Hd 5570 on a i546s?

[The_Nihilist]

Hi, about 2 years ago i purchased a dell inspiron 546s, thinking the 8 gb of ram would make of the onboard hd 3200 gpu. While i quickly learned just how mistaken i was, I've been putting off upgrading the graphics card after realizing i'd need a low profile card, and i can manage to run games like starcraft 2, dawn of war 2, mw2, etc. on very low settings with minor hiccups.

However, I'm thinking about getting Red Orchestra 2 now, and not only does the gpu fail on can you run it, but i'm inclined to think bad frame rates are going to be less tolerable in an fps, especially one whose predecessor was known for "pixel hunting". After searching various threads started by people in similar situations, i keep seeing this card pop up:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102875&cm_re=5570-_-14-102-875-_-Product&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=bfq39tj997qv

From what i've seen in reviews, and judging from this sites hierarchy chart, this card would be perfect, both allowing me to play the new game and setting my other ones to decent (mid-range) settings. Only problem i see is the 400w power supply requirement, but as i've said i've seen so many other threads on this site saying that it doesn't really need that much, although i have yet to find anything on this specific system, so i figured i'd post to double-check.

Computer specs:
amd phenom 8450e triple core 2.1 ghz
8 gb ram
640 gb hard drive
Windows Vista 64 bit

And what i took from the power supply:
Ac bel
pc 6036
asus p/n : 04g185021240de
ac input:
100 - 120v~.50-60 hz 8.0a
200 - 240v~.50-60 hz 4.0a
dc output:
+5.0v --- 18.0a
+3.3v --- 11.0a (total for these 2 was 120w max
+12.0v --- 17.0a
-12.0v --- 0.3a
+5.0v --- 2.0a
total 250w max
made in china

I'm really hoping this would work or i can find something similar, i'd like to avoid trying to find a low profile power supply if at all possible.

 

[GreenDutchAlien]

I think it will work, maybe even with a 6670, look at this ; http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/325004-15-hd5670-6670-power-usage

 

[The_Nihilist]

I think it will work, maybe even with a 6670, look at this ; http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/325004-15-hd5670-6670-power-usage

Well, I haven't seen any low profile 6670s, and i'm starting to think they don't exist, so that's right out. Also, the psu in the linked thread is 375w, if i had that much power i probably wouldn't be so uncertain about getting the 5570. I've seen almost nothing that actually says it will run on 250w, though, as pretty much every discrete card on radeon's site has the 400w requirement listed. I'm not dead set on radeon either, it just seems to be harder to find system requirements on nvidia's site, and i'm thinking a radeon with crossfire would help a little bit by working with my hd 3200.

How much damage could this do if my psu isn't up to it? Any idea where to look for a 400w that would actually fit my case? I'm not really concerned about price, or at least i don't think i'm gonna find a low profile card that actually costs more than $200, which even with a $100 power supply would be way cheaper than just buying a new gaming rig. Limited options for low profile cards are gonna keep my costs much, much lower than that i suspect.

 

[GreenDutchAlien]

The difference is something like 9 W. I know that the psu in that link was 375 but it also gives other links like this ; http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-6570-radeon-hd-6670-turks,2925-15.html and this http://www.geeks3d.com/20110516/tested-asus-radeon-hd-6670-review/6/ So if it's a good psu and Dell usually has, 250 should be enough.
But, upgrading the psu will give you a lot more options.

 

[GreenDutchAlien]

Was going to look for a psu for your pc and had a look at your casing. Noooo, not a slim line again, noooooo. Sorry, did break me head to often trying to find cards and psu's for those stupid small cases. ( with all respect )
Oh and when your psu fails it can take less important things like cpu and stuff with it into the smoking grave. ( the magic smoke escapes )

 

[GreenDutchAlien]

You'll need a TFX psu.
Maybe one of these, they are not well known brands but there is one with 80+ certified. Look at the seize info and you can see for yourself if it will fit your case.
http://www.directron.com/matxps.html The black silverstone is maybe the best ; 80+ and all.
Seasonic makes a 300 watt unit that is known to fit the 540s so it probably fit yours also. http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Seasonic-SS-300TFX-Power-Supply-Review/1021/1 but it is "only" 300W.

 

[BlackHawk91]

Which is your monitor resolution?

 

[The_Nihilist]

For regular windows, i.e. web browsing etc., i use the top 1080p resolution for my 24" monitor. Pretty much every game i have set to adjust the res down a good bit though. For instance, i have Dawn of war 2 and Starcraft 2 both set to 1280 x 768. Basically, i just use whatever the lowest widescreen res is in order to help performance. Most of what i play are rts games, so i don't really mind relatively low res, and usually its 720p or even lower.

The original Red Orchestra i had set way lower for awhile, but then turned it up to 1280x768 when i realized how far away targets are in that game. So for RO2, I'd like to get my res up as high as possible, but i realize that 1080p isn't really gonna be an option for a low profile card. I'm guessing, though, that the minimum resolution you can set it to is probably somewhere around 1280x768, seems to be the case with most newer games. My main concern with that game is simply running it smoothly, what with the min requirements being either a 7800 gtx or an hd 2900, or better, i think I'm finally at the limit of what i can get away with with my hd3200.

 

[The_Nihilist]

Was going to look for a psu for your pc and had a look at your casing. Noooo, not a slim line again, noooooo. Sorry, did break me head to often trying to find cards and psu's for those stupid small cases. ( with all respect )
Oh and when your psu fails it can take less important things like cpu and stuff with it into the smoking grave. ( the magic smoke escapes )

Yeah, no offense taken, I'm definitely going to pay attention next time I buy a computer to whether or not its a slim case. And its really only the possibility of my hard drive/cpu/motherboard getting fried that makes me hesitant to just buy and try the card i originally posted. I've also been looking for a tfx psu of at least 400w, but so far no luck.

 

[The_Nihilist]

Did a little more digging and found this page:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/279391-28-power-requirements-specs-popular-graphic-cards-guide

Says a gt240 will run just fine on 250w. The main guide doesn't mention the 5570, but the charts further down say it uses less power than the gt240. found another thread somewhere where someone specifically mentions running this card with 17a on the 12v rail too, can't seem to find it again though.

In any case, i've decided to pull the trigger and hope for the best. Thanks for taking the time to reply.