Want to upgrade video card and power supply for acer aspire x1200..

[ChrisRey3156]

Hey people just looking for some suggestions as to how to go about upgrading my htpc so it could be used for slight to moderate gaming.

http://reviews.cnet.com/desktops/acer-aspire-x1200-u1520a/4507-3118_7-33229227.html?tag=mncolBtm;rnav

Thats the HTPC I have in the guest room where my cousin will be staying at for a couple of months and would like to upgrade the power supply and video card.

Problem is im not exactly sure what power supply to use. It is a small factor case so Id need a specific kind of power supply.

Id also need a low profile video card but im not sure what the best one would be to get. I have a budget of 150 bucks to spend on the video card and max 80 bucks on the power supply and would like some suggestions on what to get. I want it to run black ops on at least medium settings minimum(high would be awesome) on a resolution of 1024x720(sometimes 1920x1020). Would like suggestions on what to get. Im also not sure how the processor would fare nowadays and if it will bottleneck the video card but i doubt it will be an issue.

As Im typing this i been looking around the net and found the Palit GTS 450 low profile card:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814261078&Tpk=Palit%20GTS%20450

I was also thinking about just getting this power supply:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371023

and leaving it outside the case resting on the side on top of a little stand i have right next to the htpc at the same level making sure no vents are blocked. Would that work too? I dont care about how it looks or anything but i just figure itll be cheaper and will generate less heat than having it inside the case.

Any input would be really appreciated.

 

[o1die]

You may want to look at the seasonic 300w SS-300TFX for around $47 shipped from newegg. Pull your old acer ps and do some measuring and compare the screw hole positions. This unit is from the tfx category and others are available. Seasonic is probably the best power supply manufacturer. I read an review of one of their low end units that was tested without a fan and it still ran. Your plan may also work if you don't mind leaving the cover off the box. But check the connections first and be sure they're standard 24 pin and 4 pin from the ps.

 

[cliffro]

My stepmother has the eMachines EL1200 which looks identical to this, it is such a PITA. Really small, very little extra room for anything.

It also lacks sufficient cooling, the reviews of that GTS 450 say it runs HOT! If you do mod the computer with the PSU you list etc I'd recommend making sure the case has vents where it doesn't currently, most notably the front of the case and possibly where the video card sits too.

That GTS 450 also has a Dual Slot cooler, which looking at the guts of the X1200 may very well not fit inside the case. I'm going to venture an educated guess that you will need to find a single slot LP video card. The GTS 430 has some single slot variants.

PSU wise if you remove the current one, that will help with cooling, by removing a heat source.

Your really going to want to install a fan to blow into the case, a 120mm one ought to work, Thermaltake makes an external 120mm one that's USB powered.

After some digging, most cards that will fit, have really poor performance, some with smaller dual slot coolers(i.e. round or not taking up the whole card, might be able to fit if you cut out the "bottom" of the case where the fan will be.

The video card looks to be the only snag in this plan really.

Edit:
To illustrate the Video Card issue see these images of it(the black wire up top is covering the PCI-E x16 slot)

And the backside, The PCI-E x16 slot is the empty one, leaving as you can see very little room.

 

[ChrisRey3156]

Ah you are absolutely right about the dual slot not fitting aghhhh. Guess im going to just have to buy a case and move everything there.

 

[lynmachine]

i have the same comp acer aspire x1200 i also have a low profile ati redien 5450 1gb card in it it fits perfect no issue the black wires the guy is saying can be lifted up to the top of the mother board if u need pics i can show u also i think thay make a 500W psu for this comp i was going to upgrade to but desided not to going for a case mod a lil 2 much heat in the case i dont like so let me know what u need
lynmachine

 

[lynmachine]

My stepmother has the eMachines EL1200 which looks identical to this, it is such a PITA. Really small, very little extra room for anything.

It also lacks sufficient cooling, the reviews of that GTS 450 say it runs HOT! If you do mod the computer with the PSU you list etc I'd recommend making sure the case has vents where it doesn't currently, most notably the front of the case and possibly where the video card sits too.

That GTS 450 also has a Dual Slot cooler, which looking at the guts of the X1200 may very well not fit inside the case. I'm going to venture an educated guess that you will need to find a single slot LP video card. The GTS 430 has some single slot variants.

PSU wise if you remove the current one, that will help with cooling, by removing a heat source.

Your really going to want to install a fan to blow into the case, a 120mm one ought to work, Thermaltake makes an external 120mm one that's USB powered.

After some digging, most cards that will fit, have really poor performance, some with smaller dual slot coolers(i.e. round or not taking up the whole card, might be able to fit if you cut out the "bottom" of the case where the fan will be.

The video card looks to be the only snag in this plan really.

Edit:
To illustrate the Video Card issue see these images of it(the black wire up top is covering the PCI-E x16 slot)
http://www.techspot.com/articles-info/119/T2_9.jpg
http://www.techspot.com/articles-info/119/T2_8.jpg

And the backside, The PCI-E x16 slot is the empty one, leaving as you can see very little room.
http://www.techspot.com/articles-info/119/T2_7.jpg

that black wire is for the f panel it is for the usb's or sound thay can be moved i have the same comp acer aspire x1200 and i have my ati hd redon 5450 i put in there no problem the wire is insolated and thay there is 2 can be pushed up out the way or pulled down there is an axtra lets say 4-5" of wire lol

 

[lynmachine]

but heat is an issue plus in no psu upgrade then you are left to pick from a gpu that does not need a pci 6 pin or 8 pin also you will neeed to ajust for power issus my card recomends 400w psu but i have a 220 but it runs good really good like 54fps in bfbc2 on low so not that good but good enough look for card that do not need a pci connecter or is low wattage also if you buy most low profil card like i did you will need to modify the bracet unless it comes with one as you know you need a shot one alot of the cards come with the longer style i just cut mine i dont have it screwed in b/c 1 dont need it to be it dont move and 2 where is it going to go its not going to grow arms and pull itself out of the pcie16 slot lol

 

[badbrad_01]

I have Emachine EL 1200-05w same looking as pic i got a video card for the PCI slot and put it in installed drivers but yet no video comes from card there is no video settings i can find in BIOS and i disable the Nvidia card thats on-board in device manager and reboot it and nothing still any way u can help me PLZ

 

[lynmachine]

what is the card you put in make sure give me the name and i can help you also check to make sure to see if the card has a 6 pin or 2x 6pin conecters that connect to the side if you see them that means the card will need added power to the card also if it does have them or need them you will need to upgrade your psu i have had a gtx 250 in my comp but it would not work due to i had no 6pin pci conecters let me know what you have and ill help i know you have the Emachine EL 1200 but what vidio card did you put in

i have a ati sapphire redion hd 5450 works perfect for low end gaming witch is all you can expect from this mobo anyway
Lynmachine


this is my comp it is an accer aspire x1200 all put in a cooler master haf912 case for upgrading psu and others soon to come
http://img203.imageshack.us/img203/2548/p4030005.jpg case with side off
http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/161/p4030004k.jpg showing mobo with gpu
http://img36.imageshack.us/img36/205/p4030009t.jpg showing mobo accer sticker lol

 

[badbrad_01]

The video card is VGA Zotac | Ion-GPU-A-E ION GPU R