Probably a very simple answer to this...

[vs the world]

Hey all,
I recently purchased an Inspiron 530 and want to get a new video card but there's so much information out there that I'm not confident that I'm going to make the best decision. I'm looking at either the Radeon HD 3850 or the 3870. Any thoughts?

I'm not a huge gamer but I do play frequently enough to want good graphics and framerates. The 3850 is tempting because of the price and favorable reviews, the 3870 because of the better framerates and I'm thinking that the 512mb will be more apt to handle future games with less trouble than the 3850.

I found that the 3850 is $180 on new egg and the 3870 is $250. My other concern is that I will need to get a bigger power supply to handle the 3870. Any thoughts or suggestions on this as well?

Here are my specs:
Inspiron 530
Intel Core2 processor Q6600 (2.40Ghz 1066FSB) w/Quad Core Technology and 8MB cache
4GB DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz
19" E198WFP Flat Panel DVI
Current power supply is 300 watts

In regards to the power supply question here is what else is hooked up to the computer:
a second hard drive
a second 17" Flat panel monitor
DVD burner and cd/dvd drive
logitech mx700 mouse
wireless router
soundblaster extigy
a scanner and a printer

Thanks so much for any light you guys can shed on this!

 

[palladium]

Inspiron 530? Dell's mobo traditionally don't support standard ATX PSU, don't know if that has changed with the higher end models. In short, you can't upgrade your PSU unless (unlikely) your Dell supports standard ATX/BTX form factor.

I don't think you need a 3870 to play games at 1280*1024 ( your monitor's max res). PSU wise, if you have a supplementary 6 pin power connector, you can use 3870 just fine. Not sure if 3850 requires a supplemetary power connector....

 

[vs the world]

Sorry I forgot to mention that the monitor is widescreen, so the res is listed as 1440 x 900. Does that change anything? If I have the extra 6 pin connector for the 3870 and have to the ability to choose between the two cards which would be the best one in your opinion?

It's hard for me to keep straight the framerates, resolutions, and how all the different effects (AA, etc) effect the quality and playability.

Thanks again, I'm glad you guys are here to help out!

 

[TestedAcorn]

Originally posted by: palladium
Inspiron 530? Dell's mobo traditionally don't support standard ATX PSU, don't know if that has changed with the higher end models. In short, you can't upgrade your PSU unless (unlikely) your Dell supports standard ATX/BTX form factor.

I don't think you need a 3870 to play games at 1280*1024 ( your monitor's max res). PSU wise, if you have a supplementary 6 pin power connector, you can use 3870 just fine. Not sure if 3850 requires a supplemetary power connector....

Actually his max res will be 1440*900 since he's primarily using the 19" monitor. Yes your 3850 will have the capability to run on 1440*900 and I'm confident of this because i run an x1950pro 256mb on a 22" acer monitor and my framerates are almost identical to the framerate on my old 17" crt.Your video memory isn't going to matter too awful much until you hit 24" and up. After saying all that, I would still suggest getting a 3870 because it will last a little longer that the 3850 and you can actually upgrade your monitor if you ever wanted to. You should look at getting a good 430-500 watt psu though, just make sure your dell supports normal ATX/BTX. Oh and if you do get the 256mb 3850 you may not be running too much AA on stuff unless you got the 3850 512mb for $209 off of newegg, but if you're going to pay over $200 you might as well get the 3870.

 

[daveybrat]

Get the 3850, it'll run flawless at the 1400x900 and it should even run fine on your dell power supply. Just look on the side of the power supply. See if it says +12v1, +12v2, or +12vA, +12vB. A lot of the newer dell power supply's have dual 12v rails now. If yours does, it'll be fine for the 3850.

 

[happy medium]

Originally posted by: vs the world
Hey all,
I recently purchased an Inspiron 530 and want to get a new video card but there's so much information out there that I'm not confident that I'm going to make the best decision. I'm looking at either the Radeon HD 3850 or the 3870. Any thoughts?

I'm not a huge gamer but I do play frequently enough to want good graphics and framerates. The 3850 is tempting because of the price and favorable reviews, the 3870 because of the better framerates and I'm thinking that the 512mb will be more apt to handle future games with less trouble than the 3850.

