In the next 2-3 months I am going to look seriously into upgrading my desktop. It is an older Alienware Area-51 X-58. Specs are as such:
Intel Core i7 920 (no-oc due to memory @ 2.67GHz)
6 gigs DDR-3 1066 memory (limits my ability to oc the 920)
Western Digital VelociRaptor 10k RPM (300g)
Samsung Spinpoint F2 (1TB)
Western Digital 7200 RPM HD (750 g)
PNY Nvidia Geforce 9800 GTX+ (No-oc)
BFGTech Nvidia Geforce 9800 GTX+ OC (SLI'd with PNY) (Causes random video card driver crashes)
Corsair H70 Watercooling (For future OC when I purchase faster memory)
Alienware NPS-750AB-1 750watt 24-pin ATX PS
My major question is, what video card can I upgrade to with my power supply. I know that the wattage is fine for even a 580gtx, however I also know that running powerful cards requires a higher voltage on the rails. So help me understand what my powersupply is capable of with this bit of info:
Alienware NPS-750AB-1 750W ATX Power Supply
General Features:
Output Power: 750 Watt
Input Voltage: 100 - 240V ~ 10A, 50/60 Hz
80 PLUS Compliant
Typical Efficiency (50% Load): 83.88%
Average Efficiency: 81.63%
One (1) 24-pin ATX Connector
Seven (7) Large Molex Connectors
Six (6) Serial ATA Connectors
Four (4) 6-pin PCI Express Connectors
One (1) 4-pin 12-Volt ATX power connector
One (1) 8-pin EPS + 12-Volt power connector
Maximum Combined Power on +5V and +3.3V Output is 150W
Maximum Combines Power on +12VA, +12VB, +12VC, +12VD Output is 700W
Specifications:
+5V / 16.0A
+5VFP / 3.0A
+12VA / 18.0A
+12VC / 18.0A
+12VE / 18.0A
-12V / 0.2A
+3.3V / 30.0A
+12VB / 18.0A
+12VD / 16.0A
I believe its the 12 volt rail that's the key component for the power hungry 570 and 580, but which one? Also I would have to use the 4 pin molex adapters that are included with the 570 and 580 because the PS doesn't have 8-pin PCI express connectors, just 6-pin (and not even 6+2...). Finally: I could upgrade PS but I really don't want to considering Alienware did a great job weaving the powersupply throughout the case (not that I couldn't do the same) and it would be a pain to undo all that work and then attempt it myself with a new power supply all while spending $250+