Older Computer, choices?

[beany323]

Thanks for looking. I presently have a dell xps 720. 750 watts. 2.93 (?) proc. and recently my vc went out and i went to bb and got a 5770 to get me though the dry time.

So fast forward, everything is going well (well enough) and i got a 30in monitor from work that is sorta of borked. (the gateway one) so its 30in.. wow..

i start to look at some other choices.. didnt even consider a tv..(still looking at those choices) but looking around.

Then i see a 3d monitor...and i begin to wonder.. i could get a better vc..a 560 maybe a 570 and wonder.. is that even plausible with current pc? and take 5770 and put into another system.

Guessing this is the start of a few more questions but best place to ask is here.

thanks

 

[mfenn]

Uhhh, so what are you asking exactly? XPS 720's came stock with pretty decent GPUs, so yes you would probably be able to upgrade it to a decently powerful one. The easiest way to tell is to pop the side panel off and look at the wattage on the PSU.

 

[beany323]

in researching stuff.. (so much to read) one poster on another matter made reference to bottle necking on vc due to the proc or fsb. (see? my dilemma)

i am liking the 3d so dropping the 5770 for a better vcard would be ok.. the 580-590 is to much.. but maybe a 460- 560-570 may be ok. lookingfor thoughts.

thanks for the reply.

also i am considering trying to upgrade the proc also. but thats for later.. maybe

 

[T_Yamamoto]

well, 3-d is most likely a fad and will become obsolete in a few years.

what kind of resolution were you looking at

im probably going to say go with the 560 TI

 

[wuliheron]

Uhhh, so what are you asking exactly? XPS 720's came stock with pretty decent GPUs, so yes you would probably be able to upgrade it to a decently powerful one. The easiest way to tell is to pop the side panel off and look at the wattage on the PSU.

Ditto. You basically have a disposable computer and want to know if a high powered vc will work. You can:

A) Plug the high powered vc into the computer and watch the whole thing possibly catch fire.

B) Open the side panel and tell us what kind of power supply you have.

 

[T_Yamamoto]

^^im pretty sure it would catch fire.

 

[beany323]

Ditto. You basically have a disposable computer and want to know if a high powered vc will work. You can:

A) Plug the high powered vc into the computer and watch the whole thing possibly catch fire.

B) Open the side panel and tell us what kind of power supply you have.

sorry, thought i made reference in my original post. 750w.

 

[mfenn]

sorry, thought i made reference in my original post. 750w.

Ah, OK I see that now. I guess it didn't register that you were referring to the power supply the first time around.

Anyway, with a 750W PSU, you can put pretty much whatever GPU you want in there. You didn't mention which CPU you have, but given the 720's vintage, I'm going to assume its a Core 2 Quad.

A 2.93GHz C2Q isn't the fastest processor on the face of the earth anymore, but it should be fast enough for your purposes. A 6950 2GB would be a good match for it IMHO.

 

[beany323]

thanks.. that did help. understand a 3d monitor may be considered a gimmick..but since i can hook up a ps3 to it also.. just trying to decide between a 460(oc'd) a 570 or a other 500 series.. would love to just build a new pc.. but my xps is working for me.. still hoping it wont blow up!

was concerned that my older, disposable system would bottleneck the vc.

thanks!

 

[mfenn]

There is quite a large difference in price between a GTX 460 and a GTX 570. Obviously, a GTX 570 is better, so it really comes down to how much money you're willing to spend in order to get the increased performance.

I'll reiterate that 6950 2GB cards are very good band for the buck right now.

 

[beany323]

ya.. thats what i thought until i saw that this particular 460 was priced like. .100 bucks more. 1532 mem i think.. i was like.. hmmm..

thanks for advice. i will surly consider it. (its going to depend on the 3d aspect.).

thank you for the help. there is so much to understand. Someday i will build a pc.... looks fun!