Help making a better choice

[mirko2828]

Hi, I have a prebuilt HP computer (s3821 uk) and I want to upgrade the graphic card just so that I can play some better games and etc. After reading reviews and articles of all the different GPUs I finally decided to get the ATI Radeon HD 5670, bu the problem was that my original PSU was only 180 watts and I could easily go and buy a better 300-400 watts PSU for example this one -

http://www.google.co.uk/products/catalog?hl=en&q=antec+power+supply&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=12877496173507244044&sa=X&ei=ePopUIyUCKPD0QXWo4Ew&ved=0CGkQ8wIwAQ

if only not that my computer was a slimline and this PSU would not fit in. Also I have a budget of £100.

So, here are my choices -

1. Buy the Radeon HD 5670 and the Antec EartWatts 380 and put the PSU outside of the tower case
2. Buy the Radeon HD 5670 and some HP PSU specially made for my type of pc (e5000 series) but the PSU would be expensive and I don't know which brand of it is the best or how much Watts should it be
3. Buy the ATI Radeon 5570 (which is worse than the 5670) and stick with my old PSU
4. Buy a different PSU that you will advise me for my PC and also buy the Antec EartWatts 380.
5. Or save up and make my own gaming PC?

My specs -

Product Description HP Pavilion Slimline s3821uk - P E5200 2.5 GHz
Type PC
Form Factor Tower
Dimensions (WxDxH) 10.7 cm x 35.2 cm x 27.6 cm
Weight 8.5 kg
Localisation English / United Kingdom
Processor 1 x Intel Pentium E5200 / 2.5 GHz ( Dual-Core )
RAM 3 GB (installed) / 4 GB (max) - DDR2 SDRAM - PC2-6400
Storage Controller Serial ATA Serial ATA-300
Hard Drive 1 x 320 GB - standard - Serial ATA-300
Chipset Type NVIDIA nForce 630i
Data Bus Speed 800 MHz
RAM
Installed Size 3 GB / 4 GB (max)
Technology DDR2 SDRAM
Memory Specification Compliance PC2-6400
Form Factor DIMM 240-pin
Configuration Features 1 x 1 GB + 1 x 2 GB
Storage Controller
Type 1 x Serial ATA - integrated - Serial ATA-300
Storage
Hard Drive 1 x 320 GB - standard - Serial ATA-300 - 7200 rpm
Graphics Processor NVIDIA GeForce G100
Video Memory 256 MB GDDR2 SDRAM
Total Available Graphics Memory 1535 MB
Digital Video Standard Digital Visual Interface (DVI), High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI)
Device Type Power supply
Power Provided 180 Watt
Operating System / Software
OS Provided Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
Motherboard Foxconn Irvine (775)

Thank you in advance.

 

[Rustyy117]

Hi

Why not just buy a new case?

 

[mirko2828]

I could, but I don't really know how to transfer all the stuff from one case to another and this is a prebiult pc so maybe some parts only fit in this type of case or something?

 

[Rustyy117]

The Motherboard holes look standard to me so it should fit in basically all cases as the motherboard is Micro ATX. Some people have reported that the 24 pin connection on the motherboard isn't standard size, so I would recommend just connecting the 24 pin cable of the Antec PSU into the motherboard to make sure it fits (obviously make sure the power is off).
If you don't feel confident transferring the hardware to a new case then feel free to make a new thread in the homebuilt section for help, we can guide you through it and post links to useful information.

 

[mirko2828]

OK, thanks!