Graphics Card for Dell Inspiron 530 w/300 watt PSU

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rjeneen

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Jan 26, 2011
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Hi everyone. I'm looking for recommendations for a 1 GB graphics card for my 2-3 yr old Dell Inspiron 530 (not the slim one). My power supply is only 300 watt and I'd rather not replace it. I don't play many games - just want to upgrade the graphics to work better with my monitor and for light gaming.

Here are the specs on my Dell Inspiron 530:

CPU: Upgraded to Intel Duo Core E8400
Memory: 3 GB DDR2 PC2-5300 (240 pin)
Power: 300 w
Current graphics: Intel graphics media accelerator G33/G31 Express chipset with max graphics memory of 286 MB

I'd like to get something under $85 if possible that is very easy to install and won't require me to upgrade the power supply.

Thanks!
 
The best card would be a HD5670. It only uses about 52 watts of power in gaming and doesn't need an additional power plug, just the PCIe socket.
http://forums.atomicmpc.com.au/index.php?showtopic=264

It uses substantially less power then this rig shown in this article.
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cases/display/system-wattage_6.html#sect0

The price is right at your budget line. I'd get the DDR5 version, not the DDR3 one.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007709%20600007320%20600007609%20600007779%20600007797&IsNodeId=1&name=GDDR5

or Jaguars choice if 512 is ok with you (it should be )
 
DDR5 is faster then DDR3 and substantially faster then DDR2, all will work fine in your PC. If you're playing at a screen resolution of 1680X1050 or lower, the 512MB would be fine i'd only go with the 1GB if i was using 1920X1080 or higher.
 
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