[SOLVED] Help upgrading graphics card (pc noob)

[elliotjameshoey]

Hi there I am considering upgrading my gtx 1080 for a rtx 2080 bearing in mind my pc was prebuilt and I have very little pc experience.
My current specs are:
I7 8700
Gtx 1080
32gb ram
2tb SATA hdd
256gb ssd
460W Air cooled chassis

My question is, will I have to change anything else in my pc to upgrade to an rtx 2080? Or is everything fine as is?
Thank you everyone in advance, I look forward to hearing your responses 👍

 

[Deleted member 2731765]

460W Air cooled chassis

Which Power supply unit or model is this ? List the exact make/brand and model number. Or is that an ATX cabinet ?

 

[Deleted member 2731765]

BTW, Nvidia recommends a minimum 650 Watts PSU for the RTX 2080. You might need be needing an upgrade, assuming your current PSU is not sufficient.

QUALITY of the PSU matters, not the wattage though.

 

[NightHawkRMX]

Second that.

What is the make and model of PSU? You need a good psu to run one.

 

[C0v3r]

Third that
But also is this a prebuilt Dell or Alienware PC because the specs are that of a prebuilt and most new PC gamers go for Alienware.

 

[elliotjameshoey]

Hi there yes it is alienware, and I'm not sure on the make of the pcu as i don't think it said, as I said total pc noob. I have attached a link to a screenshot of the order confirmation containing all of the parts that came with my pc, I really appreciate you all helping me out. Specs

 

[NightHawkRMX]

A 460w isn't enough.

Even if really high quality (unlikely if its an OEM) you need a PSU upgrade.

 

[C0v3r]

Hi there yes it is alienware, and I'm not sure on the make of the pcu as i don't think it said, as I said total pc noob. I have attached a link to a screenshot of the order confirmation containing all of the parts that came with my pc, I really appreciate you all helping me out. Specs

Ok so yes you will need a new pair which for a prebuilt is either gonna be a pain or impossible. Also what resolutions and frame rate are u trying to hit.

 

[King_V]

Given that it's a prebuilt and that it's 460W, then, as @C0v3r says, that sounds like a Dell or Alienware.

The RTX 2080 has a TDP of 225W (Founders Edition) and 215W (others, except of course if the board-partners clock them higher, which they typically do with some models).

Dell used to explicitly state that their 460W PSUs will support up to a 225W GPU, not sure if they do anymore - I'm not sure I'm THAT comfortable with the idea of going that close to the PSU's limit - especially given that the Coffee Lake CPUs are known to exceed their official TDP rating, sometimes dramatically, and that it's an i7.

TL;DR - Fourth that: get a better PSU.


ADDITIONALLY: What is your monitor's resolution and refresh rate? Does it have FreeSync, GSync, or neither? The answers to those two questions will determine whether it's worthwhile to make the upgrade.

 

[elliotjameshoey]

A 460w isn't enough.

Even if really high quality (unlikely if its an OEM) you need a PSU upgrade.

OK thank you, which one would you recommend? And would I need to buy any additional cables/fans/components for that to work? Once again I do apologise for my lack of pc knowledge haha

 

[Deleted member 2731765]

FIFTH that !

 

[NightHawkRMX]

Im not sure if any standard ATX PSU can be used to replace it.

 

[C0v3r]

OK thank you, which one would you recommend? And would I need to buy any additional cables/fans/components for that to work? Once again I do apologise for my lack of pc knowledge haha

So like we both said what is the resolution and refresh rate you are aiming for

 

[elliotjameshoey]

Given that it's a prebuilt and that it's 460W, then, as @C0v3r says, that sounds like a Dell or Alienware.

The RTX 2080 has a TDP of 225W (Founders Edition) and 215W (others, except of course if the board-partners clock them higher, which they typically do with some models).

Dell used to explicitly state that their 460W PSUs will support up to a 225W GPU, not sure if they do anymore - I'm not sure I'm THAT comfortable with the idea of going that close to the PSU's limit - especially given that the Coffee Lake CPUs are known to exceed their official TDP rating, sometimes dramatically, and that it's an i7.

TL;DR - Fourth that: get a better PSU.


ADDITIONALLY: What is your monitor's resolution and refresh rate? Does it have FreeSync, GSync, or neither? The answers to those two questions will determine whether it's worthwhile to make the upgrade.

My monitor is 2K gsync 165 hz refresh rate and I can easily hit 60-70 on a combination of ultra/high on most games. But I would love Ray tracing

 

[NightHawkRMX]

But I would love Ray tracing

You will be thoroughly disappointed and not notice the RTX as much as you will the low framerate with RTX enabled.

 

[C0v3r]

Ok so if ur going for 1440p Ray tracing then good luck with a 2080 you might be able to squeeze 60 fps. but also if you don't wanna use Ray tracing the 2080 will give you a good bump in performance. However idk for sure but you might be able to put an rx 5700xt into there because of its efficiency without doing a psu swap.

 

[Deleted member 2731765]

Investing in an RTX GPU is not really worth, IMO, unless you REALLY want to play ray traced games. Get the RX 5700 XT instead.

 

[C0v3r]

Investing in an RTX GPU is not really worth, unless you REALLY want to play ray traced games. Get the RX 5700 XT instead.

So i was right it can use that small of a psu?

 

[NightHawkRMX]

Neither the 5700xt, 5700, or 2080 should be used in combination with an I7 on an OEM quality 460w. PERIOD.

The PSU looks maybe nonstandard, but im not sure. I'm not sure if it can be upgraded.

 

[C0v3r]

Neither the 5700xt, 5700, or 2080 should be used in combination with an I7 on an OEM quality 460w. PERIOD.

The PSU looks maybe nonstandard, but im not sure. I'm not sure if it can be upgraded.

Oh ok then op don't do that

 

[Deleted member 2731765]

Neither the 5700xt, 5700, or 2080 should be used in combination with an I7 on an OEM quality 460w. PERIOD.

Obviously. I was just suggesting the RX 5700 XT, assuming the OP is willing to upgrade and change his PSU. Not be used on that OEM PSU though.

 

[elliotjameshoey]

Ok

Oh ok then op don't do that

OK so sounds like what I should do is wait till better graphics cards come out to further justify the upgrade as from what I'm reading here the rtx range is not worth it especially if it requires me to change multiple components. Does this sound like a reasonable course of action?

 

[Deleted member 2731765]

So i was right it can use that small of a psu?

Nope. His current OEM PSU is still insufficient for any high-end GPU, including the RX 5700 XT.

 

[C0v3r]

Ok

OK so sounds like what I should do is wait till better graphics cards come out to further justify the upgrade as from what I'm reading here the rtx range is not worth it especially if it requires me to change multiple components. Does this sound like a reasonable course of action?

Maybe but again like we said we don't know if it is possible to stick a new psu in that case which best case scenario you can get a new case and transfer all of the parts but the psu and you can get a new psu and GPU then but I would wait.

 

[elliotjameshoey]

A

Maybe but again like we said we don't know if it is possible to stick a new psu in that case which best case scenario you can get a new case and transfer all of the parts but the psu and you can get a new psu and GPU then but I would wait.

OK thank you all for your help I hugely appreciate it, I will try hang back on a gpu upgrade for a few years and in the meantime I will look into whether it is possible to upgrade the power supply to something more like 600w.