Graphics card compatibility

Hi,

I have ATI Radeon HD 4830 graphic card. I'd like to upgrade it to AMD R9 270 2GB DDR5 graphic card. Is the same slot that goes to Radeon HD 4830 is enough for R9 270? Do I need to upgrade Motherboard as well?

Thanks

The card will fit in the same PCI-E X16 slot.

The 4830 is a PCI-E 2 card, while the R9 270 is PCI-E 3, but the PCI-E 3 is backwards compatible with older PCI-E standards. PCI-E 3 supports a higher data bandwidth than PCI-E 2, but the performance difference ought to be negligible on a midrange card.

The R9 270 uses a single 6 pin PCI-E auxiliary power connector, just like the 4830.

You don't list your current motherboard and CPU. You might get some gains by upgrading them, but it's not necessary just to upgrade the graphics card.

My CPU is Xeon w3520 and motherboard is WX58BP. Can you show some more light?



Thanks

My CPU is Xeon w3520 and motherboard is WX58BP. Can you show some more light?



Thanks

I don't have much to add. Your board has a PCI-E X16 gen 2 graphics card slot, which is perfectly OK. The Xeon w3520 is a 2.66 GHz CPU.

That was a fairly high-end system a few years ago. I expect that the R9 270 would not be limited by the board or CPU.

I don't have much to add. Your board has a PCI-E X16 gen 2 graphics card slot, which is perfectly OK. The Xeon w3520 is a 2.66 GHz CPU.

That was a fairly high-end system a few years ago. I expect that the R9 270 would not be limited by the board or CPU.

Thanks for the good info. One more doubt. I have 450W PSU. Does R9 270 need more? 450 WPSU will suffice?

Thanks

I would get a beefier psu just to be on the safe side. A good quality modular one with at least 800W.

When I shop for PSU's I generally look for 80+ Gold or platinum rated PSU's. The reason is that the gold and even the platinum's are more efficient and last longer as it doesn't have to work as hard to produce the power. Just because you buy a 850watt power supply doesn't mean it outputs all that power efficiently. Look at the ratings and decide for yourself.

Thanks for the good info. One more doubt. I have 450W PSU. Does R9 270 need more? 450 WPSU will suffice?

Thanks

If the PSU was adequate for the 4830, it should be adequate for the R9 270. The power requirements for the two cards are roughly the same). (Both use a single 6 pin PCI-E auxiliary power connector. <150W by definition: 75 max from the PCI-E slot, 75 from the cable.) Your Xeon CPU is rated at 130W.

If I was building a system from scratch, I'd use a larger PSU. It's hard to recommend one just based on its nominal power rating. A cheap 600W PSU may not make much more useful power than a good 450W one.

I would get a beefier psu just to be on the safe side. A good quality modular one with at least 800W.

Bit overkill as card needs 500W or greater, +12 volt rail 28Amps or greater, so maybe 600W or 650W Plus Bronze or Gold

Bit overkill as card needs 500W or greater, +12 volt rail 28Amps or greater, so maybe 600W or 650W Plus Bronze or Gold

Where did you get the 28A requirement? I'm not questioning the number, but I rarely see such specific recommendations for a PSU. (EVGA typically gives such a number, but they only do nVidia based cards.)

Incidentally, looking at Computer Parts, Laptops, Electronics, and More - Newegg.com, expensive 450W PSUs are rated at 36 or 37A on the +12V rail.

I'm not trying to be argumentative here, but I'd resist the trend of spending other people's money for them. (I'm willing to waste my own.)

Of course, if Joyous's PSU dies in a shower of sparks, I'd accept no responsibility for that. (I'd expect that a PSU in a Xeon/X58 workstation system to not be a low-end one.)