Help! GPU upgrade for an Inspiron 530s. Thanks!

[shm02]

Thanks for taking a look at this post! I'm new to the board and new to FSX. I'd like to upgrade my gpu and was wondering if anyone was willoing to help me pick the right card. Here's my setup:

Dell Inspiron 530s (SLIM)
Intel Core 2 Duo E8300 @ 2.83 GHz
Dell 0RY007 Motherboard P35/G33/G31 Chipset
3GB DDR2 RAM
G33/G31 GPU 128 MB

I'm pretty sure I have a 250w PSU. I also know that I need a slim card.

Quadro 600 http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814133354
Palit GeForce GTS 450 Low Profile 1GB Video Card http://www.palit.biz...pro.php?id=1393
GT 640 http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814150633

Radeon 7750 http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814202002

Two issues:
1. Do I need to go with nvidia?
2. Can I get a card that exceeds 250w? I've read that this is possible, but want to confirm, if possible.

Many thanks!

 

[clutchc]

First, I can't get any of your links to work. That aside, your slimline PC will require you to use a low-profile card as you surmise. With that tiny PSU, though, you will not be able to use a card that requires more power than what is available from the PCIe X16 slot itself. The Palit GeForce GTS 450 Low Profile 1GB Video Card requires such a 6 pin external power connection. Avoid it.

The HD 7750 low-profile would be about the best recommendation.
Example: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202002
It only requires about 55W max from the PCIe X16 slot and will provide good frame rates in most games with your E8300 up to 1680x1050 and even 1920x1080 with reduced settings.

 

[shm02]

First, I can't get any of your links to work. That aside, your slimline PC will require you to use a low-profile card as you surmise. With that tiny PSU, though, you will not be able to use a card that requires more power than what is available from the PCIe X16 slot itself. The Palit GeForce GTS 450 Low Profile 1GB Video Card requires such a 6 pin external power connection. Avoid it.

The HD 7750 low-profile would be about the best recommendation.
Example: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202002
It only requires about 55W max from the PCIe X16 slot and will provide good frame rates in most games with your E8300 up to 1680x1050 and even 1920x1080 with reduced settings.

Thanks so much for the feedback! Is it difficult to get the 6 pin external power connection if I also upgrade my PSU?

 

[clutchc]

Thanks so much for the feedback! Is it difficult to get the 6 pin external power connection if I also upgrade my PSU?

The Palit card you mention is one of the very few cards that require an external pwr connection I know of that is designed as a low-profile card. I guess that's because most slim style PCs are small and not well suited for mega-heat producing large gfx cards that require powerful PSU; i.e. PSUs that are large.

As long as you are going to keep the slim-line PC, I would recommend you avoid cramming too many "furnaces" in that small case. Besides, the HD 7750 is almost all your 2.8GHZ C2D can keep up with without bottle necking. Faster cards would yield faster frame rates for sure, but the efficiency of the GPU would suffer if it is bottle necked by the CPU.

 

[taxemicshadow]

1: no
2: it really depends
3: At this point it would be in your best interest to get a whole new build. You are sitting on DDR2 RAM and a Core 2 Duo. If you slap down about $500 on newegg you could probably get a decent gaming build.