Upgrading Radeon HD 5570

[biscuit_81]

Casual gamer but starting to notice that my stock hpe 300z can't run the settings I really want. Currently playing DX human revolution, DA 1+2, several of the total war series (I want larger army sizes!).

Radeon HD5570
300W stock PSU
Phenom 830
6 gig RAM
Res 1920x1080

From what I've read it sounds like I need to upgrade the power supply if I want to put in a better graphics card. Budget is not an issue but I want to keep the installation as simple as possible.

Am I on the right track looking at these:
CORSAIR Gaming Series GS500 500W ATX12V / EPS12V 80 PLUS Certified High Performance Gaming Power Supply
SAPPHIRE 100315L Radeon HD 6850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity

Suggestions? Any compatibility issues I'm missing?

 

[or-ex]

Yes, your new GPU should be able to work with that new PSU.

 

[Onus]

I'd suggest the 500W Antec Earthwatts http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371035 because it is cheaper and more efficient. But, in any case, the one you picked would certainly work.

 

[biscuit_81]

Thanks -- will I have cooling problems if I put the 6850 in my stock hpe-300z case? If so, is there a certain type of on-board fan that would minimize the issue?

 

[Onus]

Well, I didn't see any HD6850 cards that exhaust all or most of their heat. You might consider this equivalently-performing GTX460, which does: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130566 but check benchmarks, in case the games you want to play heavily favor ATi over nVidia (or vice versa).
Otherwise, what fans does your case include, and since I'm sure there is only one, can you add another fan to create flow through the case?

 

[biscuit_81]

Well, I didn't see any HD6850 cards that exhaust all or most of their heat. You might consider this equivalently-performing GTX460, which does: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130566 but check benchmarks, in case the games you want to play heavily favor ATi over nVidia (or vice versa).
Otherwise, what fans does your case include, and since I'm sure there is only one, can you add another fan to create flow through the case?

Thanks for your help. Yes there's only the one stock fan in there.

If I wanted to stick with ATI, I assume that the dual fans on the gigabyte 6850 would make it a better choice for me than the sapphire? It's $149 on amazon (same price as the sapphire on newegg):
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004F6GJAU

Right now I'm planning to order this card along with the antec PSU you suggested.

 

[Onus]

It would cool the card better, but the heat is still going into the case. If there's a place to mount another fan (make it an intake), you might want to do that. If that isn't an option, but things start to get too warm, you might add a PCI slot fan above the GPU, and remove a slot cover below the GPU.

 

[biscuit_81]

Best answer selected by biscuit_81.

 

[Onus]

Thanks. Post temps when you get it if you think there is a problem.