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Graphics Card Upgrade on 520W Power Supply?

Tags:
  • Power Supplies
  • Gigabyte
  • Graphics Cards
  • Antec
  • Components
Last response: in Components
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July 24, 2013 8:13:22 PM

Hey guys!

So, I plan on upgrading my system from a Gigabyte Radeon HD 6850 to something better than this current card.
My question here is: what kind of graphics cards can I upgrade to under my current 520W power supply and budget (see below)?

My system right now is as of follows:


  • Zalman Z9 Plus Case (Supports gfxcards up to 11.4" / 290 mm)
  • Intel Core i5-3570K Quadcore 3.4GHz - OC @ 4.1 GHz
  • ^Cooled with Coolermaster Hyper212+ air cooling
  • Gigabyte Radeon HD 6850 - 1GB VRAM OC @ 860 / 1150 MHz
  • Antec HCG-520M Modular PSU 80PLUSBronze - 520 Watts
  • 1x Western Digital Caviar Blue HDD - 1 TB
  • 8GB Kingston RAM
  • 1x Samsung SSD 250GB
  • 3 stock system fans from my case
  • Generic USB Mouse and PS/2 Keyboard


  • I currently have around $410 CAD (Canadian Dollars) as budget, but I can probably get up to around $450 max. Since my tax here is 13% (super high :fou: ), I can afford a single graphics card that's advertised at a price of around $350 to $390 Canadian.

    I am just wondering what kind of card (and from which brand) you guys would recommend that could fit in my system and under my budget. I am also not sure if my power supply is good enough to support the top cards under my budget, so please do tell me if I also need to upgrade my power supply (I would like to overclock the card if possible). As a person who is not too familiar with power supplies and graphics card brands, I would really like the input of the community to help me out here.

    Thank you very much in advance! :wahoo: 

    ~Xlz
  • More about : graphics card upgrade 520w power supply

    a c 96 ) Power supply
    a c 168 U Graphics card
    July 24, 2013 8:19:12 PM

    You could get a GTX 760 or GTX 670 with that budget and power supply.
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    July 24, 2013 9:13:39 PM

    Alright, thank you for your input. Looking at the AMD side, however, would a 7970 work as well on this setup (possible overclocking)?
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    Related resources
    July 25, 2013 7:17:10 AM

    7970 Runs hotter than a gtx 760 or 670, however, the AMD website lists that it requires a 500w or greater power supply.
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    a c 2489 ) Power supply
    a c 929 U Graphics card
    July 25, 2013 8:10:47 AM

    You can run a single 7970 , but if you get into overclocking I would upgrade to a quality 650w unit.
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    Best solution

    a c 311 ) Power supply
    a c 119 U Graphics card
    July 25, 2013 9:11:05 AM

    xlzqwerty1 said:
    Hey guys!

    So, I plan on upgrading my system from a Gigabyte Radeon HD 6850 to something better than this current card.
    My question here is: what kind of graphics cards can I upgrade to under my current 520W power supply and budget (see below)?

    My system right now is as of follows:


    • Zalman Z9 Plus Case (Supports gfxcards up to 11.4" / 290 mm)
    • Intel Core i5-3570K Quadcore 3.4GHz - OC @ 4.1 GHz
    • ^Cooled with Coolermaster Hyper212+ air cooling
    • Gigabyte Radeon HD 6850 - 1GB VRAM OC @ 860 / 1150 MHz
    • Antec HCG-520M Modular PSU 80PLUSBronze - 520 Watts
    • 1x Western Digital Caviar Blue HDD - 1 TB
    • 8GB Kingston RAM
    • 1x Samsung SSD 250GB
    • 3 stock system fans from my case
    • Generic USB Mouse and PS/2 Keyboard


  • I currently have around $410 CAD (Canadian Dollars) as budget, but I can probably get up to around $450 max. Since my tax here is 13% (super high :fou: ), I can afford a single graphics card that's advertised at a price of around $350 to $390 Canadian.

    I am just wondering what kind of card (and from which brand) you guys would recommend that could fit in my system and under my budget. I am also not sure if my power supply is good enough to support the top cards under my budget, so please do tell me if I also need to upgrade my power supply (I would like to overclock the card if possible). As a person who is not too familiar with power supplies and graphics card brands, I would really like the input of the community to help me out here.

    Thank you very much in advance! :wahoo: 

    ~Xlz


  • Hi - usually the amd & nvidia websites overstate the wattage their gpu's require
    for full system. In this instance I would opt for realhardtechx suggestion of
    a quality 550w unit(hd7970 sys), and agree with blackbird that if you are going to OC
    (why else have an intel "k" processor) then go for a little xtra & get
    a 650w unit.

    Share
    July 25, 2013 10:00:08 AM

    Alright, thank you very much for your input guys. Looks like I have to save up for some more money then.
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    !