GPU Help - Dell Studio 540S Slim?

[Ak-Rn-Cy]

Hey there, I have done some research and I have found out that my PC is not the best computer to do some gaming on. But I thought I would give it a go, I have so far found out that only low profile cards fit the motherboard, and the PSU is a 250W which I don't want to change. The highest it can go up to is 300W, therefore I don't want to waste the money.

Here are the current specs:
Dell Studio 540S:
Mobo: Dell Inc. 0M017G
Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad 8300 2.5 GHz
RAM: 6GB DDR2 (2x2x2)
HD: Seagate 500GB
Graphics: ATI Radeon 4500 512MB (Low profile) .. came with the system.
Monitor: 24" HD Dell Monitor
(6 USB's & two 140mm Fans)

I've found these low consumption graphics card by doing some research.
http://www.play.com/PC/PCs/4-/13704702/Sapphire-ATI-Radeon-HD-5570-DisplayPort-1GB-GDDR3-PCI-Express-2-1-Graphics-Card/Product.html?_%24ja=tsid:11518|cat:13704702|prd:13704702

I mainly just want to run GTA IV on around medium/high graphics.
So what do you guys think about the card? I've seen some benchmark reports on YouTube, it seems to be okay when running without Fraps.
The website it is sold on, claims that the GPU only take 45W on full load.

I may upload some images of the mobo tomorrow when I am out of work, any help would be appreciated, I want to make this quick so I can start gaming. If you have any similar products to offer me with low power consumption and low profile type cards, then feel free to do so.

EDIT:
Here is a review of the graphics card..
http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1209/1/
If you click on the power consumption section of the review, he mentions that his system only used 203W with Intel i7 + 6GB RAM + The GPU etc..
Isn't that a good sign?
Let me know what you think, I don't have much knowledge on this stuff. Thanks.

 

[coleam45]

You can probably do it. The power supply calculator here says that your system will need around 275W with the 5570. I don't know what the power draw is on the 4500, and it wasn't in the options, but with a 4550, the calculator said 300W. So you'll probably be doing better efficiency-wise than with your current card. That actually makes sense because the biggest change from the 4xxx series to the 5xxx series was increased efficiency.

 

[Ak-Rn-Cy]

You can probably do it. The power supply calculator here says that your system will need around 275W with the 5570. I don't know what the power draw is on the 4500, and it wasn't in the options, but with a 4550, the calculator said 300W. So you'll probably be doing better efficiency-wise than with your current card. That actually makes sense because the biggest change from the 4xxx series to the 5xxx series was increased efficiency.

Thanks for that, that helped alot.

All I want to know now is that, will it fit my motherboard/PC case?
Shall i take some pictures to show you, so that you get a general idea? Also.. will it be a quick exchange? So will the drivers be easy to install , will the fitting be easy? etc.
As you can tell, I am a complete noob at this stuff.
But thanks again bud.

 

[coleam45]

Some pictures would be nice, or at least the model number on your motherboard. Basically I need to know if you have the right type of slot (PCI-Express 2.0 x4 or higher; x8 or x16 would be best). Low profile cards are pretty standard in size/shape, so it shouldn't have any problem fitting in your case.

It should be a pretty easy exchange - just plug it in and install the drivers.

 

[Ak-Rn-Cy]

Some pictures would be nice, or at least the model number on your motherboard. Basically I need to know if you have the right type of slot (PCI-Express 2.0 x4 or higher; x8 or x16 would be best). Low profile cards are pretty standard in size/shape, so it shouldn't have any problem fitting in your case.

It should be a pretty easy exchange - just plug it in and install the drivers.

I will find that out for you as soon as possible, what sort of card is it? Is it a x4, x9 or x16? Where can I find out what my motherboard can handle, I have given you my motherboard code in the specs part above.
Thanks.

 

[coleam45]

It will work. I missed the motherboard model number in your first post.

 

[Ak-Rn-Cy]

It will work. I missed the motherboard model number in your first post.

Where did you find out that the mother board has a x16 PCI slot?
I know that the graphics card is a x16 card, but I don't know if my graphics card is.
Is the original HD Radeon 512MB 4500 a x16 PCI slot?

 

[coleam45]

I just looked it up. Your old card requires a PCI-E x16 slot, so your motherboard has one. People have put cards like the HD5770 in it before, so you'll be fine with your 5570.

 

[Ak-Rn-Cy]

I just looked it up. Your old card requires a PCI-E x16 slot, so your motherboard has one. People have put cards like the HD5770 in it before, so you'll be fine with your 5570.

Thanks so much for all that info bud, I'll be ordering the card on Wednesday.
Just took some pics of the mobo haha, thanks once again!

 

[f2k8]

I'm actually going to be ordering the ASUS HD 6570 which is a little better for only £2 more. Bargain.

 

[f2k8]

What do you guys think about the ASUS 6570 Low profile?