Noob looking for graphics card advice

[Cuda440]

Hey guys, My PC has a pretty crappy card that I'm looking to replace. I have never torn into the guts of a PC before, but I'm not afraid to go at it and see where it goes.

I have a Dell I580-5108NBC, full specs are here

The issue is that the GeForce GT 220 sucks. I would like to replace it with something better, but I'm not sure what I should look at or what will play nice with the rest of my hardware. Any advice is welcome, but please keep in mind that I'm not very experienced so I might be asking retarded questions without even knowing it.

Also, I read a decent article about my PC here, and I realized that my 300w power supply also needs to be replaced if I intend to use a better graphics card. As I understand it, it's a tight fit inside the case so any advice on a larger power supply that's somewhat compact would be appreciated. I'm mechanically inclined enough to make it fit if need be.

Thanks in advance for any good advice.

[BucDan]

Go to overclock.net

That's another forum that I go to for my other hobby. I am a member there with the same screen name as here. "bucdan"

I would help you, but words from 30 other geeks besides me would help a lot.

[Eldraque]

I recommend building your own system. I assume your Dell is a store bought computer.

Newegg.com is the first place to start.

They have great prices, sales, and customer service. They also have videos and tutorials on how to build your own computer.

YouTube would be a good resource too.

Id recommend an amd card. The Radeon HD 6770 is a solid card for the money.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150540

You would need at least a 430 watt PSU (power supply unit) to power the card.

Example:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817152028

I HIGHLY suggest just saving up and building your own computer from the ground up. You can upgrade your video card, but if your processor is not good enough then the video card wont make a very large difference. RAM is also important. store bought computers are overpriced and usually have the bare minimum of components in them. Also factory cases at usually as small and tight as possible to save costs and to make it difficult to work on, so that inexperice people will have to take it back in and pay to have it worked on. There are MANY cases on the market for varying prices and sizes. You can build a full system that will run virtually all games on about 85% graphics for around $600-$800

[bigbearbear]

According to this post:

http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/desktop/f/3514/p/19377755/19870242.aspx

The Dell Inspiron 580 uses standard ATX power supply, so you should be able to replace it. Confirm this with Dell tech support first before doing anything else.

If you plan to keep using your computer for a while (eg. a year or longer) and wants to put in as power a graphics card as your budget allows, a new and better power supply is highly recommended.

I typically use Corsair or Seasonic, though Seasonic makes the power supplies for Corsair, the Corsair ones seems to be a little better. Get something with at least 430 watts of power, but don't over do it. Anything 700W and above will be overkill for you.

Once you have gotten past the power supply upgrade (make sure everything works after the upgrade and backup your PC), you can consider a new graphics card.

Your budget will pretty much dictates what graphics card you buy, ATI and nVidia trade technology leadership places frequently. As of this post, nVidia has the better offering on the market for cards based on the their latest chips.

Overall I tend to prefer nVidia cards, their software and drivers tend to be a little bit more hassle free. At the moment I have a nVidia GTX670 based graphics card.

[Rand B. Wilson]

I recommend building your own system.

Excellent advise... So in automobile terms, guy asks for suggestions on new spark plugs and maybe a new battery and you tell him to build a whole new car... Because what works for you and what you are comfortable doing and spending, everyone else must also be..

[chaunbot]

Excellent advise... So in automobile terms, guy asks for suggestions on new spark plugs and maybe a new battery and you tell him to build a whole new car... Because what works for you and what you are comfortable doing and spending, everyone else must also be..

Whats the point of buying a big block crate motor if the rest of the car cant handle it?


My friend has a computer with similar specs, just for fun we swapped out the GeForce 220 for a gforce 680. Turns out playing battlefield 3 the card didn't make any noticeable difference. choppy as hell

[Cuda440]

Thanks for all of the advice so far, I have been researching all of the suggestions posted.

My friend has a computer with similar specs, just for fun we swapped out the GeForce 220 for a gforce 680. Turns out playing battlefield 3 the card didn't make any noticeable difference. choppy as hell

I'm curious after your post, what is lacking in my system other than the graphics card and power supply? I was under the impression that other than those two shortcomings, it was a fairly decent system. If you could tell me exactly what I have that is causing me issues, it would be appreciated.

[Eldraque]

Excellent advise... So in automobile terms, guy asks for suggestions on new spark plugs and maybe a new battery and you tell him to build a whole new car... Because what works for you and what you are comfortable doing and spending, everyone else must also be..

Umm. Totally different scenario. Building a new computer and building a car are two completely unrelated things..building a computer is easy and a very common thing to do.

That is one of the most horrid analogies I have heard in a while...

[Eldraque]

Thanks for all of the advice so far, I have been researching all of the suggestions posted.





I'm curious after your post, what is lacking in my system other than the graphics card and power supply? I was under the impression that other than those two shortcomings, it was a fairly decent system. If you could tell me exactly what I have that is causing me issues, it would be appreciated.

