[Chazdude43]

I have the Acer aspire X3812 space saving PC and need to upgrade my graphics card to play it as my current one is absolutely rubbish.

I have asked Acer what cards will fit as they specify on their website that there is a 'PCI Express 16x Graphic expansion slot offering a choice of approved ATI and nVidia graphic cards’ however they have not replied and that was a week ago.

I have specific amounts of room that I measured earlier and was wondering the best graphics card that would fit into this space.

It can only be 7 cm wide as the case is small. It can only reach 2 cm above the PCI-E slot as the top of the unit is 2cm above the slot, the Small part of the slot is on the right meaning that the cooling fan (if there is one) will most likely have to be mounted upwards. There is 10 cm below the slot; 4 cm past the small part of the PCI-E slot (right), 12 cm to the opposite side of the slot.(image of space below, without 7cm width shown)


These are the measurements for the room I have in my PC so I need the card to fit in this space. I also need it to be able to run Fallout 3, COD 4 and Command and Conquer ¾ as these are the games I would like to play.
Any help would be appreciated as I am in dire need of a new graphics card

[krazykat691]

a GeForce 7300 GS should work. its got 256mb internal memory and supports 512mb or you might want to try the 9400.

[Chazdude43]

Thanks for the info, i was also wondering;

Which one out of the ones that will fit is the best?

[Mosquito555]

None of them!

Forget the 7300GS, it's not worth paying for it. You 'd better stay with the integrated chip since the 7300GS is pretty much rubbish when it comes to games. The 9400 is not a lot better but at least it could run those games at low - med settings.

Another good option is the Radeon HD 4550. This card is a bit faster than the 9400 and it will fit on your case. Sapphire makes a tiny card based on the Radeon HD 4550 and it comes with 512 MBs of DDR3 memory. The tiny heatsink will ensure that the card runs silent with no temperature problems, let alone that the lack of a big cooling system makes the card easier to fit on your box:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102819

I would also suggest looking into a Radeon HD 4650 or GF 9500 since those cards are noticeably faster at games while they are energy efficient and silent at the same time. IMHO a low profile HD 4650 is your best option:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814121338

or

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102829

or

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814187083

I'd go for the ATI HD 4650 since I don't know much about these manufacturers of low profile NVIDIA cards. Sapphire and Asus on the other hand are well known hardware manufacturers.

I'm running a HD 4650 and it's silent when idle. The fan may make some noise when gaming but it's not annoying. And I can assure you, I finished Fallout 3 with this card, frame rate was smooth and I played on med - high settings at 1440x900. Good card for the money!

EDIT:
I'm not sure about the exact dimensions of each card, however I can assure you that they are usually pretty much the same. If a 7300GS fits then the HD 4650 will fit as well. Of course you'd better check this out before ordering one.

[Chazdude43]

Thankyou so much, i was looking into those cards but i didnt know the dimensions at all...

I was wondering if you would be able to measure your card for me if it isnt too much hassle as nowhere does it say how big that card is, i have been looking at that range for AGES!

Thanks for the help...
Could you measure the height from the circuit board, the distance from either side of the pci-e slot to the edge,
the circuit board width and the overall lenght (inluding the metal bit on the end and excluding)

Thank you very much for the help :P

[Mosquito555]

There's a slight problem here...I'm using a HD 4650 but not a low profile model...My card is built on a standard board.

However, I will try contacting my brother who has access to the low profile HD 4550, the dimensions should be pretty much the same with the low profile HD 4650 board.

Until then:

For the Sapphire 4550:

Dimensions (WxDxH): 2.7 cm x 17.2 cm x 7.3 cm

Source:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sapphire-RAD...ata/B001SJLLTQ

And for the Asus HD 4650 low profile:

Product Dimensions: 18.1 x 12.5 x 2.2 cm ; 1.1 Kg

Source:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/ASUS-EAH4650...7096511&sr=1-2

I believe these are the same models that I found on newegg.

Try checking the manufacturer's website for details as well.

[Chazdude43]

i found this and was wondering if it would be okay

http://www.overclock.co.uk/product/S...ile_20029.html

[helpful]

http://www.xfxforce.com/en-gb/produc...es/5750.aspx#2

Dimensions (Imperial) 7.25 X 4.376 X 1.5
Dimensions (Metric) 18.4 X 11 X 3.8

Review:

http://www.hardocp.com/article/2009/...0_5750_review/

* Requires a least a 450 Watt Power Supply.

