Is this upgrade compatible?

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saxplayer1216

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I have a Dell Dimension 9150* with original motherboard, and an AMD/ATI Radeon HD 3850**. I am looking to upgrade to EVGA GeForce GTX 650***. I want to know if this is a compatible upgrade. Does anyone know? I think it is, because the Radeon is a PCI Express 2.0 x16, and the GeForce is a PCI Express 3.0 x16, but I want to make sure before I buy. Also, does anyone have any tips for this upgrade? Software- or setup- wise?

*Service Manual: ftp://ftp.dell.com/Manuals/all-products/esuprt_desktop/esuprt_dimension_desktops/dimension-9150_Service%20Manual_en-us.pdf

**Specs: http://www.amd.com/us/products/desktop/graphics/ati-radeon-hd-3000/hd-3800/Pages/ati-radeon-hd-3800-specifications.aspx

***Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-2048MB-Graphics-02G-P4-2651-KR/dp/B00966IOYS/
 
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MC_K7

MC_K7

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What kind of CPU do you have in there? From what I can see most Dimension 9150 had Pentium-D as a CPU which is pretty bad for gaming (or any demanding task). So it's likely to be a big bottleneck for any video card you'll put in there anyway.

What was the reason for you to upgrade the card? Is it for gaming? What games will you be playing? What's your resolution? Sorry for all the questions but I'm just trying to assess if you'll run into any bottleneck (most likely to come from the CPU, not the video card). Also, how much RAM do you have in this PC? It might just not be worth spending 140$ on a video card if you won't get any improvement anyways because of an outdated CPU. Might as well start to save for a new PC instead. But if you only play old games anyways it might still be worth it I'm not sure.

Strictly from a compatibility point of view I think it will work. Even though your 3850 is a 2.0 card, from what I could read the Dimension 9150 only has a 1.0 slot. But that's not really a problem because it's backward compatible, so a 3.0 card will still work in a 1.0 slot. And I don't think the slot itself will be a big bottleneck, since these aren't really powerful cards I don't think it can saturate the bus, I'm more worried about the CPU itself. And I don't think power should be a problem either, I looked at power requirements and 3850 and 650 are similar, both were asking for 1 x 6-pin PCI-E power connector and consume about the same amount of power, so if you already run a 3850 and your system is stable, it should handle a 650 as well.

Also, if you still want to go ahead with this upgrade, check newegg.com instead they seem to have better prices than Amazon, you can find a GeForce 650 for at least 30$ less compared to the link you posted.
 
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bryonhowley

bryonhowley

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I would have to wonder how much of a performance increase you would really get as I remember when I had my 3850 it was a really good performing card. Besides the new tech that would be in the GTX650 I am not sure if it will be that much faster than the 3850 but it has been quite some time so I could be wrong.
 
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MC_K7

MC_K7

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Yeah the 3850 was a good card for the time, however the 650 is a significant upgrade, should be almost twice faster. The only problem as I said from the start is that his CPU is very slow (Pentium-D) and it's likely to hold the card back anyways. Depends if he'll be playing old games or not, but I don't think a Pentium-D can run most modern game.
 
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saxplayer1216

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Thank you. I do have the orginal CPU (I'm pretty sure). So if you're saying it will be a bottleneck, it probably will be. It is for gaming. I am doing this mainly to play Tomb Raider (2013) on it, but also to be able to play other 2013 games, and maybe Mass Effect 3. Do you think these would work on the 3850? I have 3gb RAM in it, and I have upgraded the power supply, so that will be no problem. My resolution is 1024x768 on my lesser monitor, and when it's available (not all the time) 1280x1024 on the better monitor. How much of an impact would the CPU have. If that would be too much of a drawback, which would be better: to replace the CPU or replace the computer?

**UPDATE**
I just checked. It is indeed an Intel Pentium D and it says it's 2.8/2.79 GHZ
screenshot1.jpg
 
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