Computer I currently have/budget- I recently purchased a Inspiron 620 and have been researching which PSU and/or GPU to upgrade to. I have a budget of 120 dollars. The purpose of this purchase is to play video games, however I am not a fanatic and don't need the best of the best. My Inspiron 620 has a i3 2100 CPU, 4GB Ram, 1TB Hard drive, 300w PSU, and integrated graphics.
I have a 1280x1024 17 inch monitor but might upgrade to a 19 to a 21 inch in the future, at no more than 1920x1080 resolution. The future meaning several months to over a year possibly.
Preferences- I am interested in games like BF3, and the Total War series, these being some of the most demanding I will play. I want my computer to be powerful enough to handle games at low resolution/settings or better for the next several years, to last me through college.
I am very reluctant to purchase a new PSU since I want the least hassle possible. I am aware GPUs, particularly those without an extra power connector required, are as easy to install as RAM is. (?) I will if it's in my best interests, however.
I would prefer to buy from a store and not over the internet, such as FRYS or Bestbuy. I have no brand preference, though I hear that Nvidia has better driver updates apparently.
Extra Info- I've heard the ATI 6670 is the best my computer will be able to handle, due to my PSU and it's lack of a extra power supply connector/6-pin connector (?), correct me if I'm using the wrong term here.
I talked to a Representative of Dell who gave me these specifics regarding the PSU:
Input Voltage 100-127 VAC/200-240VAC
Input Frequency 50/60 Hz
Input current 9A (3A)/4.5A
I'd like to know what the best GPU this computer can handle is, and for my budget whether I'd be be better buying a better PSU and not getting a GPU for now, keeping in mind I only want to do this if it's really that necessary.
I'm a little nervous about installing a PSU. Is it as simple as putting in a graphics card or slightly more difficult? What I'm concerned about is taking the wires out and not being able to put them back into the right places..=/
EDIT: The reason that simply 'saving my money and buying a good PSU now and getting a great GPU later' isn't a automatic decision for me despite how good it sounds (I'm not necessarily impatient or that computer illiterate) is simple. I'm 17 years old, about to go to college and I don't have a job, nor do I intend to get one as I need to focus on school. I get no more than 100 or so dollars a year in birthday money, etc, and I to me it'd seem unwise to put all that money into a super-powerful PC but only have enough money left to get 1 or 2 games. It makes more sense to me to save enough money so I can a actually make use of my new computer.
However, I'm not completely inflexible on this and will change my mind if I hear a good enough reason for buying a better PSU.
I'm mainly concerned that even if my current PSU IS good enough for an ATI 6670, that the GPU will eventually hurt my computer in the LONG run (3-5 years) and cut down on it's total life time. Thoughts on this?
I have a 1280x1024 17 inch monitor but might upgrade to a 19 to a 21 inch in the future, at no more than 1920x1080 resolution. The future meaning several months to over a year possibly.
Preferences- I am interested in games like BF3, and the Total War series, these being some of the most demanding I will play. I want my computer to be powerful enough to handle games at low resolution/settings or better for the next several years, to last me through college.
I am very reluctant to purchase a new PSU since I want the least hassle possible. I am aware GPUs, particularly those without an extra power connector required, are as easy to install as RAM is. (?) I will if it's in my best interests, however.
I would prefer to buy from a store and not over the internet, such as FRYS or Bestbuy. I have no brand preference, though I hear that Nvidia has better driver updates apparently.
Extra Info- I've heard the ATI 6670 is the best my computer will be able to handle, due to my PSU and it's lack of a extra power supply connector/6-pin connector (?), correct me if I'm using the wrong term here.
I talked to a Representative of Dell who gave me these specifics regarding the PSU:
Input Voltage 100-127 VAC/200-240VAC
Input Frequency 50/60 Hz
Input current 9A (3A)/4.5A
I'd like to know what the best GPU this computer can handle is, and for my budget whether I'd be be better buying a better PSU and not getting a GPU for now, keeping in mind I only want to do this if it's really that necessary.
I'm a little nervous about installing a PSU. Is it as simple as putting in a graphics card or slightly more difficult? What I'm concerned about is taking the wires out and not being able to put them back into the right places..=/
EDIT: The reason that simply 'saving my money and buying a good PSU now and getting a great GPU later' isn't a automatic decision for me despite how good it sounds (I'm not necessarily impatient or that computer illiterate) is simple. I'm 17 years old, about to go to college and I don't have a job, nor do I intend to get one as I need to focus on school. I get no more than 100 or so dollars a year in birthday money, etc, and I to me it'd seem unwise to put all that money into a super-powerful PC but only have enough money left to get 1 or 2 games. It makes more sense to me to save enough money so I can a actually make use of my new computer.
However, I'm not completely inflexible on this and will change my mind if I hear a good enough reason for buying a better PSU.
I'm mainly concerned that even if my current PSU IS good enough for an ATI 6670, that the GPU will eventually hurt my computer in the LONG run (3-5 years) and cut down on it's total life time. Thoughts on this?
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