Will putting a GPU in my prebuilt do any harm?

[CarlWest]

Hey guys, I have a very expensive prebuilt PC from last year.. Its an acer AM5910, here are the specs.

Mobo: Intel H57
Processor: i7 860
Memory: 8GB DDR3
Harddrive: 1.5TB
GPU: HD5570
PSU: 500w

So as you can see It's a pretty nice computer but the gpu is really underwhelming compared to the rest. I was thinking of putting in a HD6670.. My question is will I have any problems opening it up and putting it in? It was very expensive and I can't risk anything messing up so I need to be sure nothing will break.. Also a guide how to put it in would be helpful. Thanks!

 

[CarlWest]

Also might get a 6770 instead.. Is there a big difference?

 

[Raiddinn]

6770 doesn't use too much power, but at the same time the OEM computers usually put in just a hair over the power needed to power the system and make you buy a PSU upgrade from themselves if you want to put anything more powerful in it.

I wouldn't trust the PSU to upgrade fine.

You can try it and see what happens, but be prepared to buy an XFX 450w along with the 6770.

 

[CarlWest]

6770 doesn't use too much power, but at the same time the OEM computers usually put in just a hair over the power needed to power the system and make you buy a PSU upgrade from themselves if you want to put anything more powerful in it.

I wouldn't trust the PSU to upgrade fine.

You can try it and see what happens, but be prepared to buy an XFX 450w along with the 6770.

I really dont wanna install a PSU.. Is there any way you can tell from my specs how much extra power I got? Also after some thinking I'm gonna get a 6750 instead. So all together it would be HD6750, Intel h57, intel i7 860, 8gb of ram, 1.5tb hd and a DVD and bluray drive for 500w.. I still can get a 6670 (400 watt reccomended rather than 450) if power is an issue

 

[Raiddinn]

The thing about it is that I don't know exactly how much power your PSU makes. Without knowing that, it really doesn't make a big difference if I knew how much the other stuff uses.

 

[CarlWest]

The thing about it is that I don't know exactly how much power your PSU makes. Without knowing that, it really doesn't make a big difference if I knew how much the other stuff uses.

Hm.. so should I just take a risk and try a 6670? Whats the worst case senario?

 

[Raiddinn]

I would take a 6770 instead of a 6670 and the worst case scenario is that you need more power and you have to replace the PSU.

If that happened, I would suggest an XFX 450w.

I know it will probably sound weird, but I would really rather not have to explain it.

 

[jbheller]

I really dont wanna install a PSU.. Is there any way you can tell from my specs how much extra power I got? Also after some thinking I'm gonna get a 6750 instead. So all together it would be HD6750, Intel h57, intel i7 860, 8gb of ram, 1.5tb hd and a DVD and bluray drive for 500w.. I still can get a 6670 (400 watt reccomended rather than 450) if power is an issue

Hi Carl,

I can totally understand about not wanting to change out the power supply.

Your choice of a 6670 would be a good one. These cards are good value for money and don't require any additional power connectors to be used.

Look for one of the cards with GDDDR5 ram on them.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150577

Your computer isnt going to be a killer gaming box, but will perform a lot better than with the garbage video cards that are included with most standard system builds, and be much better than any form of onboard video

 

[Raiddinn]

The 6670 should be about even with the A8's onboard video, just sayin.