Graphics Card "Sticking out" of the PC? (Helllp)

[alpha107]

Hey guys, just a little disclaimer. I am not incredibly pc/tech savvy so you'll have to bear with my "barbaric" descriptions and the like, haha.
So a few months back my PC (which was built "for gaming") had a major hard drive failure and was no longer usable.
So with that knowledge I went and bought myself a Gateway SX2800
As you can see from the picture, it is a very tiny PC and I had bought it with no intentions of PC gaming as almost all of my playtime is on the 360 now.
However, I recently started playing WoW again and would really like to put my old card into this rig (20 FPS FTL).
My problem is that the old card is very big for this tiny rig and if I were to put it in the Gateway, part of the card would be sticking out of the side and I would not be able to put all of the case back on.
My question is: If I were to put the old card in, even though it's too big for the case, would it have any chance of working or is it too big because it's not compatible?

To be specific, the old card I am trying to put in is a Radeon X1800 GTO. I am aware that my PC's PS is (I believe) 220w, and for the life of me I can not figure out if that is enough to handle the X1800.

If this is not feasible can someone suggest to me a good low profile GFX card for a reasonable price? BEAR IN MIND: I am not trying to play Crysis on max settings, I just want WoW with decent rates.
Thanks a bunch!

 

[capt_taco]

Ugh, another slimline situation. The standard answer (one size almost invariably fits all):

1. No, your card will not fit, and it's usually not a good idea to leave the case open

2. No, a 220W power supply will not power any card that's decent -- certainly not one that can keep up with a quad core CPU

3. No, you're pretty much screwed when it comes to finding a decent power supply for a slimline system.

You could get a 4650 low profile card and POSSIBLY power it with 220W. Although most of the low-profile 4650s (except the ones with a crappy 64-bit interface) are expensive enough that you may find it costs a similar amount anyway to buy a regular-size case, transfer the guts of the Gateway to that, and put in a better power supply. Which would let you put in whatever graphics card you want later if you choose.

Bonus: If you still have the case from your old system, you might be able to just use that.

Double bonus: If so, you may just be able to plug in your old video card and power supply and not spend any more money.

 

[masterasia]

Here's a good card GT 220 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121347 I'm not sure what the power requirements are though. Never buy a slim computer. You can't put full size PSU and graphics card in them.

 

[megamanx00]

^+1

Not only that, but an X1800GTO is pretty slow by todays standards. You may be able to transfer your CPU, motherboard, RAM, and Hard Drive to your old case and just use your old Power Supply and Video Card. Well, that's if you don't have one of those crazy mini BTX boards or something .

 

[megamanx00]

^^ I wouldn't trust a GT220 to that anemic PSU masterasia, not with a quad core CPU in there as well.

 

[alpha107]

Ugh, another slimline situation. The standard answer (one size almost invariably fits all):

1. No, your card will not fit, and it's usually not a good idea to leave the case open

2. No, a 220W power supply will not power any card that's decent -- certainly not one that can keep up with a quad core CPU

3. No, you're pretty much screwed when it comes to finding a decent power supply for a slimline system.

You could get a 4650 low profile card and POSSIBLY power it with 220W. Although most of the low-profile 4650s (except the ones with a crappy 64-bit interface) are expensive enough that you may find it costs a similar amount anyway to buy a regular-size case, transfer the guts of the Gateway to that, and put in a better power supply. Which would let you put in whatever graphics card you want later if you choose.

Bonus: If you still have the case from your old system, you might be able to just use that.

Double bonus: If so, you may just be able to plug in your old video card and power supply and not spend any more money.

How terribly difficult would it be just transfer everything from one case (slim) to my old one? Thanks a ton though.

 

[bystander]

How terribly difficult would it be just transfer everything from one case (slim) to my old one? Thanks a ton though.

If you've never done it before, it could be a little difficult, or at least a little uncomfortable when you feel unsure about stuff.

If you were to, take some pictures of the computers configuration before you disassemble both computers. Take some notes about where the different wires were connected, and it would be great if you had a manual about the motherboard, or if you could find one online ahead of time.

It really isn't that difficult, but I'd advise doing a little homework before you do it.

 

[megamanx00]

^+1, again

 

[shubham1401]

it's usually not a good idea to leave the case open

Why?

 

[JDFan]

Why?

A few reasons :

- Air flow - the fans are designed for a closed case and having it open will change the way the cooling of the system works

- An open case invites more Foreign object to get inside which can cause damage

- Damage to equipment - people and pets tend to be curious about open systems and can break things or hurt themselves when there is no side on the system for protection.

Not saying that leaving a case open in itself can cause a problem but like he mentioned it is generally not a good idea !!