I found that the 3850 is $180 on new egg and the 3870 is $250. My other concern is that I will need to get a bigger power supply to handle the 3870. Any thoughts or suggestions on this as well?

Here are my specs:
Inspiron 530
Intel Core2 processor Q6600 (2.40Ghz 1066FSB) w/Quad Core Technology and 8MB cache
4GB DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz
19" E198WFP Flat Panel DVI
Current power supply is 300 watts

In regards to the power supply question here is what else is hooked up to the computer:
a second hard drive
a second 17" Flat panel monitor
DVD burner and cd/dvd drive
logitech mx700 mouse
wireless router
soundblaster extigy
a scanner and a printer

Thanks so much for any light you guys can shed on this!

I think you need more than a 300watt psu if you plan on upgrading to a 3850/70. The 3850 pulls 105 watts full load. A quad core cpu and second hard drive. I smell smoke?

 

[vs the world]

I'm not too knowledgeable about PSUs, so forgive me if these are obvious questions. Other than the quad core and two drives is there anything else I listed that draws a significant amount of power? Also, ATX and BTX are Greek to me. What should I be looking for, in my computer and in a replacement PSU to make sure that I get the right one?

 

[happy medium]

Originally posted by: vs the world
I'm not too knowledgeable about PSUs, so forgive me if these are obvious questions. Other than the quad core and two drives is there anything else I listed that draws a significant amount of power? Also, ATX and BTX are Greek to me. What should I be looking for, in my computer and in a replacement PSU to make sure that I get the right one?

The 3850 draws from the same rail in your psu as the cpu and hard drives.
Look for something in the 400 watt range with a 25/30 amp 12volt +rail at least.
If its a Dell try a "pc-power and cooling" psu.

 

[Sylvanas]

Originally posted by: happy medium

Originally posted by: vs the world
I'm not too knowledgeable about PSUs, so forgive me if these are obvious questions. Other than the quad core and two drives is there anything else I listed that draws a significant amount of power? Also, ATX and BTX are Greek to me. What should I be looking for, in my computer and in a replacement PSU to make sure that I get the right one?

The 3850 draws from the same rail in your psu as the cpu and hard drives.
Look for something in the 400 watt range with a 25/30 amp 12volt +rail at least.
If its a Dell try a "pc-power and cooling" psu.

Indeed a Quad and a 2nd HDD + new GFX card would be a bit much for a 300watt PSU I'd say. 400-450watt PSU's are quite cheap these days and they would sufficiently cope with all of your system.

 

[vs the world]

Ok, time for a little info if anyone has the time please. I've been looking around on Newegg for a power supply. I'm still unsure of which one would be good for me, if anyone has suggestions that would be helpful. I think I'm primarily confused about the connectors that go along with the power supply. I just want to make sure that I get one that will be able to connect to my hardware.

I'm hoping to get the Radeon HD 3870 512Mb.

I have a Inspiron 530 Intel Core2 processor Q6600 (quad core)
4GB DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz
2 SATA Hard drives
SATA CD/DVD burner
Will most likely install a plain old cdrom in the future too

Thanks again for any help!!

 

[vs the world]

Oh, and after searching through Dell's site it says that my computer does has standard ATX.

 

[angry hampster]

Originally posted by: vs the world
Oh, and after searching through Dell's site it says that my computer does has standard ATX.

Perfect. ATX PSUs are plentiful.

Check out something along these lines:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16817371007

 

[vs the world]

I don't mean to arbitrarily resurrect a dead thread but I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who posted! I installed a Radeon 3870 and Antec NeoPower 550 and everything works smooth and quiet!

Except for a small issue with my USB hub freezing Windows on boot up :roll:

Thanks again!

 

[SlowSpyder]

Originally posted by: vs the world
I don't mean to arbitrarily resurrect a dead thread but I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who posted! I installed a Radeon 3870 and Antec NeoPower 550 and everything works smooth and quiet!

Except for a small issue with my USB hub freezing Windows on boot up :roll:

Thanks again!

That's the PSU I have, I've been very happy with it. It's quiet and never do I see my voltages drop.