Will my computer handle a new graphics card?

[taurin]

Will my Dell Dimension 9100 handle an upgrade to a AT Radeon HD 3850 graphics card or similar?

[Aaron_8015]

Hi and welcome.

Your computer does have a PCI-E slot so yes it is possible... You will need to check on the power supply, We need make, model and watts. What is your budget for this upgrade?

Also can you list your full computer specs...

[taurin]

could you tell me an easy way to list the stuff you are asking for? Where to find that info ect..

[Aaron_8015]

CPUID

That will do the system specs... for the PSU you will have to open the case and read the label.

[taurin]

Manufacturer : Dell Dimension DIM9100
Mainboard : Dell 0X8582
Chipset : Intel i945P
Processor : Intel Pentium D 830 @ 3000 MHz
Physical Memory : 1024 MB (2 x 512 DDR2-SDRAM )
Video Card : ATI Radeon X300/X550/X1050 Series
Hard Disk : Maxtor (250 GB)
CD-Rom Drive : HL-DT-ST CD-RW GCE-8487B
DVD-Rom Drive : _NEC DVD+-RW ND-3530A
DVD-Rom Drive : OE5622N AIK731X SCSI CdRom Device
Monitor Type : Dell Computer Dell E193FP - 19 inches
Network Card : 82801G (ICH7 Family) I/O Controller Hub LAN
Operating System : Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition 5.01.2600 Service Pack 3
DirectX : Version 9.0c (December 2007)

The PSU is model n375p-00 Ref# nps375ab with 375w max.

FYI the reason I am considering a new graphics card is that I want to play the new Dragon Age game plain and simple.

[stroyal]

There is also a service tag # on a Dell, that will give us a direct link to your as built specs, in most cases

[taurin]

Service tag # f200k81

[Aaron_8015]

Quote:

Windows XP Minimum Specifications

• OS: Windows XP with SP3
• CPU: Intel Core 2 (or equivalent) running at 1.4Ghz or greater
• AMD X2 (or equivalent) running at 1.8Ghz or greater
• RAM: 1GB or more
• Video: ATI Radeon X850 128MB or greater
• NVIDIA GeForce 6600 GT 128MB or greater
• DVD ROM (Physical copy)
• 20 GB HD space

Windows Vista Minimum Specifications

• OS: Windows Vista with SP1
• CPU: Intel Core 2 (or equivalent) running at 1.6Ghz or greater
• AMD X2 (or equivalent) running at 2.2GHZ or greater
• RAM: 1.5 GB or more
• Video: ATI Radeon X1550 256MB or greater
• NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GT 256MB or greater
• DVD ROM (Physical copy)
• 20 GB HD space

Recommended Specifications

• CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad 2.4Ghz Processor or equivalent
• RAM: 4 GB (Vista) or 2 GB (XP)
• Video: ATI 3850 512 MB or greater
• NVIDIA 8800GTS 512 MB or greater
• DVD ROM (Physical copy)
• 20 GB HD space

Well minimum it wants a 1.4Ghz core 2 duo so I think that Pentium D at 2.8Ghz might just about be enough.... Im not sure how playable it will be should be okay at low res/low setting... To get more you would have to do a mobo/cpu/ram upgrade (as its a dell it might not be possible).

I couldn't find much info on the PSU's +12v rails.....

For gpu's.....

9600GSO
Newegg.com - XFX PVT96OZDFA GeForce 9600 GSO 1GB 128-bit DDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

4670
Newegg.com - HIS H467QS1GH Radeon HD 4670 1GB 128-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

You may also want to look at more memory.... 2gb should be a nice boost....

[taurin]

Thank you! This definitely gives me the info I need.