Upgrading Video Graphics Card

[Tobinweb]

To all,

I am interested in upgrading my graphic card from what I currently have that would be moderately priced ($250-$350).

My current set up is as follows:

Dell Computer
Inspiron 3847
Device: Desktop - BVSMMEP
Processor: Intel(R) Core ™ i7 4790 CPU 3.60GHz 3.60 GHz
Installed Memory (RAM): 16.0 GB
System Type: 64-Bit Operating System x 64 based processor
Pen and Touch: No Pen or Touch available
Windows Edition: Windows 10
Resolution: 1920 x 1200
Graphic Card: NVIDIA GeForce GT 705.0

I know nothing about graphic cards other than NVIDIA cards seem to be the most prevalent on the market.

I primarily fly FXE Steam (but know MS FS 2020 is out there) and am looking into DSL to try; I usually fly a couple of hours a week and am not into gaming.

And will have my Son in Law change out my card so that gives you an idea (I hope) of my computer technical skills (or lack thereof).

Hope that helps.

Tom Tobin
[e-mail]

[Cathulhu]

That's a strange setup you currently have. A rather beefy CPU for its time, and a videocard that was so bad, even the integrated videochip of the CPU is better:
https://gpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Nvidia-GeForce-GT-705-vs-Intel-HD-4600-Desktop-125-GHz/m13024vs2168
And by better i mean almost twice as fast.

Anyway, you'd want to look into something like a 2060 or 1660Ti.

P.S.: Remove the email address, unless you love even more spam than what you already get.

[Nabster]

Just check your case to make sure it is big enough and PSU is powerful enough

[Andrius227]

Originally posted by Cathulhu:

That's a strange setup you currently have. A rather beefy CPU for its time, and a videocard that was so bad, even the integrated videochip of the CPU is better

Not strange at all. A lot of pre builts are like that. My first “gaming” pc was a prebuilt and it had a high end i7-2600 but no gpu at all. I didnt mind, because it was cheap and i could pick my own gpu. The problem was that i needed to get a proper psu too. Thats gonna be the same here too. The included one is most likely some no name 350w.

[_I_]

its an oem build with gt705 gpu added just for the nvidia name and 'dedicated graphics' specs

check what power supply it has, if its an oem with no pci-e power connectors, get a gtx 1050ti
if its a slim case, a 1050 lp (low profile) may be the only option

dell likes to use custom btx mobo that does not have a standard atx 20+4pin and 4/8pin power connectors

[Tobinweb]

thanks for this information too.

[Tobinweb]

Given my pricing parameters, which of the following cards would work better than the current GTX 705 for my machine, and why:

GTX 960 ($198)
GTX 1660ti ($270)
GTX 1070ti ($359)
GTX 770 ($279)

Thanks.

[r.linder]

Originally posted by Tobinweb:

Given my pricing parameters, which of the following cards would work better than the current GTX 705 for my machine, and why:

GTX 960 ($198)
GTX 1660ti ($270)
GTX 1070ti ($359)
GTX 770 ($279)

Thanks.

GTX 770 and 960 are in the same league, and they're both barely better than a 1050 Ti. Not worth it.

1070 Ti is also beaten by a 2060 Super, and the 1660 Ti is about as good as a standard 1070.

Either way, don't buy older generation cards brand new as the prices are inflated in most cases. Only buy them used, and focus on GTX 16 and RTX 20 series cards when buying new.

[pasa]

The specs for that box does not say anything about motherboard and psu. The current card in 29W, any replacement requires more. And more space likely both in length and width.

Whatever candidate you select you need to make sure it can be inserted at all and whether you have the power connectors on the PSU and enough juice. You have to open the box and look + measure.

[upcoast]

1660ti maxes most games at 1080p, double check case size and PSU before spending any $.

[Tobinweb]

thanks for this information.

[MrL0G1C]

2nd hand Radeon Vega 56 far better value (depends on your local 2nd hand availability though).

And like the others say, check if your PSU has the right pin outs, you can cheat a bit and use 6-pin to 8pin PCI-E power converter cables. And look very closely at what is in the area where you would be placing the video card, some motherboards can have odd protruding bits.

A site like PCPartPicker can tell you what power your end system will use and so if your PSU is powerful enough.

[MrL0G1C]

Looks like your PC only has a 300W power supply (check), you may need to upgrade, some GPUs use 200-300W just for themselves.

A GTX 1070 uses approx 150W according to amazon - not the most trustworthy source though.

A 1660ti would maybe use 120W (check)