Wondering what graphics card will fit in my already pre-built pc

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Spitsbu

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Apr 21, 2016
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Hello, I'm currently looking to upgrade the graphics card in my pre-built HP desktop which has its specifications online at http://support.hp.com/ca-en/document/c03532948. I have looked at several options and my best bet price and performance wise seems to be the gtx 970 4G as either the EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB SC GAMING ACX 2.0 or MSI GeForce 4GB 256-Bit GDDR5 with dimensions 24.1 x 11.2 x 5.1 cm and 27.9 x 14.2 x 3.8 cm, respectively. What I was wondering was if it would be possible to put either card into my current tower setup and if i can't, than what alternative cards or methods to fit the cards would you suggest? I have taken several measurements of the space and it seems like the MSI would be better due to its slimness and the fact that the EVGA one would be over top some cables hooked up to the motherboard. But, the MSI model seems to be too high and I can't seem to determine how the cards are measured since I've found multiple answers to the question. It would be greatly appreciated if someone could help me out with this dilemma since I don't want to spend $460 for something that isn't compatible with my system. Thank you for your time
 
Solution
madmatt30
the 12.1cm width on the asus is the entire card inclusive - top of shroud to bottom of pci-express x16 pins
the white plastic shroud itself is 11cm - you need another 10mm for the power cable to plug in & just bend it a little if need be

seeing as your case has horizontal optical drives the it must be 170mm wide at an absolute minimum - all of those cards shuold fit with little problem at all imo.
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computerbuilder3211

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Well from the limited amount i was able to see inside your case, it does not look like you have much room. If you could upload a pic of the inside that would be nice. Also if you dont have enough room for a full gtx 970, you could try this
http://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-GeForce-Overclocked-GDDR5-GV-N970IXOC-4GD/dp/B00OQUMGM0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1461296824&sr=8-1&keywords=gtx+970+mini
The only problem with this card would be little to no overclocking, and the fan would be loud because it would constantly be trying to cool off the card, but it will have nearly identical performance to just about any other gtx 970 at stock speeds.
 
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Spitsbu

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Apr 21, 2016
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Thank you very much for the quick reply and I apologize for voting down your answer. I am new to this site and the mobile version did not include an option to reply to your message and I was simply looking for that option. Regardless, I appreciate the help and I would rather the option to overclock and the quieter fans if possible but that mini version does seem like a very viable option. As for the picture, apparently this site requires me to upload them to somewhere else and give the url but at this time I am much too tired to accomplish this and I will do so tomorrow morning.

Alright I didn't realize how easy that would be. Hopefully the image shows up properly. The preview does not show it so just in case the actual url is http://imgur.com/DdqzIAM. Also, the bracket covering the current graphics card can easily be removed to make space for a larger card. Thanks again.
DdqzIAM

 
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Spitsbu

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Apr 21, 2016
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I have a 600W PSU which I believe is good to go for the quality card I am looking for.

 
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Spitsbu

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Apr 21, 2016
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Thanks for the info, but after looking at that card I found a slightly smaller one, the MSI Graphics Cards GTX 970 4GD5 OC, which is basically the same but 1cm smaller on the height portion which is what concerns me since the top is where the power connectors go so I must leave space for them as well. Do you think this would be a better or equally good choice?
 
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Spitsbu

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Apr 21, 2016
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Thanks for the idea, but as of now I have seen a few cards with the right dimensions and my biggest concern is the height of the card alongside performance since I keep my PC in a cool basement on cement floor and I am not necessarily that close the tower while it is running since I have a different set up than you would usually see which makes cooling and sound not that much of a concern. Also a large issue for me is that I live in Canada and all the prices and shipping amounts go up for me when ordering off American websites. The card you show is small but the height is still larger than the MSI model I mentioned in the post before this. If you know if it is comparable to the MSI Graphics Cards GTX 970 4GD5 OC than that would be helpful info since as of now that seems to be my best choice.

 
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madmatt30

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theyre similar design,id always take asus over msi though personally as I consider them a better make.

I can also personally vouch for the asus 970 turbo as I own one myself,its replaced a galax exoc black 970 (which is a fairly premium twin fan model) in my cramped matx htpc gaming lounge setup.
while its slightly noisier Ive dropped over 10c on gpu & cpu temps while gaming because the fan setup on it is like nothing Ive ever seen before - where youd normally expect a fan to intake one side & expel the other the asus fan (which in all honestly doesnt really look like any fan I've ever seen before) draws air IN from both sides simultaneously & expels absolutely all of the heat out of the back of the pc completely - Ive owned a lot of gpu's & its impressed me immensely - I just wish they made it in black in all honesty.


 
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madmatt30

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looking at the envy with its wierd upside down motherboard layout the fan on the mini cards would be very very close to the psu,the longer blowers would be better - that msi ,the asus 970 turbo & the gigabyte twin turbo
http://www.gigabyte.us/products/product-page.aspx?pid=5559#ov
 
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madmatt30

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https://www.amazon.ca/ASUS-TURBO-GTX970-OC-4GD5-Graphics-Cards-Turbo-GTX970-OC-4GD5/dp/B00WJOU7DA/182-7519269-1579311?ie=UTF8&tag=pcp0f-20

from what I see the asus is significantly cheaper ??

you have no issues with it fitting mate,especially width wise ( meaning across the case side to side??)

I have it installed in one of these

http://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=293

the height of my case (width on yours as mine is a flat desktop layout) is a huge 150mm & the card fits absolutely fine - you have much much more room than me in your case.

 
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Spitsbu

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I did some more measuring of my space and what I really need to know now is where the measurements of the graphics card begins and ends. If it starts from the bottom of the pins to the top, then I would have enough space for the ASUS or the Gigabyte, but if it starts where the pins end and up to the top of the card, then I would need to go for the MSI model since it would get pretty tight in the case and I don't think I'd be able to close it with the larger cards.

 
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Spitsbu

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I think madmatt is right about the space since my PSU would be directly in front of the mini's fan causing it to suck in that already heated air.
 
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Spitsbu

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I missed this post before i wrote that last one, but if you can fit it in a case like that than I think i should be good to go with the ASUS
 
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madmatt30

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the 12.1cm width on the asus is the entire card inclusive - top of shroud to bottom of pci-express x16 pins
the white plastic shroud itself is 11cm - you need another 10mm for the power cable to plug in & just bend it a little if need be

seeing as your case has horizontal optical drives the it must be 170mm wide at an absolute minimum - all of those cards shuold fit with little problem at all imo.
 
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Spitsbu

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Thank you very much for all your help! I have just ordered myself a new ASUS Graphics Cards Turbo-GTX970-OC-4GD5 and I can't wait to try it out. I'll definitely post something if their is an issue, but from everything I've read, it seems like I won't have any problems.
 
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madmatt30

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im just checking your psu specs mate,its a delta 600w (I already know this) but the issue is all those 970's take a single 8 pin power cable & I have a feeling your psu has 2 x 6 pin cables - youll have to check but if im right you need a twin 6 to 8 pin adapter to run the card.


 
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Spitsbu

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Thank you for the concern but I already looked at that and saw my PSU has a 6 by itself as well as a 6 and 2 coming off the same line which come together to form the 8

 
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madmatt30

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good stuff then mate - you are good to go & thats a huge improvement over your old card.
Just remember to completely uninstall your old amd drivers before installing the new 970.
 
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Spitsbu

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Haha I hope so, I saw the benchmark comparison and it looks like its going to be a pretty big difference. Thank you very much for that last bit of info though as I was considering that but wasn't sure if I needed to.
 
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