Is my PC big enough for a new graphics card?

I've been looking into getting a new graphics card lately, my current one is an ATI FireGL3400 which I've been told is pretty bad for gaming, and in my experience it has been. My computer is a Dell Precision Desktop 390, here's a picture of the inside of it:



The graphics card (As you can probably tell) is the red/black thing in the upper left corner. That one is pretty small for a graphics card.

What my question is, is how can I know if a certain graphics card will fit (physically) inside my computer case, without protruding or getting in the way of other components?

I haven't selected one specifically, but I like the look of this one:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814130398

Side question: If anyone could recommend a better graphics card for me, that would be greatly appreciated. My main focus is gaming, and the game I play most is World of Warcraft at the moment. I'm willing to pay up to probably around $215.

Thanks in advance!

i'm not sure about your case but the size of GTX260 is 11.1cm x 26.7cm + dual slot. looking from the picture your case's inside is pretty much crowded. other than that you have to check your PSU as well. if i'm not mistaken GTX260 needs good PSU with 12v rail rated at 36A-37A.

btw isn't that ATI fireGL is more for graphic design card? it was never intended for gaming purpose

GTX 260 and up are quite harder to get these days so no wonder the price are high. the shops around my place GTX 260 and beyond are no longer available. the best 200 series around is GTS250 and they also start to disappear from the shelves.

however there are tons of G210 and GT220 around

the easiest way is by measuring the PSU size by yourself.

I'm not sure if it has a 6pin PCI-E connector but from what I've been told you can buy one of those pretty easily. I can't check the 12V rating on the side because, as you can see from the picture, the side with it on it is facing inward into the computer case. Would it be possible to determine it just by knowing it's a Dell Precision 390, without any modifications other than a few RAM cards?

This is why you shouldn't buy Retail. You don't know what you're getting inside and you don't know if you can upgrade or not.

Also, I forgot to mention in my first post.....You should also blow out the dust bunnies there. That GTX 260 is gonna get eaten alive by them.

1) good. pci-e cards are cheaper and better.

2) Unplug the psu from the wall.
There should be 4 screws attaching the psu to the back of the case.
Remove them and you should be able to lift out the psu and turn it so you can see the spec plate. There should be no need to unplug any leads.

3) I am not familiar with the firegl3400. But from the name, I deduce that it is an older card, perhaps 4/5 years old. Anything from that era is puny compared to today's cards.
I have little doubt that the GTS250 will be a great improvement. You will probably be limited by your cpu before the card becomes an issue. Some WOW players might have better input on what it takes for good gameplay.

The GTS250 is a dual slot card. That is good because the hot air that it generates is directly out the back of the case instead of recirculating it.
Verify that the width of two slots and 9.5" is available to you. It is not clear to me if the cpu cooling shroud will get in the way.

From the looks of it the large black plastic part covering the cpu is going to block most dual slot cards and I think you also need one with a single bracket output for that case although it's hard to be sure from that pic. More pics from different angles would help.
Anyway, if both of those are the case and assuming your PSU can handle it or you replace it with one that does you should look at this card;
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814131328
512mb unfortunately but it's likely the best you can use without modding or replacing that case. Much better buy than a GTX 260 for over $200 anyway.

30a is plenty for a GTS250. From a graphics point of view, you would get a good boost in fps. If the cpu will then hold you back, I can't say; probably not.

The height of the card should not be an issue. Verify that a card that is two slots wide will be able to fit next to the cpu cooling shroud for the full 9.5"

No, it is about 2cm per slot about 1.6 inches. It occupies the space of two slots. Take a straight edge and put it between the second and third slots.

Looks like it's held in by that blue bracket. Looks like if you pinch the 2 blue things together, it might allow you to get a the card? Dell's cases are known to have some sort of tooless design. There' gotta be a way to slide off that blue thing covering the PCI slots.