Upgrade Advice

wes

Hello,

I currently have Radeon HD 5770.

I am thinking of getting either a Radeon HD 7950 or a Radeon HD 7790.

Would either of those cards to be worthwhile upgrade from a 5770?

My PC is a Dell Studio XPS 8100, and I have an Intel Core i7 860 (2.6 GHz and 4 cores), and my PSU can handle 350w according to the spec sheet.

Now if I went for the Radeon HD 7790, I don't think I would need a new PSU, as its power requirements are relatively low. However 350w is pretty low, so maybe I should get a new PSU in anyways. Any recommendations in that regard would be welcome.

Also, I think my processor is still good enough, and I think my only upgrade option would be an Intel Core i7 870, and I am not sure that would be worth the money to upgrade.

I would mostly use the system for web browsing and media, but I do like to play games as well, so would want a system that could handle games at 1080p.

Any advice would be appreciated.

BloodBath

Dell psu's tend to be awful for upgrades. You may need a new one which may not even fit the case so be careful. You could go down the middle and go for a 7870xt and get 4 free games.

http://www.aria.co.uk/SuperSpecials/Other+products/XFX+DD+Radeon+HD+7870+GHz+Edition+%28Tahiti+LE%29+2GB+GDDR5+Graphics+Card+%5BFX-787A-CNAC%5D+%2B+4+FREE+GAMES%21+?productId=55140

wes

Thanks for the suggestion. Will look into that card. Yeah, starting to realize that the PSU I have is not the best. Thanks for the help.

wes

After some searching, looks like the following PSU, will fit my case:

Corsair TX650V2 Enthusiast Series 650W TX ATX/EPS 80 PLUS Bronze PSU

Will have to read some reviews on the Graphics card recommended above, before buying anything, but looks like I will be good to go soon enough. Also, getting 16gb ram upgrade. The upgrades should keep me ticking along nicely for a couple more years. Will probably got for a custom build next time, to avoid the issues with how Dell builds there machines.

marco_polo

Do you have an ideal budget in mind for the two in total?

wes

Don't really have a budget in mind, but I wouldn't want to spend more than 300 euro, but I could spend more if needed.

TerrorFirmer

If you're only playing games casually, the 7790 is a pretty good option, can be gotten for about 120+ euro and definitely doesn't require a new PSU.

If the 350w unit is a good one with a decent 12v, a 7850 should also be fine.

A 7870 might be pushing it, leaving very little headroom even if the PSU is pretty efficient.

I think you'd be OK with a 7850 on that PSU provided it's a decent one and Dell one's often are.

I just looked it up and the PSU looks pretty mediocre so I wouldn't put anything beyond a 7790 in it.

Other than that though, even single full size Dell Tower I've used in the last few years has been standard ATX so you shouldn't have any problem in that regard.

If 300 is your budget, you could definitely afford a 7870XT and a decent 450w PSU for well under that.

wes

Thanks again for the help.

Looked at some reviews and 7870XT seems to give a good price/performance balance for me, and the 4 free games from the link provided earlier sweeten the deal. The upgrade should tide me over for a couple of years, before I need a new machine, will probably go custom next time.

So will probably order the following:
600W Corsair Builder Series CX600M 80PLUS Bronze Modular Power Supply
PSU is probably a little bit overkill, but might not be the worst idea, if I want to add anything extra in the future.

and the Graphics card recommended earlier:
XFX DD Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition

marco_polo

While you are on aria this is a great little 550W either, if you want to spend a little less on the PSU.

http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Power+Supplies/Non-Modular+650W+or+less/550W+XFX+Pro+Core+Edition+80PLUS+Bronze+Power+Supply+%5BP1-550S-XXB9%5D+?productId=53990

wes

marco_polo wrote: »

While you are on aria this is a great little 550W either, if you want to spend a little less on the PSU.

http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Power+Supplies/Non-Modular+650W+or+less/550W+XFX+Pro+Core+Edition+80PLUS+Bronze+Power+Supply+%5BP1-550S-XXB9%5D+?productId=53990

Cheers, thanks for the suggestion. Think I will go for that, and save myself a few quid.

wes

Just want to post a quick thank you to everyone who helped me out with. Got the delivery yesterday and installed the new graphics card and PSU, and every thing is running great.