300 watt PSU, what GPU could I get?

[Skramz]

My little brother got a Dell for Xmas and he wants to put a video card in. Problem is, the PSU is only 300 watt. Is there any GPU that would work, or should I advise him to save for another couple weeks and get a PSU + GPU?

[Moropo]

What is his current GPU? Since you didnt mention I will assume he just has integrated.

With such wattage on the PSU, and no brand name given, I would go with a low power consumption GPU such as the ATI Radeon HD 5670. This card doesnt have any cables to draw power from the PSU, because it draws all the power it needs from the PCIe slot, which is a max consumption of 61 watts. This card consumes very low power, and delivers very good performance given all the constraints.

It can be had for as low as $75 on newegg:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814125360

[DarkBlade6]

A 5750 is probably the best you can get, something a little better like a 5770 would be too much(also require a 6PIN connector) , its fairly easy to Load 300w with one CPU+ a 5770, since your PSU is probably not really efficient, i dont think it could handle a 5770.

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...-528-_-Product

[Skramz]

His PSU is just the default Dell one, so I'm sure it's shit. As for the GPU, there isn't one.

[Moropo]

A 5750 is probably the best you can get, something a little better like a 5770 would be too much(also require a 6PIN connector) , its fairly easy to Load 300w with one CPU+ a 5770, since your PSU is probably not really efficient, i dont think it could handle a 5770.

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...-528-_-Product

Do you you understand what it means for a PSU to be efficient.....?

[nwo]

5670 would be a safe bet since it only uses 60W. 5770 is probably way out of your reach since it uses almost twice the power of a 5670 (around 110W). Look inside your case and find the PSU sticker, read how many amps it has on the 12v rail and also look for "maximum output" values.

[francey]

From the research I have done I heard that the nividia gt240 would be pretty good with that psu can anyone confirm if that is the case?

[tilgare]

He could pick up this PSU for about 35 bucks and it would open up his possibilities a lot more. An Nvidia GTS 250 or 450 should both work just fine on that PSU.

[Tikaru]

He could pick up this PSU for about 35 bucks and it would open up his possibilities a lot more. An Nvidia GTS 250 or 450 should both work just fine on that PSU.

I hate to go off-topic, but how do you link inside text?

[Plasmon]

I hate to go off-topic, but how do you link inside text?

Highlight the text you want, and then click the "world w/chain icon" to enter the URL.

[nwo]

From the research I have done I heard that the nividia gt240 would be pretty good with that psu can anyone confirm if that is the case?

No because:
-It uses slightly more power than a 5670 (~10W)
-It is significantly slower in just about every single benchmark, in comparison to the 5670

[Cantii]

The main thing we should know outright is the model of Dell computer that it is. A lot of Dells have their own form-factor concerning cases and PSUs, so it could very well not be ATX. So what model of Dell is it? If it's one of the ones that actually are ATX, then I suggest just buying a new PSU with a GPU, if not then you could contact dell for a stronger PSU if you want.

@kiurys
Dell PSUs are actually pretty solid PSUs, they have their own manufacturers and they don't skimp on the quality of the parts. I've done warranty repairs on Dell desktops housing dual 5870s/GTX480s on a Dell PSU, and I wasn't there to replace the PSU. They're good units.

[MoshPit13]

i ran SAPPHIRE 100293DP Radeon HD 5570 1GB 128-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Low Profile Ready Video Card w/ Eyefinity in my dell dimension e310 which is about 2.5 years old using their standard 300w psu. according to http://www.anandtech.com/show/2935/13 its load power peaks @ 175w with the idle power being 125w. running it through the pcie slot that comes on the dell mobo's it maintained 40+ fps on good settings in wow and nvr had any issues for me. the card runs extremely cool and has settings to adjust it and manually set the fan for more personal preferences. overall it is a very affordable card for what u want out of it.