Gaming Video Card needed for a slim Dell 531s case?
Looking for a PCI Express 16x Low profile video card for my Dell Inspiron 531s (slim/narrow case). The game we just bought is requiring a NVIDIA 8800 with 512 MB ram OR a ATI Radeon HD 2900 with 512 MB ram. All I have is the installed video graphics on the Motherboard. One more thing is I would like it to have a VGA port and not just DVI ports.
I don't know video cards that well so if there are newer cards that are NOT expensive, we are taking cheap, please tell me the models and info so I can get it local (Wally World or Ebay).
Again it has to be a Low Profile card!!!
The game is Sonic Generations for the PC.
Proto2012-04-13T15:14:45Z
Favorite Answer
Because the Inspiron 531s has a weak (and proprietary) 250W power supply, that restricts your upgrade options. The best card that's guaranteed to work in your computer is a Radeon HD 6450, which isn't very powerful, but still way better than your built-in graphics: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125378
What you really want is a Radeon HD 6570, which is just barely slower than a GeForce 8800GT. It offers the best bang/buck at $60. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102934
There's only one low-profile graphics card faster than a GeForce 8800GT. That's the Radeon HD 6670, but it's considerably more expensive than the 6570. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161397 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102958
The problem- you'll most likely need a 300W or higher power supply to successfully run either of the 6570 or 6670. The official manufacturers recommendation of 400W is overinflated, but anything below 300W is probably a no-go. Some people have reported success installing the 6570 in slimline computers with 250W power supplies, so you might give that a try. But to be safe, you'd need to upgrade the PSU.
The good news is that stronger power supplies DO exist for that particular slimline model- but of course a PSU upgrade raises your upgrade cost. http://www.ebay.com/itm/320636663425
For almost all low-profile cards, the VGA port is lost when you attach the low-profile bracket. You'll have to use a DVI->VGA adapter. Note the pictures of the cards linked above.
Graphics card performance and hierarchy chart- for reference the Radeon HD 6570 is about 3fp slower than the 5670: http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zotac/GeForce_GT_520/10.html http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/gaming-graphics-card-review,review-32400-7.html