Need help choosing a video card for Dell Inspiron 530.

[Wowfunhappy]

Hi. I've had a Dell Inspiron 530 for several years now, and it's more than time for a graphics card upgrade. I know very little about hardware, and I'm worried I'll end up buying something that either won't be very good or won't be compatible with my computer, so I could use some help. Thank you!


System Specifications:

I. Processor/CPU:
2.83Ghz Intel Core 2 Quad

II. Current Graphics Card:
ATI Radeon HD 4670

III. Display Resolution:
My monitor is 1920x1080, but when playing games, I usually set the resolution to 720p.

IV. Power Supply Unit Specification
350 W according to Dell.com

V. Case Specifications
Dell Inspiron 530


Purchase Details:

I. Budget?
I'm looking to spend ~$100 (USD), but that isn't a hard goal or limit; I can spend more or less as necessary.

II. Any particular preferences (Manufacturer, Brand, Cooling Solutions)?
I'd like something to be as easy to install as possible (but graphics cards are all about the same difficulty, right?). Beyond that, I'm not particularly tied to any brand or manufacturer.

III. Do you plan to have any Multi-GPU solutions such as Crossfire or SLI?
No.

IV. Have you previously looked at a product(s) which you feel would fit your needs?
No.

V. What are your needs for this GPU?
I'd like a card that will, for at least another 2-3 years, be able to play just about any video game at 60fps when set to 720p and low-ish graphics settings. I'm not all that picky about graphics quality, but I want a constant, smooth frame rate.

VI. Do you plan on overclocking the card you intend to purchase?
No.

Additional Notes
I'm currently dual booting both Windows (for when I want to play video games) and Hackintosh (for everything else). Preferably, I'd like a card that will still let me use Hackintosh, but since I bought an actual Mac last summer, it may be time I relegate my desktop PC to Windows-only anyway.

 

[toyota]

are you sure that is a 350 watt psu? open it up and look at the label. if you are not willing to open the case up and look then how do you expect to install a video card?

a 7770 is about the only card that will get the job done for your situation. its fast enough to play every game at 1080 with reduced settings. its always best to stay at native res than to run higher settings and use a resolution below native.

you are not going to be able to stay above 60fps the whole time in every game though as your cpu will not allow that.

 

[notty22]

I have Dell 530 C2DC from 12/2007 (e4500) that came with a 300watt PSU , with no pci-e power connections. It's probable you have a 350 watt psu in there, but will you have a pci-e connector. Mine also did not have any molex connections. Just sata.

I upgraded the PSU in mine as it's been running 24/7 since new, and now I run a ATI 4770 for a HTPC. It's a standard ATX PSU. Though your budget is low for both a PSU and GPU.

 

[DominionSeraph]

6770 (rebadged 5770) would be twice as powerful as what you have and there's one available for $70:
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=440904&CatId=7005

It's not as powerful as the 7770:
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/538?vs=536

... but 7770's all seem to be $120 with $15-20 rebates, so that's $50 more before rebate and $30 after.


Oh, and Macs came with 5770's, so your Hackintosh should still work.

 

[Wowfunhappy]

are you sure that is a 350 watt psu? open it up and look at the label. if you are not willing to open the case up and look then how do you expect to install a video card?

Good point. Opening it up is a pain (I mean REALLY Dell, you needed THAT many screws?!), but I'll check later tonight just to be sure. I'm 99% positive it's 350 though. According to Dell's site, the machines which are customized to have Core 2 Quad processors (as mine was) come with 350 watt PSU's, as opposed to the standard 300.

So it looks like my two options are the 5770/6770 and the 7770. Is the 7770 worth the extra cost? At ~$105, it's about what I was planning to spend anyway.

 

[toyota]

a 7770 is about 30% faster than a 5770/6770 and uses less power.

 

[Wowfunhappy]

I think I should go with the 7770.

One issue: most of the cards listed on Newegg (this one for example) list a 450 watt power supply as one of the requirements, which I don't have...

 

[toyota]

high wattage recommendation is to cover all those super cheap overrated psus. for example there are 400 watt units out there that would not even be worthy of a 300 watt rating.

now your psu is nothing great but it is okay for your system with a 7770. you still need to take few seconds and make sure you actually have the 350 watt psu though. it only has 2 screws on the side like any other typical case so I am not sure what you meant earlier about the number of screws.

 

[Wowfunhappy]

Just opened the computer. PSU IS 350W.

There WERE only two screws. I remember there being way more last time I opened it, but then again, that was years ago, so it's probably just my memory making things up.

Edit: Okay, just to check, I should be okay buying this card, correct?

 

[raghu78]

check the +12v rail. anything around 24A - 26A and you are safe. if its 18A - 20A it might be borderline. better to buy a 450w psu with 30a on +12v rail. the details can be found on the PSU label on the side of the PSU.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Antec Neo Eco 520W is on sale at Newegg with a rebate today I believe.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371030

$54.99 FS, minus $10 promo code, minus $15 rebate = $29.99.

That's a really good deal!

 

[frozentundra123456]

Just opened the computer. PSU IS 350W.

There WERE only two screws. I remember there being way more last time I opened it, but then again, that was years ago, so it's probably just my memory making things up.

Edit: Okay, just to check, I should be okay buying this card, correct?

I would be more concerned if it has the proper connectors for the HD7770. That card reqiures one six pin connector. I seriously doubt that power supply has one. You would need to make sure that there are 2 molex connectors that you can use with an adapter. Alternatively, you could use a HD7750 which reqiures no six pin connector.