What's the best card my pc can handle?

[Djlewis12]

I'd like to know what the best graphics card my computer can handle. Don't worry about budget, i'd just like to know...


Specs are... Dell, Inspiron 570, AMD Athlon(tm) II X4 635 Processor 2.90 GHz, 64-bit. I currently have a Nvidia GeForce GT 610.

 

[RedJaron]

Really depends on your PSU: how many PCIe power cables do you have ( and how many pins on them, ) and the total capacity of the 12V rail(s).

The 610 doesn't require any auxiliary power cables, so that doesn't tell me much of the PSU. That Athlon is still a nice workhorse, so if your PSU can power it, I see no reason a 760 or 270X would be CPU bottlenecked. But there's no reason you can't just go for a really high-end card either. A 780 or 290X might be limited by the CPU, but it doesn't mean they won't work. They just won't be able to fully stretch their legs.

 

[Djlewis12]

Really depends on your PSU: how many PCIe power cables do you have ( and how many pins on them, ) and the total capacity of the 12V rail(s).

The 610 doesn't require any auxiliary power cables, so that doesn't tell me much of the PSU. That Athlon is still a nice workhorse, so if your PSU can power it, I see no reason a 760 or 270X would be CPU bottlenecked. But there's no reason you can't just go for a really high-end card either. A 780 or 290X might be limited by the CPU, but it doesn't mean they won't work. They just won't be able to fully stretch their legs.

So where can I see my total PSU? I'm not the most advanced PC user but I try!

 

[RedJaron]

It should have a sticker on it that looks similar to this:

Look for the +12V columns. The first row under them specifies how many amps that rail can carry. If it has more than one +12V column, the second row under them should have them all linked saying how many total watts can be supported across all of them. In the image above, the PSU has a single +12V rail that can run 46 amps, or 552W total.

Also check your PCIe power cables. Those look like this:

Some PCIe cables have a split 6+2 pin connector as well. Tell me what kind you have and how many.

 

[Djlewis12]

]

Look for the +12V columns. The first row under them specifies how many amps that rail can carry. If it has more than one +12V column, the second row under them should have them all linked saying how many total watts can be supported across all of them. In the image above, the PSU has a single +12V rail that can run 46 amps, or 552W total.

Also check your PCIe power cables. Those look like this:


Some PCIe cables have a split 6+2 pin connector as well. Tell me what kind you have and how many

Would I have to open my computer up to tell you this? Because if so is there some kind of model number I could give you so you can see exactly?

 

[RedJaron]

Yes, you'd likely need to open the computer. I know Dell gives a service tag that lists components, but that usually doesn't give details like make and model of PSU.