is it okto have my graphics card outside my case?

[karb94]

Hi. I want to upgrade my old graphics card from my pre-build and I thought the r9 280x would be a nice option but the thing is it won't fit in my case (too long). I know the right thing to do is to buy a bigger one but I don't want to spend more money just yet and the idea of changing all the hardware from one case to another scares me a bit (I've never done it before). So I was wondering if getting a PCI express riser, remove side panel of the case and leaving the graphics card laying on the table is a viable option (at least until i can get a bigger case).

Besides that, I would have to buy a new psu cause the one I have doesn't provide 6 and 8 pin cables. Would a 500 watts psu be enough for this graphics card?. I have a i7, 12GB RAM (can't say more about my system cause I'm not at home right now).

thank you in advance for your answers 😀

 

[13thmonkey]

No and no.
The riser idea is a bad idea and will cause problems, I wouldn't go there.
The PSU, 500W is not enough, 600W would be better.
However if you are having to change the PSU, you'd may as well do the case at the same time, as that's the bulk of the job, if feel confident enough to do the PSU then you can do the full swap.
However#2, just get the short GTX970 from Asus, what's your current PSU?

 

[Robert Cook]

on the contrary, a riser is quite fine, my graphics card flops out of my case, as it is an old computer that is stuck in an OEM case, so I had to use a riser to fit a larger card. a riser is around six dollars, and a 80 PLUS BRONZE 650 watt power supply would be around $70, maybe lower with a rebate, up to $100. I recommend a R9 280, as my friend has one, and it is more than capable of playing every game he has tried, also, they are currently around $200 so they are somewhat more affordable than a 280x. frankly, even a R9 270x would do the job.
a good power supply might be
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817438028
keep in mind, it may be a bit large, so measure you case before everything else.
a great riser I found, and use, is
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA0U00Y42971&cm_re=pcie_riser-_-9SIA0U00Y42971-_-Product
hope this was of use.

 

[Robert Cook]

oh and flops out is not a bad thing, as long as you have a suitable surface to rest it on.

 

[karb94]

I didn't know about the mini version of GTX 970. I've been searching for some info but it seems that the only one who has this graphics card on the market is gigabyte, am I right? if so, do you know when is this card coming out from asus? I've read that asus version is better so maybe it's worthwhile to wait for it. Btw I have a 400 watts PSU with just 4 pins cables and as I've read this asus card needs an 8 pin conection so the PSU upgrade seems inevitable but that asus card could be the perfect solution. Do you know if there's any benchmarks about this card? cause I can't find any and I don't really know how good or how bad it is. Is it comparable with any other card out there?

Sorry for all these questions 😛

 

[karb94]

If I take the riser as an option do I have to buy an antistatic surface or something like that or the table is just fine?

 

[13thmonkey]

unless you have a height issue i'd go for this: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-153-GI it's the same price as a normal 970.

 

[Robert Cook]

If I take the riser as an option do I have to buy an antistatic surface or something like that or the table is just fine?

Mine was resting on the carpet, until I found a bunch of wooden pieces that are under the card around the edges lifting it up about an inch for better cooling, a plain table will be no problem however, as in terms of temperature, I only found a 1/2 degree Celsius drop. If carpet was not a static issue, I think a table will be perfect.

 

[karb94]

Thank you all for your answers! I think i'll go for the gtx 970 mini in the end as I don't have to swap everything into the new case. One last question though. I've used a PSU Watts calculator to get an idea of how much power do I need and it gives me as a recommended wattage 367W. With that taken into account why wouldn't a 500W PSU be enough as u guys told me?

 

[Robert Cook]

well, 367 is very optimistic, Ideally you could squeeze a 500 watt power supply, but it would be close, and you powersupply would be working at high load a lot thus increasing odds of bad thing happening, a safe wattage would be 600 plus

 

[karb94]

Makes sense ty again

 

[Robert Cook]

not a problem glad to be of use