i have a dell 4700 and i would like to upgrade the graphics card from a ati X300 SE to either a 6800 GS or GT. will my powersupply work with either of them and is there any videocards that will work with my powersupply. my powersupply is a 305 watt dual on the 12v rail with 18A on each rail. will i be able to upgrade to any videocard at all or not.
what would be a good videocard for my dell
- Thread starter ckfordy
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vnf4ultra
Posts: 1,360 +2
Sure a 305w should handle it.
Here you can figure out what your currently using.
http://www.extreme.outervision.com/index.jsp
Here you can figure out what your currently using.
http://www.extreme.outervision.com/index.jsp
well that website says im using 306 watts if i have the GS or GT in there but i can unplug one of the dvd drives and the floppy drive and some other stuff that i dont use and it should work shouldnt it? is there any chance that i could fry my Powersupply if i put a 6800 GS or GT in there. and which card is better for gaming the GS or GT.
DonNagual
Posts: 2,385 +5
You won't fry your powersupply. If your PSU is a cheap one, then your computer either won't boot up with the new card, or you'll be prone to random crashing.
If your PSU is a good one (it looks like it has some good amps on the 12v rail, so that is a good sign) then you should be fine. Oh, and the GT is the better of the two listed.
If your PSU is a good one (it looks like it has some good amps on the 12v rail, so that is a good sign) then you should be fine. Oh, and the GT is the better of the two listed.
vnf4ultra
Posts: 1,360 +2
No, it shouldn't fry it. It might make your pc unstable if it can't put out enough power, but if that happens the pc will just either not boot or boot but then crash/reboot. Dual 18a is very good on the 12v, some "400w" psus don't even have that much.
The gt is slightly better, and consumes only 1w more(according to the psu calc), so if the $ difference isn't great, go for it.
The gt is slightly better, and consumes only 1w more(according to the psu calc), so if the $ difference isn't great, go for it.
LipsOfVenom
Posts: 160 +0
just buy the 6800GS/GT. If you're computer starts crashing randomly, then just buy a new power supply. They're really cheap now. Antec 500 watts are only about $50. but anyways, as the above posts say, there's no way to damage the card if your power supply is not enough. you don't really have anything to lose then.
First of all, is the 305w what it says on the psu? Usually when someone says "I have a 500w psu," it means the peak wattage is 500w, not continuous output. So you have to be careful when you use a psu calculator.
Second, if the psu is manufactured by Dell, I'll be the first courageous one to say I am not without any doubts on the efficiency of the psu.
Third, if you're still debating between a 6800 GT or GS, take a ook at AnandTech's review: http://anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=2593
And from other users' experience, it seems like the GS performs better than the GT despite having 12 pixel pipeplines (as opposed to GT's 16).
Second, if the psu is manufactured by Dell, I'll be the first courageous one to say I am not without any doubts on the efficiency of the psu.
Third, if you're still debating between a 6800 GT or GS, take a ook at AnandTech's review: http://anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=2593
And from other users' experience, it seems like the GS performs better than the GT despite having 12 pixel pipeplines (as opposed to GT's 16).
Exscind said:
my computer is a dell so i am sure that the powersupply is manufactured by dell. i looked at the link and the card can use up to over 200 watts. my powersupply is 305 watts. will that be a problem. and i am probably going to go towards the GS cause it is cheaper and it looks like it performs about the same.
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