Upgrading HD 7770, Need Advice

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Hanafu

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Apr 27, 2013
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Hello, I bought a factory refurbished Dell XPS 8500 desktop with a HD 7770 and would like a better card.

I'm particularly looking at a GeForce 660 (9in) or GeForce 650 Ti Boost because I have a mini-tower and my HD 7770 (7in long) is at the edge of the motherboard. It looks like there are a couple of inches to spare unless if going beyond a MOBO is a bad thing. 7870's are around 12in long I don't think it could fit my case. Also, the minimum PSU requirement is 450w and I have a 460w.

I boot Windows from my HDD and only keep my video editing apps and games on my SSD.

If you require any more information, please ask. Thank you.

[strike]Hiccups Solved![/strike]: Apparently it was a heating issue and increasing the GPU fan speeds solved it. Played for around 30 minutes without any issues. Thank you Kisianik for the suggestion.

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Month of May

BUDGET RANGE: $230 USD before rebates

USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming - I want to be able to run current games on the highest setting (ultra?) (Skyrim, BF3, BL2, Dishonored, BS Infinite, etc.) and run future games (2014+ or anything graphically insane) on at least medium
Video Editing - Plan to edit videos. Probably not any 3D rendering any time soon.
Video Streaming - Netflix, Hulu, etc.

CURRENT GPU AND POWER SUPPLY: AMD Radeon™ HD 7770 2GB GDDR5 & Dell 460w

OTHER RELEVANT SYSTEM SPECS:
CPU: i7-3770
SoundBlaster Recon3D soundcard
16 GB Ram
Samsung PM830 256GB SSD
Seagate 2TB HDD
Windows 7
Mini-Tower
2 PCI-E 6 pin plugs
http://www.dell.com/us/p/xps-8500-se/pd

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.com, amazon.com

PARTS PREFERENCES: Preferably want a GeForce card because I've had problems with ATI cards. Don't care about a specific brand as long as it performs well.

OVERCLOCKING: Maybe (if my parts permit it). No SLI/Crossfire

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1080

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I like nice graphics but don't require uber realism. Also, I don't want to upgrade for a couple years and can stand lower settings.
 
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Sakkura

Sakkura

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Aug 22, 2011
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The HD 7770 should actually be just about sufficient for your requirements. It's odd that it shouldn't work; have you tried checking temperatures with another program? Have you tried removing dust in your computer? Because slowdowns after half an hour does sound a bit like a thermal problem.

Anyway, a GTX 660 would be a nice option. The GTX 650 Ti Boost wouldn't be too bad either (it's about on par with a 7850).
 
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Airm3n-1292454

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Mar 31, 2013
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What psu do you have in there? Your 12+ amps is a good thing to know so that you aren't right at the max. And your graphics card going longer than your motherboard isn't a problem as long as it fits. Seems odd though like something else is happening if it hiccups 20-30 minutes in. The 660 or 650 boost are both good cards but i'd double check that psu first just to be safe.
 
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Hanafu

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Apr 27, 2013
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I have dusted my PC and BF3 seems to be running fine at the recommended settings. I will post updates when I start hosting games.


It's a Dell 460w PSU. According to a user named "mdburkey", he says the PSU is adequate enough for a 670 and a Dell rep says that the system has been tested with a 7870. http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/desktop/f/3514/p/19468312/20192621.aspx

Also, The Dell XPS 8500 460W power supply, with its combined +12 Volt continuous current rating of 32 Amps and with two (6+2)-pin PCI Express supplementary power connectors, is sufficient to power your system configuration with a single Radeon HD 7870.
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/371719-33-radeon-7870-dell-460w

How do I check my 12+ amps? I am assuming it is plastered on the PSU or there's a program to test power usage. Yes, you can tell that I am a noob.


I would install MSI Afterburner but virus total showed it has a virus. I don't want to take any chances on a new system :??:
 
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Airm3n-1292454

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Mar 31, 2013
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Well with that kind of amps you should be good to go. If you open up your case it should have a sticker (most do) that says something about the rated output for the different rails. Although according to the other post you linked it would still be getting close and who knows what happens under load. I agree with smeezekitty though on finding your current problem before throwing a bigger card at it. If it is indeed your psu that is causing problems both of the new cards you are looking at draw 5 more amps off the 12 volt rail which would mean you will only have more problems. If you have a local computer store see if they can't do a test of the psu for you to get a proper reading of how much it is actually putting out.
http://forum-en.msi.com/faq/article/printer/power-requirements-for-graphics-cards
http://www.eggxpert.com/forums/thread/323050.aspx
 
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Hanafu

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Apr 27, 2013
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Thank you for the links and advice. I think the problem may be with something besides the video card so I am going to contact Dell support.

So around the 30 minute mark, the hiccups begin to happen. They usually occur every couple minutes or so.

http://i.imgur.com/8qk1kX6.png - I can't post pictures even though I've validated my account but here is a screen shot of the temps and such.
 
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Sakkura

Sakkura

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Aug 22, 2011
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Best virus I've ever had the fortune to have on a system of mine then. Making it run faster and make less noise.

It's just your antivirus overreacting. Happens from time to time. Afterburner is perfectly safe as long as you get it from msi.com or guru3d.com.
 
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Kisianik

Kisianik

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Jan 24, 2013
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Hopefully OP antivirus is not a virus?! What is "virus total"?
 
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Hanafu

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Apr 27, 2013
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Thank you for that. Increased the fan speeds to 50% and the hiccups are gone but performance is down a slight notch. Nothing unbearable though.


CCC is working fine but thank you for the clarification. The AV that suggested it was a virus was something I haven't even heard of before.


Virus Total is a file scanning website with around 46 AVs. I'm bad at explaining so you should check it out yourself.

Question, what is a "good" speed to have my video card fans at? I've read another thread on this site and they say to leave it on auto but when I do, the hiccups start to occur. I'm assuming 50% is overkill but it keeps my temps at around 40c.

Thank you all for your input.
 
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H

Hanafu

Honorable
Apr 27, 2013
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Just installed MSI Afterburner and did the same thing. Thanks.

Well everyone, I bought a MSI 660 and thank everyone for helping me out so far. If any other problems persist, I will come again.
 
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Kisianik

Kisianik

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Jan 24, 2013
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I am happy that everything was so easy to find, and that you get this card, cause I have the same I hope - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127699 with Twin Frozr III.
 
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H

Hanafu

Honorable
Apr 27, 2013
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Thank you. I too, am glad.


That was the one that I bought. Good thing I got before it was out of stock. Thank you again Sir Kisianik.

 
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