GPU / PSU for a Dell XPS 8100

[Ramadonis]

I really want to thank the people who have helped me with my previous topics first. Without their advice, I would have made some silly mistakes. Well, here it is, my somewhat last attempt to upgrade my new PC to get her up and running. Here are the specs:

Intel i5 750 2.67 GHZ
8gb DDR3 RAM
1tb 7200 RPM HDD

That is all that is connected to the mother board at the moment. A user by the name of Evilsooty uploaded a pic of his XPS 8100, so here is what it looks like on the inside.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/48921551@N03/4480932607/sizes/l/in/photostream/

Mine looks almost exactly like that, except I do not have anything connected under the graphics card and my HDD is a bit farther away from that set up, but I think the motherboard is exactly the same. Now here's my situation...

I have read and read and read topic after topic. Some say the stock 350w is enough to run ATI HD 5770s, some wouldn't go that far but run 4850s. Instead of getting one and letting my PSU pay the price, I am going to upgrade that first, which leads to my main questions. Thank you for sticking around so far...

1. What PSU should I look into? I want something that can power a 5770 at least and have some breathing room if I decide to throw in another SATA drive or a sound card. I would also like to be sure what I buy would actually fit my tower, cables and all.

2. To complement this new PSU, I would also like to upgrade my graphics card, which is a Geforce310. It's a lowly OEM card which seriously needs to go. I have a 9400GT 1GB DDR2, would that be better to use until I can get a better card? As you can see in that pic, there really is not much breathing room. The G310 is about 6.6 inches long and is almost touching that ....whatever that silver box thing is under the GPU fan...

3. Is installing a PSU difficult? Just the sound of taking out the power supply gets me a bit nervous. Sound cards, RAM, hard drives, are one thing but this thing is locked in there tight...

That is where I stand now and thank you for any information you can provide. I do not want to spend more than 100 for the PSU, and no more than 120 on the GPU. These will have to be purchased separately and quite some time in between so I will getting the PSU first. I can't avoid it anymore and need a better PSU.

Thank you for your time and effort!

 

[sk1939]

1) Anything Corsair or Antec, 550W+

2) It should be fine in the meantime, what do you do on this computer? BTW, thst silver thing is a heatsink, and it shouldn't be all that close to touching the card really. For a GPU, look at a 9800GT or GTX+ those are right around your budget.

3) It's not hard really, there are guides online on how to do it if you don't feel comfortable with guess and check.

 

[Ramadonis]

Web browsing, video watching. I game a bit. Not hardcore but I do a few MMOs. Aion, Star Trek Online, WoW, and such. I'm more for having a game playable and looking nice, than maxing settings at 60FPS.

Also, since I'll be saving for both the card and PSU, up the budget a bit. 200 for GPU and still 100 for PSU. I want to get something that will last for a while.

EDIT: I'm looking at the following for my PSU / GPU combo. *Sales and Rebates don't apply since this is a "looking to the future" time thing"

PSU http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005
A bit more breathing room than a 500w ceiling....and it looks.. cool? XD

GPU http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131330&cm_re=5770-_-14-131-330-_-Product
Short card, the fan protrudes a bit so it won't interfere with anything on the motherboard.

Any objections? Better recommendations?

 

[sk1939]

I would say then get either a HD 5770. The GTX 260 is in the same price range, but dosen't perform as well as the 5770. I would recommend XFX ($180) as the brand to pick, but this card is 8.5" long so make sure it will fit first. Most of the GTX and 5770s are longer as well (9"- 10.5") but the XFX one should fit. XFX Radeon 5770

 

[Ramadonis]

Best answer selected by ramadonis.

 

[evilsooty]

Probably a bit late but I was able to fit the below 5770 into my XPS 8100 and I haven't had any problems with the 350W PSU, even when playing for hours at a time on demanding games.

http://www.provantage.com/msi-r5770-pmd1g~7MSTI0AW.htm

 

[Ramadonis]

That is good to know! Thanks, Evilsooty! I was still wondering what would fit into the blasted thing even after solving the PSU selection. I ended up going with a dedicated PSU to power the card since I'm not confident in my abilities to replace a PSU.