• Competitor rules

    Please remember that any mention of competitors, hinting at competitors or offering to provide details of competitors will result in an account suspension. The full rules can be found under the 'Terms and Rules' link in the bottom right corner of your screen. Just don't mention competitors in any way, shape or form and you'll be OK.

Upgrading graphics card on a Dell...

fatrabbit

fatrabbit

fatrabbit

Associate
Joined
25 Sep 2007
Posts
16
I've been wanting to upgrade my Dell's graphics card for a while now (it's a Radeon X300). I was thinking of the Sapphire X1950 Pro (PCIe). Looks to be a good price and with good performance. However, i'm concerned about the power supply in the machine, which is a Dell PSU at 305 Watts.

Apparently the x1950 Pro is only double the current card in Watts (from 33 to 66) used. However the spec for the card recommends a 400-450 Watt PSU.

Fine I thought, I was about to buy a Corsair HX 520W ( http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-005-CS&groupid=701&catid=123&subcat=823 ). But before I pulled the trigger I did a quick Google for 'changing Dell power supply' or something like that and found some threads saying that some Dell models carry proprietary PSUs that have different connectors to the Motherboard (not industry standard ATX). I know that this was the case from 1996 to 2000, but it is a little ambiguous as to whether this may still be the case for a Dimension 5000 bought in 2005.

I only really want to play Valve games (TF2, HL2) so nothing ultra demanding. I thought the x1950 Pro would be a good choice - but i'm not sure what to do now. Wether I can just put this card in the machine no problems, or whether I have to change the PSU?

My current spec:
Dell Dimension 5000 (purchased 2005)
P4 (Prescott) 3Ghz
2Gb RAM
Radeon X300 graphics card
1 x DVD-ROM
1 x DVD/CD Burner
1 x 160Gb 7200rpm HD
Motherboard: Intel Grantsdale-G i915G
 
I'm sure some older Dell machines had a 6pin AUX connector.

http://www.helpwithpcs.com/courses/power-supply-basics-inc-pinouts.htm

If you look at the pictures of the connectors under the title "The power supply connectors" you should be able to see the AUX 6 pin connector and then just check your motherboard to see if it holds this fitting.

If not then you should be ok to upgrade but I'd wait to see if anyone can back up what I'm saying until you go ahead with this.
 
Im going to go out on a limb and say the general rule is, if it has pci-e it doesnt have a proprietary power connector Dell wise. But, thats not tested, thats just from my observations.
 
Thanks for the replies and that link.

I've just opened up the case again and had a good look around. I couldn't find a 6-pin connector.

Here are some images of what my PSU looks like (same model):
Sticker
The Unit
How it fits

All the connections coming from the PSU are...
1 x 24-pin Power connector to the motherboard (24-pins mean it must be ATX2?)
24pin_motherboard.jpg


1 x 4-pin Molex P4 12V Power Connector (going to the other side of the motherboard - apparently for P4 systems)

2 x standard 4-pin Molex connectors to the DVD-ROM and DVD/CD-Burner (although they seem to be in series - ie. one connection to the DVD-ROM and then another coming out that into the Burner below)

Also what looks like a standard pin (as above) going to the hard-drive (but it has 5 wires?) - see pic below...
5pin_harddrive.jpg

(Sorry about the dust!)

So, would the Corsair HX 520W would a good replacement?
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-005-CS&groupid=701&catid=123&subcat=823
 
Last edited:
My daughter's machine (a cheap Dimension 2400) was purchased in 2005 and that definitely has a bespoke power supply and is very picky about graphics cards. A normal power supply wouldn't work and nor would an ATI card. That was a 9250 PCI though, not a PCI express.
 
I'd go for it. I think it will be fine to change.

nxr is right. Your hard drives are Sata :).
 
Does the Corsair have a 4-pin connector for a P4 motherboard?

There are a total of nine cable sets for the HX520W:

Permanently connected:

* 19" cable for main 20+4-pin ATX connector
* 19" cable for 4x12V EPS12V
* 19" cable for 2x12V AUX12V

Detachable:

* 2 x 21" cable for 6-pin PCIe connector
* 2 x 31" cable with three 4-pin IDE drive connectors
* 1 x 16" cable with two 4-pin IDE drive connectors
* 6" 4-pin IDE to two 12V only 4-pin IDE connectors (meant for fans)
* 6" 4-pin IDE to two floppy drive power connectors
* 2 x 25" cables with two SATA drive connectors

The HX620W comes with two more 25" cables with two SATA drive connectors for a total of 11 detachable cables.
Click to expand...
 
OK, so the latest on this...

I installed a new PSU (Corsair VX450W - very nice indeed) and a new graphics card (Sapphire X1950 Pro 512Mb PCI-E - very tasty also). However, i'm getting some weird stutter problems, where the game pauses for a few seconds (and the video jerks from side to side) before returning to normal. This may be a driver issue, but i've installed the latest ATI drivers - how can I ensure there are no old drivers left on my system? I've heard about drivercleaner.net, although i've heard mixed views on this software (some saying it totally destroyed their system).

The game is Team Fortress 2 btw.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom