Dell 518 - Best Video Card Upgrade?

C

Chrisnt13

New Member
Hey guys (& gals)

I just bought a Dell 518. Not my 1st choice... but I'm on a budget. What's the best video card I can get for it? (If not the "best", what's a good recommendation) I play mostly play WOW... but I just bought Fallout 3.

Dell Inspiron 518
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4GHz
6GB DDR2 SDRAM 800MHz
500W PSU (Came with 300W, but I upgraded it)

I've read the GeForce 9500GT is a good upgrade. Any other suggestions?

Thanks for the help.
-CT
 
what's your budget? and the 4850 is a good option. i think its one of the best mid-range card. also depend on what resolution you're running at. if you're running games at lower res, say 1024 or 1280, a 9600gt does just fine.
 
Hi, need help w this also

Hi guys, new here. My mom bought my dad a 518 (im not great w computers only ever installed memory once or twice) for christmas this year. It has the integrated video and i want to find the best possible video card to let him play games. I got him Silent hunter 4 (submarine game) and it crashes pretty much instantly. Whats the best card I can get to help him out? Thanks alot fellas
 
mjd99xjc said:
Hi guys, new here. My mom bought my dad a 518 (im not great w computers only ever installed memory once or twice) for christmas this year. It has the integrated video and i want to find the best possible video card to let him play games. I got him Silent hunter 4 (submarine game) and it crashes pretty much instantly. Whats the best card I can get to help him out? Thanks alot fellas
Click to expand...

what is the specs of the computer? what is your budget?
 
well your motherboard has a pci-e slot, and so as long as your psu will support it, i'd probably get a 4850 or a 3870 (get a dual slot cooling solution, your dell isn't built for graphics cards cooling)
 
I think it has the integrated x3100
320gb
16xdvdrw
thats about all i know.
My budget is I guess around 100 or less total. If you guys could maybe show me a link to a cooling solution (if really needed) and the best possible card i could get for around that $. Id rather do it once and let him be able to play some decent games for the next couple years. Sorry if im not giving enough info on the specs- Im not too great w this stuff. Thanks alot for the help!
 
I wish i understood what u just asked! sorry- a bit slow just trying to help my dad. Poor guy JUST got used to XP. Vista throwin him for a loop
 
Who makes the 9600gt? anyone have a link to the exact one that they think would fit? And maybe a link to an upgraded PSU if i need one? Sorry to be a pain- Im just notorious for ordering something- then finding that it dosent fit and having to send it back and blah blah blah. Thanks for your patience with someone not so tech savvy
 
Well, your video card is largely limited by your power supply. If you don't know the model of your power supply, check the side of it. There should be a chart on the side, and look for the Voltage row. Directly beneath it should be the Amperage row. Video cards run on the +12V rail, and they are limited by the number of Amps on those rails. Like this one for example

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ShowI...CZ GameXStream OCZ600GXSSLI 600W Power Supply

This one has 4 12V rails with 18A on each one.
 
On the NVidia side there's the 9500GT. It's much cheaper but it's not going to get you anywhere near the performance of a 9600GT. I'm not sure what the ATi equivalents are.
 
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