Your system is good for a factory comp. 8GB of ram is fine. t processor isnt bad, but it is a dated dual core, you would see benefits from upgrading graphics, but the 6770 wouldnt be reaching peak potential with that processor. The difference between AMD (ATI radeon) and GeForce is that amd are less costly than GeForce for the same performance.

run your favorite game on the highest graphics and see how it runs. Install a new PSU and graphics card then run the same game on highest graphics and see how It performs. If the new card doesnt perform then you need to upgrade processor as well. (depending on graphics card)

[C.W.M.V.]

Thanks for all of the advice so far, I have been researching all of the suggestions posted.





I'm curious after your post, what is lacking in my system other than the graphics card and power supply? I was under the impression that other than those two shortcomings, it was a fairly decent system. If you could tell me exactly what I have that is causing me issues, it would be appreciated.

Your CPU is a bottleneck.
At least it would be in the games I play. Dual core just doesn't cut it anymore for some games.

Thing is you replace your CPU, you need new motherboard, and at that point you are actually building a new machine lol.
Your ram looks awfully slow, but that's probably not a big deal really, you've certainly got enough of it at 8 gigs.

EDIT: Maybe you could go with a quad core, say an i5-2500K, you'd be good to go. I'm not sure if the architecture is the same though.

Then get a good Nvidia like the gtx 560ti and youll have a great combo.

But then the 300 watt PSU, that needs to go. Personally Ive always used corsair (I have a 1200AX sitting on the shelf, waiting for a reason to use it lol!) A nice 650w would do very well with that sort of system...............................but hey Im getting WAY ahead of things!

Eldraque, I must disagree with your statement that AMD and Nvidia differ only in price. Most of the sims I play simply will not perform with AMD cards. The flagship cards from AMD fail to keep pace with even the mid level Nvidia's.

[Eldraque]

Apples to oranges, Sig to Glock, Ford vs Chevy. I had two GeForce cards many years ago, both were overpriced, both underperformed. ive run a few amds over the last couple years and ive had no complaints with them. If you have $300 or more to spend on a geforce then power to you. Ive never spent more than $170 on my graphics card, and ive always been able to run max graphics on any game

[C.W.M.V.]

Opposite here. None of the sims Ive played for the last 15 years have never worked as well with AMD as Nvidia. Constant QC problems, bad driver updates, overheating, microstutters, blue bars, and non-existent support.

[stilly]

I am SHOCKED! Looking a that Microcenter pic shows the dell with a STANDARD layout for MOBO and case! OMFG! When did they stop with their own **** and go with the flow? Oh wait, this must be an exception to the Dell rules... It is STILL an underpowered case/PSU... LoL.

Get that 220 (WTF???) card out of there and pick up an EVGA 560 GTX TI for around $200 or less. While you are at it, I BET that PSU in the case does NOT have enough power for your graphics and by not enough power I mean no PCI-E power cables (either 6 pin or 8 pin).

Next look for a decent PSU, You do NOT need any 700w psu or bigger. Heck, you do not even need a 600W, prolly a 500W would be fine. You can get an entry level psu from microcenter for about $50 or a better one for around $75 or online or even at Microcenter if you look around.

Total upgrade is about $250 +/- $50 and you will see a BIG difference in performance. Your CPU is fine (well not really since it IS an intel) and if you were to change out the cpu you might also need to change out the mobo also, then maybe different ram and then you might as well get a new case while you are at it... SO why bother? Your goal is to spend the least amount and get the MOST bang for your buck right? ANY Nvidia card you get you will need an extra power cable or two for it so that is why you must up that psu also. Good luck, don't be afraid to ask more stuff here as I am sure there are many folks that can walk you through your upgrade.

I have to go look at that pic again. I can;t believe that Dell used a REGULAR mobo in that case. Have they gone insane? That means that anyone can upgrade to anything without having to go through them! SHOCKER!

[stilly]

According to this post:

http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/desktop/f/3514/p/19377755/19870242.aspx

The Dell Inspiron 580 uses standard ATX power supply, so you should be able to replace it. Confirm this with Dell tech support first before doing anything else.

If you plan to keep using your computer for a while (eg. a year or longer) and wants to put in as power a graphics card as your budget allows, a new and better power supply is highly recommended.

I typically use Corsair or Seasonic, though Seasonic makes the power supplies for Corsair, the Corsair ones seems to be a little better. Get something with at least 430 watts of power, but don't over do it. Anything 700W and above will be overkill for you.

Once you have gotten past the power supply upgrade (make sure everything works after the upgrade and backup your PC), you can consider a new graphics card.

Your budget will pretty much dictates what graphics card you buy, ATI and nVidia trade technology leadership places frequently. As of this post, nVidia has the better offering on the market for cards based on the their latest chips.

Overall I tend to prefer nVidia cards, their software and drivers tend to be a little bit more hassle free. At the moment I have a nVidia GTX670 based graphics card.

^^^ Yes yes yes.

Okay I will agree with this over my answer. I am a tech and will just jumjp on in but this is a good way to approach the problem. FIRST make certain that you have the power and it all works, THEN upgrade the graphics. Yes yes good one. My approach is simply, "Red Leader to Gold Leader I am going in..." LoL.

[Eldraque]

OP if you have alot of money buy an nvidia. If you want to spend $200 or less but you want to run high graphics then get a radeon hd 6870.