Hi!
Specs:
Dell Inspiron 545 Minitower
Memory 4096MB Dual Channel DDR2 800MHz [4x1024] Memory
Monitor 21.5in S2209W Full HD Widescreen Black UK/Irish (1920 x 1080)
Video Card 512MB ATI® Radeon™ HD 4350 graphics card
Hard Drive 640GB (7200rpm) SATA Hard Drive
Microsoft Operating System Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium with Service Pack 1, 32-bit - English
Processor Intel® Core™ 2 Quad-Core Q8200 Processor (2.33GHz, 4MB cache, 1333MHz FSB)
PSU: unsure, research seems to suggest that 300W is standard with the 545.
I'm looking to upgrade my graphics card and, if I'm forced to, my PSU.
I've researched as much as I can and I've narrowed it down to the Radeon HD 6670, 7750 or 7770 (thanks to the budget guides on this site). I could afford any, though I'd rather not spend extra unnecessarily (bearing in mind the game I want to run, see below).
My questions are:
1. Could ANY of those cards run on my current PSU? Since not having to spend £50 on a new good quality PSU would be a huge advantage in favour of the card(s) that could manage without. I understand that officially they all need 400W+, but I've also read many accounts saying that some/all can be run with 300W. How much of a risk am I making if I just try it out without upgrading the PSU? Will it do irreparable damage or would it be a case of "Oh, that doesn't work, guess I'd better buy a new PSU after all"?
2. Besides the PSU, are there any factors I am forgetting that might prevent me from using any of these cards in my current rig. My biggest fear is spending over £100 and then finding out I can't use it. Do I need to worry about the size of the cards fitting in my case? Do I need to worry if they'll work with any other components, motherboard etc? If so can you tell from my specs if they'd work?
3. If I must buy a new PSU, which would you recommend for those cards? I understand these aren't the sort of things you should buy poor, cheap versions of.
4. I'm really upgrading to play the new WoW expansion, Mists of Panderia (requ system settings here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_of_Warcraft:_Mists_of_Pandaria). I'd happily pay extra to play it on max settings, would any of the cards here distinguish themselves playing this game on max, or would they all do so fine (or, alternatively, all fail to run it on max) in which case I'd just stick with the cheapest.
Finally, you are all awesome people for helping!
Cheers,
Andrew
Specs:
Dell Inspiron 545 Minitower
Memory 4096MB Dual Channel DDR2 800MHz [4x1024] Memory
Monitor 21.5in S2209W Full HD Widescreen Black UK/Irish (1920 x 1080)
Video Card 512MB ATI® Radeon™ HD 4350 graphics card
Hard Drive 640GB (7200rpm) SATA Hard Drive
Microsoft Operating System Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium with Service Pack 1, 32-bit - English
Processor Intel® Core™ 2 Quad-Core Q8200 Processor (2.33GHz, 4MB cache, 1333MHz FSB)
PSU: unsure, research seems to suggest that 300W is standard with the 545.
I'm looking to upgrade my graphics card and, if I'm forced to, my PSU.
I've researched as much as I can and I've narrowed it down to the Radeon HD 6670, 7750 or 7770 (thanks to the budget guides on this site). I could afford any, though I'd rather not spend extra unnecessarily (bearing in mind the game I want to run, see below).
My questions are:
1. Could ANY of those cards run on my current PSU? Since not having to spend £50 on a new good quality PSU would be a huge advantage in favour of the card(s) that could manage without. I understand that officially they all need 400W+, but I've also read many accounts saying that some/all can be run with 300W. How much of a risk am I making if I just try it out without upgrading the PSU? Will it do irreparable damage or would it be a case of "Oh, that doesn't work, guess I'd better buy a new PSU after all"?
2. Besides the PSU, are there any factors I am forgetting that might prevent me from using any of these cards in my current rig. My biggest fear is spending over £100 and then finding out I can't use it. Do I need to worry about the size of the cards fitting in my case? Do I need to worry if they'll work with any other components, motherboard etc? If so can you tell from my specs if they'd work?
3. If I must buy a new PSU, which would you recommend for those cards? I understand these aren't the sort of things you should buy poor, cheap versions of.
4. I'm really upgrading to play the new WoW expansion, Mists of Panderia (requ system settings here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_of_Warcraft:_Mists_of_Pandaria). I'd happily pay extra to play it on max settings, would any of the cards here distinguish themselves playing this game on max, or would they all do so fine (or, alternatively, all fail to run it on max) in which case I'd just stick with the cheapest.
Finally, you are all awesome people for helping!
Cheers,
Andrew