Low End Graphics Card

[xpanda]

OK so here's the deal; i have a Dell Inspiron 530s (slim form-factor) from 2008 and built a new rig for Video Editing a few weeks ago.
Now i want to upgrade the Dell Inspiron for my little brother.
Mostly, he watches YouTube and plays Mine Craft. That's it.
So far i upgraded the ram to 4GB and that helped, but it barely runs at 25-30 Fps with the on-board video.

So far so good huh? All i need is a decent GFx card. Thing is it only has a 250w PSU...

What are good cards that will run MineCraft at at least 60 fps. Its not a very hardware demanding game,
so i only want to spend at the most, 70 buckaroos, as i just spend 1.2K on a new build.

Can you guys help?

Specs for the Dell.

Spoiler

4GB DDR2 RAM, Intel Pentium Dual CPU E210, 250HDD

(Edit: Will the CPU be a big bottleneck? Because so far, the PC runs fine for his needs.)

 

[gidgiddonihah]

Whats the CPU? I think since we are looking at lower end cards, any CPU he has in there should be fine.

I am looking at the ATI 5670 as its a lower end card with small power requirements. Tom's says it has exceptional 1600x900 performance and should easily handle Minecraft.

(Edit) You can get it for as little as 72$-10$MIR on newegg.

 

[xpanda]

I am looking at the ATI 5670 as its a lower end card with small power requirements.

Will it run fine on a 250w PSU? Will it run minecraft at at least more than 40fps?

 

[gidgiddonihah]

It should be fine for Minecraft, and it doesnt need a PCI-e plug... Let me see what the recommended PSU wattage is...

 

[gidgiddonihah]

You know, you might need to upgrade the PSU. There are several slim models on Newegg.com, but that would mean you would have to spend less on a graphics card.

The 5670 recommends 400 watts. Thats really weird...

Whats in there now (GPU wise)?

 

[xpanda]

You know, you might need to upgrade the PSU. There are several slim models on Newegg.com, but that would mean you would have to spend less on a graphics card.

The 5670 recommends 400 watts. Thats really weird...

Whats in there now (GPU wise)?

Unfortunatly i never thought of gaming on a computer when i was 9, so i just went for the dual-core processor and 2GB of RAM( Which was pretty good for the time, and for my needs.)

tl;dr
I have the integrated graphics.

Edit: If you were talking about my recent build, it has a EVGA GTX 550 2GB Super clocked.

 

[gidgiddonihah]

Hmmm.... Well even the 6570's have unreasonable numbers. So if you want to upgrade the GPU, then you'll have to upgrade the PSU as well.

Edit: You can also use a PSU calculator online to see with your exact components. Google PSU Calc and you'll get dozens of results. Try the ATI 5670 and see what numbers it spits out. Then try the 6570 and see what happens. Let me know what you get.

 

[xpanda]

Let me know what you get.

Well with the 5450 its about 270 reccomended and needed is about 240, is that cutting it close?

 

[djabhi003]

First Of All, Just Post Your Ratings Of The PSU You Have Or The Model. The +12V Railing Of A PSU Is The One Which Powers Your Mobo,CPU,GPU Etc.
A PSU Rated At 15A For Its 12V Will Give Power = 15 x 12 = 180W! Even Though Its A 250W PSU, Only 180W Is Available For CPU Nd GPU Etc.
Thus, You Need To First Post Your PSU Specs Here.(Just Open The Case, And Look At Its Side)
After That, Do Post Your Processor Model.

Even Though The 5670 Recommends A 400W PSU, it Has Nothing To Do With The Power Consumption Of THe Card.
The 5670 Will Use Max 100W At Full Load. We Need To Subtract This From The Power You PSU Gives On +12V, And See If There's Enough Left For The CPU And Rest Of The System!
Personally, i Think You Will Have To Buy A New PSU For The 5670. Nothing Fancy, A 350W Or 400W Seasonic,FSP Saga,Coolermaster Etc. PSU, And Use The Rest To Buy A GPU.

However, The 5450 Uses Less Than 40W At Full Load, Thats A Lot Lot Less Than That Of A 5670 And Will Have Enough Performance For Minecraft. It Will Also Leave Enough Power For The Rest Of The System.
Below, We Can See That The System Used To Test The 5450 Had A TOTAL SYSTEM Power Consumption Of 40W At Full Load(Including The 5450,CPU,Mobo Etc.)

If You Don't Want To Buy A New PSU, Get The 5450 And Enjoy..

 

[xpanda]

Can i have your Childen?

Thanks and i will probably get the 5450 as it has a very low power consumption and should be enough to play MC at V-Sync Fps (60)

I don't plan on playing anything other than mincraft on that as i have my other beast build for that,

Spoiler

(It has a 550 ti, bring the Hate)

 

[xpanda]

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