media Team. I'd be happy to assist you with this query.

Kindly note that the graphics card on your Dell system is indeed upgradeable. However, the factory power supply is dell-recommended, and should not be replaced..."

I hate to repeat this point, but everywhere I look, I see people talking about how difficult it is to replace the PSU on a pre-built system. I'm afraid I don't have the know-how to do this.

What would be the next best video card after the GTX 660, that would work on a 460W power supply?
 

LowVoltage

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Aug 15, 2013
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It's fairly easy to replace the power supply in Dell systems, if you get something similar in length. The stock PSU's in the Inspiron and XPS 8500 are 140mm in length. I installed a 160mm modular SeaSonic in an XPS 8500 by simply removing the wireless antenna cable tie down and re-routing it. Works fine. Probably need to stick with a 140mm PSU for the Inspirons, as their cases are smaller.

That said, the stock XPS PSU is 460W with quite a bit of amperage on the 12V rails, so many nVidia-based cards should work as long as you don't go up too high. Many vendors will specify minimum requirements if you check their site. You need a card of length 9" or less and may have to buy a longer serial ATA cable, if the height of the card blocks too much of the cable.

HTH.