Best choice for half-height video card?

[thecoolnessrune]

Hey guys, I'm in the pursuit of giving a slim tower some graphics grunt. The CPU is an Athlon X2 5800+ So it has enough CPU grunt. Also it has 4GB of memory on Windows 7 so again, I'm positive it has enough life left in it. Just need a decent half-height GPU.

From my looking around, the most powerful half-height GPU is the 9800 GT correct?

My problem is that I don't know if its possible to run one. The PSU in the slim tower is a mere 280 watts. And while it's rated conservatively I sincerely doubt its too much higher than that. It's running an 89 watt TDP CPU. So the question is if the 9800 GT even has a chance to be able to run in the system what all with the HDD, DVD drive, and other components going.

The 9800 GT has a TDP of 105 watts IF the half-heights are using the new 55nm process. I hope they are, otherwise its a whopping 125 watts.

Both the 9600 GT (if its 55nm, otherwise its a rediculous 95 watts) and the 4650 have sub-60 watt TDPs.

My question is done anyone believe the 9800 GT would run in that system? It's a Dell C521.

Additionally, there is the probably that the manual states that only 25 watts is available over the PCI-E x16 slot on the motherboard. But that doesn't make much sense to me as there is already at least one person I know running a 9400 GT in his system and that's a 50 watt TDP GPU.

What do you guys think is the best choice? How much more powerful is the 9800 GT over the 9600 GT or 4650? Any benchmarks? Gaming would only be at 1280x1024 at highest settings that could be gotten away with in mostly Steam games and COD MW and COD MW 2.

Thanks guys, sorry if this seems spaghetti stringed together. I've been trying to keep all these numbers and ideas in my head and I had to dump them all out

Thanks for any answers you can provide.

 

[crisium]

I'll just say that the 9600GT is decently close to 9800GT speeds. The 9800GT is only about 15% faster. The 4650, especially the DDR2 version, is nowhere close. The 9800GT is absolutely out of the question, even the lower power version. You'll probably be pushing your luck even with the 9600GT.

 

[OVerLoRDI]

280 watts is not much to play with. 9600gt is probably your best bet.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Is this for gaming? If not, you should be looking at a cheaper, lower-power card.

 

[Rezist]

The 4650 is abysmal, 4670 would be better but if there not available go 9600GT.

 

[thecoolnessrune]

@Dave. As stated in the OP it is for 1280x1024 gaming. Mostly Steam games and COD MW and MW 2. The system already has the 630a chipset which means an integrated NVIDIA 6100 GPU.

@Rezist. I was hoping there was but I can't seem to find a 4670 that's low profile. If anyone else can I'd certainly consider it.

 

[dflynchimp]

yo OP are you by chance looking at the APEX u-ATX slim on newegg? I was thinking about that case a while back, but after some research it becam clear that the 280W psu will not be sufficient for any sort of PCI-e card requiring a 6pin connection. Even if you use an adaptor the psu will be very stressed and probably will die within a few months.

 

[thecoolnessrune]

No, it's for my girlfriends older Dell C521.

Her parents got it for her without considering what the slim form factor would do. I took it upon myself to first upgrade it from 512MB of memory to 2GB of memory and installed Vista.

This Christmas I intend to add 2 more GB of memory, upgrade the processor to the best AM2 socket dual core I can conveniently get my hands on, and add a good graphics card for her to ride out the system on.

On forums I see people running the old 65nm 9600GT (95 watt TDP) with the 6 pin PCI-E cable on the back. They had been using it with the 280 watt PSU without problems. I want to use the Green 9600GT (55nm process, only 60 watt TDP). This is to offset the fact that the people that were using the non green 9600gt had 65 watt TDP CPUs, and I intend to install an 89 watt TDP CPU.

So yes it's the same premise, but not the same case

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: thecoolnessrune
I took it upon myself to first upgrade it from 512MB of memory to 2GB of memory and installed Vista.

This Christmas I intend to add 2 more GB of memory, upgrade the processor to the best AM2 socket dual core I can conveniently get my hands on, and add a good graphics card for her to ride out the system on.

With all those upgrades, have you considered just building her a different computer? Keep the HDD, ODD and RAM, and get a new case/PSU and new mobo (if the Dell isn't standard mATX). Then, toss in whatever card you want.

 

[hans007]

Originally posted by: Zap

Originally posted by: thecoolnessrune
I took it upon myself to first upgrade it from 512MB of memory to 2GB of memory and installed Vista.

This Christmas I intend to add 2 more GB of memory, upgrade the processor to the best AM2 socket dual core I can conveniently get my hands on, and add a good graphics card for her to ride out the system on.

With all those upgrades, have you considered just building her a different computer? Keep the HDD, ODD and RAM, and get a new case/PSU and new mobo (if the Dell isn't standard mATX). Then, toss in whatever card you want.

you'd lose whatever license the Dell comes with windows wise though.

 

[thecoolnessrune]

Originally posted by: hans007

Originally posted by: Zap

Originally posted by: thecoolnessrune
I took it upon myself to first upgrade it from 512MB of memory to 2GB of memory and installed Vista.

This Christmas I intend to add 2 more GB of memory, upgrade the processor to the best AM2 socket dual core I can conveniently get my hands on, and add a good graphics card for her to ride out the system on.

With all those upgrades, have you considered just building her a different computer? Keep the HDD, ODD and RAM, and get a new case/PSU and new mobo (if the Dell isn't standard mATX). Then, toss in whatever card you want.

you'd lose whatever license the Dell comes with windows wise though.

She had XP with the system. She's running one of my copies of Windows Vista now and will soon be running Windows 7 (Whenever her preorder from Newegg gets in).

Problem is the Dell motherboard is a microBTX. Also things like the diagnostic lights won't work, and the rear motherboard panel is non-removable. Just look what this guy went through.

I'd have to go the whole new system route, and that would cost a much larger chunk of money since the only thing salvageable would be RAM and the HDD.

Plus it would turn into a monitor bottleneck. She's in school right now and that's her priority. Her monitor is only 1280x1024. Since she just mentioned that she misses gaming, I thought I would give her a decent graphics card for the machine, that's why I wanted to go this route.

My brother (we're twins) actually built his gf a computer last Christmas, so I've certainly considered it. But me and my gf are both very money conscious and I think she'd have my head if I went and built her a brand new system. Refurbed a laptop for her birthday since her old one died (Pentium M Dell). This one was a Compaq V2000 with a 1.8 Ghz Turion, and with the help of you great people I was able to snag some great used deals and get her a new HDD (the existing one it had was dieing), and an upgrade to 2GB of memory from 512MB. I provided her with Windows 7.

She was ecstatic about it, as she can't really afford nice things in school and her parents most certainly can't.

So after that exhausting back story (sorry for those people who actually sat there and read through it), *thats* why I just want to upgrade the CPU, memory, and video card and let her ride it out The video card will always be transferable to an HTPC or something similar later on