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Forgot to mention that I don't want to upgrade the power supply. Also dont really need that much power in the first place. Doyou think a 1030 will work?

Hi, I'm upgrading my GPU and need help checking cmopatability. For background it is an old Dell Vostro 260s with a 250W PSU, with i5-2400, 8gb ram and admdhd 6450. So one requirement for the GPU is that it needs to be low profile, taking all power from the mobo as there are no PSU cables available. I am eyeing a GT 1030 Low Profile https://www.msi.com/Graphics-card/GeForce-GT-1030-2G-LP-OC.html Will this GPU work in my computer? The PCIe slot in the Mobo is a 16x Gen 2, but I am not sure whether it can handle this GPU, and whether I need to make any BIOS changes. Regarding the power consumption, the 6450 had a 27w tdp, so I'm pretty sure the 1030's 30w tdp is fine even though it recommends a 300w psu.

Hi all, I'm currently running a Dell Vostro 260s Slim Tower (https://www.dell.com/en-au/work/shop/business-pcs-desktop-computers/vostro-260s-slim-tower-desktop/spd/vostro-260s) Specs: i5-2400, 4gb ram (2x2gb), radeon hd 6450, 250w psu My trusty hd6450 recently died, and I'm looking to replace it with another card. Could you recommend a GPU I could buy for max ~AUD$100 (can be new or used)? Note that the card must supply its power exclusively from the mobo as there are no spare psu connectors.for pcie. Also, I'm uncertain regarding what this mobo can handle, or whether I will need to tinker with the bios, so advice would be appreciated here as well. I will also be upgrading the ram to a 2x4gb (plain ddr3 1600) kit. For background, I don't really use heavy applications or play demanding games, so I am expecting this to last another 2-3 years.

@Seadusc that build should be fine. My only recommendation ould be to swap out the GTX 970 for an R9 390 as it costs the same amount, yet is much more powerful (i am however concerned about its higher heat output in your climate). The best 390 models (by memory) are MSI Gaming, Sapphire Nitro (has the best track record) and XFX Double Dissipation To combat the heat just make sure you get plenty of airflow through your computer, especially if you get the 390. Maybe purchase a few extra case fans for that.

sorry for the late reply. Yes, it should be fine to start with one card now and add another down the line. It just depends on the games you play and the settings you play at (especially on demanding titles) how close ou will get to saturating the frame rate. You could always get a G-Sync monitor to smooth it out even further.

Since your friend isn't overclocking, there really is no point in going with a K-series CPU, but i'll add it in just in case you'd like to tinker a little down the track. Also you can build a good PC for less than 2000 easily. The parts I chose are based on the fact that they are known to be good and reliable, as well as fit the look. PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($349.99 @ Newegg) CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.33 @ OutletPC) Motherboard: Asus Z170 PRO GAMING ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($127.98 @ Newegg) Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($49.99 @ Amazon) Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($149.45 @ OutletPC) Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($117.99 @ Micro Center) Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Video Card ($662.99 @ SuperBiiz) Case: Phanteks ECLIPSE P400 ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ Amazon) Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($84.99 @ NCIX US) Total: $1620.70 Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-04-29 03:29 EDT-0400

Actually i have a better way of explaining Razer keyboards - they are the Beats of the mainstream keyboard makers

Im really concerned with the 520W PSU really really pushing it with a 390, as most sites generally recommend 650W absolute min to be safe, plus the OP is planning on overclocking

1. For your PSU, you shouldn't go with the G1 as the 1st gen PSUs from EVGA had their issues. Here's a pretty good guide: 2. With a 650W PSU, you should be able to do some overclocking on the 6600K and the GTX 970 3. Most AIO CPU coolers have a pump in the actual CPU block, some have it (like the EK predator) in the radiator itself (as in a connected unit), neither has a huge advantage over the either so don't worry about that. 4. You are correct in assuming that LEDs have low power draw. 5. With the GTX 970 FTW+ being ~$350, i think you should instead look at the AMD R9 390 as it comes in at the same price, yet has much better performance and a higher VRAM of 8GB, so if you plan on going 1440p+ in the future, it will handle it better than the 970's 3.5GB (remember the last 0.5gb is of very slow ram). 5.1 The best models of the R9 390 are the MSI Gaming, Sapphire Nitro and XFX Double Dissipation by memory 5.2 If you do go with the 390 in the end, you should probably get a 750W PSU especially if you do plan on overclocking as AMD cards (current gen at least) use a bit more power. A system like this should suffice for your budget (sorry 100bucks over, couldn't get any lower without removing SSD and keeping components high quality as well as including an AIO): PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/HvbTbv Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/HvbTbv/by_merchant/ CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($244.99 @ Newegg) CPU Cooler: Corsair H105 73.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($93.99 @ Newegg) Motherboard: MSI Z170A SLI PLUS ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($112.98 @ Newegg) Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($54.00 @ Newegg) Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($84.88 @ OutletPC) Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($43.99 @ Amazon) Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 390 8GB Nitro Video Card ($317.99 @ SuperBiiz) Case: Phanteks ECLIPSE P400S ATX Mid Tower Case ($84.99 @ Amazon) Power Supply: SeaSonic 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($119.99 @ SuperBiiz) Total: $1144.80 Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-04-23 01:29 EDT-0400

Since you are on quite a tight budget, rather than a GTX 970/980 go with the AMD route of a R9380/390 as they are much more cost effective and for the price really pack a punch

Razer keyboards can basically be summed up in the fact that they can talk the talk, but not walk the walk. Unless you go into more obscure brands (e.g. ones often on Massdrop), you should probably look at Corsair Strafe/K-series, basically any recent Logitech, Ducky Shine, Das/wasd keyboards if you don't mind no rgb and the CM Storm Quickfire line is also pretty damn solid. Corsair/Logitech/Ducky have very very very very good track records

If you are looking to go with 1440p 144Hz eventually, to saturate that frame rate (assuming you play the more demanding titles), you'll probably want to go dual 980tis or dual 390s. The 390s are much more cost-effective, but kick out a ton of heat, which I am a bit concerned about in that case. I tried to stay with the black/(green-gold) theme for the build due to the case having green LEDs. (note the GPUs are the Golden editions not the usual red ones from MSI) PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/cgp2K8 Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/cgp2K8/by_merchant/ CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($233.99 @ SuperBiiz) CPU Cooler: RAIJINTEK TRITON GREEN 100.5 CFM Sleeve Bearing Liquid CPU Cooler ($89.99 @ Newegg) Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170X-UD5 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($177.99 @ SuperBiiz) Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($57.99 @ Amazon) Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($84.99 @ NCIX US) Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($65.99 @ SuperBiiz) Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($546.00 @ Newegg) Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($546.00 @ Newegg) Case: Phanteks ECLIPSE P400S ATX Mid Tower Case ($84.99 @ Amazon) Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 1000G2 1000W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($153.99 @ SuperBiiz) Total: $2041.92 Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-04-20 00:21 EDT-0400

Just wondering, would an R7 370 do the job (4gb model)? If so, that's locked in I think as it seems to beat the GTX950 in most benchmarks and has double the RAM

do i'll defs need to upgrade that

I use a Dell 260s, which has (from what i saw online as i've never opened it up) 250W PSU