Help with best GPU and Power Supply for I3 - 3240

[Magnum357]

Currently have stock Dell Inspiron 660 with I3- 3240.
300 watt Power Supply. 8gb Ram. This is not the slim version.

What I would like to do is get the new GPU/PowerSupply and use it in the my Current Setup ... Until I have more funds avail to build my own (I5 or I7 Series)

Currently use existing setup for light video editing and play games like Heroes and Generals, BF4, C.O.D. - All using the Intel 2500 Graphics.

Which GPU/Power Supply would you recommend that:

1. Could handle the gaming mentioned
2. Would work well with the current I-3 without bottlenecking
3. And would also work well with the new build in the future (Approx 6 months)

My Budget is $225 for this .

Thanks.

 

[MakoRuu]

The i3-3240 is a great CPU. Even a 980 ti would just barely create a bottleneck at 4k. Anything under would be perfect.

(You could even recycle it over to your new build as a place holder until you can afford a better CPU if you wanted.)

The PROBLEM is the Power supply. A lot of Dell systems are shipped with crappy power supplies that can't be upgraded or replaced without some serious modding. Dell likes to rewire the 24 pin connector that supplies power to the motherboard so you can't hotswap parts around.

This means that in a few years, if you want that new GPU, you're going to have to buy it from them in their latest line up.

However, there is always hope, mate.

There are a ton of cards out there that don't require any additional power, save the 75watts provided by the PCIe lane.

But that 300 watt power supply is going to hurt you, bad.

The highest card you can scale to is the GT 740, but it requires at least a 400 watt power supply. It may or may not work for you.

The safest card I can recommend on that power supply is the GeForce GT 640, or the Radeon R7 250. Both are low profile, low power cards, and both would certainly play those games better than the Intel Integrated Graphics. Obviously not at 1080p with the settings cranked to max, but they would do just fine until you build your new PC.

Both of them retail for about $60.