Worth of the investment?

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mimimomola

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Jan 27, 2012
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Hello,
I have a dell Inspiron 620.
Here’s the Spec

I5 2300
6g ddr 3
1tb
300w gpu

I want to add a HD 6870 to the system, but the motherboard is the really cheap one. Will it affect the overall performance? I got this desktop for $300 from Dell outlet two months ago, and the 6870 and a new psu will cost me another $200. Is it worthy to put a 6870 to this system? Thanks!
 
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Any motherboard that can run a 2300 will have the same intel chipset, H61, H67, Z68 or whatever. Since yours is working properly today, so not worry. More expensive motherboards will have more features, such as pci-e slots, usb3.0, 6gb sata, and perhaps stronger voltage regulators which are of interest mainly to maximum overclockers.

If you have a pci-e slot for the video card, an adequate psu, and enough room in your case for the 6870, you are good to go.

Delirious788

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Sep 29, 2011
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What do you plan on using the pc for? If you are going to be gaming then I would say yes. Intel's integrated graphics aren't exactly amazing when it comes to graphic extensive programs. If you are just doing normal web surfing and documents then you are probably ok without the upgrade.
 
I think you mean 300w PSU not gpu.

Whatever your motherboard is, it will not impact performance of a i5-2300.
Considering that a new i5-2300 sells for $185, I say you got a great deal.

For gaming, adding a 6870 is a solid plan. Yes, a 300w psu will not be able to power that graphics card.

Assuming that you are using a standard ATX psu, you need a quality 500w psu.
My short list of quality psu's would include Antec, Corsair, PC P&C, Seasonic, and XFX.
It would not be wrong to overprovision the psu a bit if you want. Expect to pay at least $50 for a quality psu.

The graphics card market is very competitive. Also shop for a GTX560 which is a comparable card to the 6870.
Cards a notch above, like 6950 and GTX560ti,
or, a notch below, like 6850 or GTX460/GTX465
will be very close in performance.
 

mimimomola

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Jan 27, 2012
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Thank you so much for all the replies.

I understand that I need a good PSU for 6870. I just wanted to know if my PC has the potential to upgrade to 6870. My main concern is that the motherboard in my PC looks like the cheapest one you can get from the world.
 


Any motherboard that can run a 2300 will have the same intel chipset, H61, H67, Z68 or whatever. Since yours is working properly today, so not worry. More expensive motherboards will have more features, such as pci-e slots, usb3.0, 6gb sata, and perhaps stronger voltage regulators which are of interest mainly to maximum overclockers.

If you have a pci-e slot for the video card, an adequate psu, and enough room in your case for the 6870, you are good to go.
 
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