Inquiry on power needs

J

JesusFreak312

New Member
Hi, I have an OptiPlex 780 computer that I bought at a flea market that works great, and as far as I know, it is unmodded. All of its parts are stock. However, I want to upgrade it for gaming, so I've been looking around for video cards etc. I found one card- a Galaxy GeForce 520 or something like that- that seems to be good enough. However, I'm afraid that the 300W stock PSU won't be enough power. If I use that card, will I have to upgrade my power supply as well?
Thanks for your input. :)
 
I did a very quick Google Images search for OptiPlex 780 just to see what form factor the case is: which one of these is your's?

dell_optiplex-780-thumb-450x327.jpg


That even the right computer?

Unless you have the system on the far right, you may have fun trying to find a quality PSU to fit a slim case like the left and centre PCs in that photo - unless the slim cases take regular ATX power supplies, which they may (it varies).

If you have the system on the far right and want to upgrade, then the Corsair CX 430 Modular would probably be my recommendation for a decent, cheap PSU for you. The 520 may work on the stock PSU, but it's not really advisable. For any graphics card, you need a quality power supply.

If you have the system on the far left or in the centre, I'm not sure if a 520 will even fit in the case due to the height of the card itself.
 
spirit said:
I did a very quick Google Images search for OptiPlex 780 just to see what form factor the case is: which one of these is your's?

dell_optiplex-780-thumb-450x327.jpg


That even the right computer?

Unless you have the system on the far right, you may have fun trying to find a quality PSU to fit a slim case like the left and centre PCs in that photo - unless the slim cases take regular ATX power supplies, which they may (it varies).

If you have the system on the far right and want to upgrade, then the Corsair CX 430 Modular would probably be my recommendation for a decent, cheap PSU for you. The 520 may work on the stock PSU, but it's not really advisable. For any graphics card, you need a quality power supply.

If you have the system on the far left or in the centre, I'm not sure if a 520 will even fit in the case due to the height of the card itself.
Click to expand...

Yes it's the 780 Mini-Tower on the far right. Thx for the advice.
 
Last edited:
I never understood why they call that a mini tower since it is huge.
I have 3 Optiplex 745's, I just upgraded the CPU in the 3rd one just the other day so they are all the same once again.

What CPU do you have in your 780?
 
Don't run a video card off the stock power supply. I'd recommend upgrading it.
 
the 520 is such a low end card i dont think the stock PSU would even feel a difference, now if it was something like a 640 or 650 id be wary but even then it probably could handle it.
 
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