[Mosquito555]

That's my card (I have the DDR3 versions but the dimensions are the same):

http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-Radeo.../dp/B001L1RYZQ

16.5 x 6.4 x 23.4 cm
6.5 x 2.5 x 9.2 inches

If you can fit my card then you should be able to fit the low profile version as well. I'm not sure about what equals the "low profile form factor" that Sapphire states on their website though:

http://www.sapphiretech.com/presenta...n=0001&pid=274

Of course the HD 5750 is an excellent card and it may fit in your box as well...It's worth checking the card helpful suggested out.

However, my concerns regarding the HD 5750 are:

1) PSU requirements. The HD 4650 will need a 400 Watt PSU, the HD 5770 a 450 Watt one. I don't know if a high end PSU can be installed on your case and of course, if more watts are used, then the interior of your case will get hotter.

2) Temperature. I don't know what case they used on hardocp but you need to keep temperatures as low as possible on a small case like yours.

They state that the load temperature of the HD 5750 is about 77 Celsius degrees. Now, what will happen if we put this card on a tiny box?

My HD 4650 temperature used to peak at around 60 Celsius degrees on my old crappy box under load (4-5 hours of gaming, full load, full fan speed). Now, it barely reaches 50 Celsius under the same load (but now I have a bigger box with much better airflow and 4 fans working at full speed).

If they used a gaming/enthusiast case, then these 77 Celsius degrees are expected. However I'm afraid that this card will hit the low 90s when installed on your computer. That's of course just speculation...

Even if the HD 5750 runs problem free at 90 Celsius degrees, the extra heat will still affect other components of your machine. Small cases are not famous for their airflow and ventilation capabilities. If all this heat remains inside your box then expect your CPU/motherboard/HDD/PSU temperatures to raise as well.

Keep in mind that they make low profile cards for a reason. They are more suitable for low profile machines, especially HDPCs. Why make two cards based on the same chip otherwise? IMHO, just stick to a low profile version.

[Chazdude43]

i have worked it out and i have 24.9 x 8(ish) x 3(ish) cm of room around my card area. The best one so far seems to be the one you suggested (http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-Radeo.../dp/B001L1RYZQ)

Thanks for all the help

I have a standard PCI-E x16 slot, what wattagee does that run at and how would i go about adding the power supply?

[Mosquito555]

Since their performance is pretty much the same, I'd go for this one (by being smaller it will slightly improve airflow IMHO):

http://www.sapphiretech.com/presenta...n=0001&pid=274

If you however decide to go for the bigger HD 4650 then get the DDR3 version (my card) since it's faster while at the same time it emits slightly less heat (DDR3 runs cooler than DDR2 and consumes less power):

http://www.sapphiretech.com/presenta...n=0001&pid=183

There's a "sweet spot" between the HD 4650 and the HD 5750...Check the various editions of the HD 4670 on the link below and see if one fits your needs (and case ) better:

http://www.sapphiretech.com/presenta...n=0001&pid=205

But I still can't safely recommend anything faster than the HD 4650, I just wanted to provide you every available option. You can play it safe or take a small risk, it's your call...

[Chazdude43]

Would this one be any good?

It looks to be the same one as i looked at earlier but still no dimensions but the optional bracket style suits my computer as it has two horisontal slots exactly the same as the connectors on the end of the card

Would this card suffice as the dimensions of the card you suggested will not fit my computer http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sapphire-HD4...7105351&sr=8-3

[Mosquito555]

If it fits your box then it should be good (As I said before this card is probably your best option).

To sum it up:

Please keep in mind that all of the HD 4650 cards we checked, use the same GPU so you will get similar performance by using any one of them.

Performance wise it goes like this:

HD 4650 DDR2 < HD 4650 DDR3 < HD 4670 < HD 5750.

Again, the low profile cards are designed with HTPCs in mind so they are your best option. Their cooling systems may be engineered so they run almost silent while keeping the card cool and their smaller size will ensure the best possible airflow. They don't however lack in performance when compared to their bigger sized equivalents which are based on the same GPU.

EDIT:

1) Which card of the ones I suggested? The HD 4670? There are other HD 4670 based cards that are exactly the same size as my HD 4650 DDR3. If you can find one...

2) You asked about the PCI-E wattage before. Don't worry, the PCI-E slot will provide enough power to feed the HD 4650. You don't need to connect additional power cables to the card unlike higher spec cards like the HD 5750 etc.

[Chazdude43]

These are the pictures of the inside of my computer (took hours to upload to tiny pic)

As you can see, there is not much room aboce the PCi-E slot, hence the need for half height. The width of the computer is 10 CM and the connector on the graphics card at the back looks made to fit the various bulges and expansion slots on the back (1st pic)

I have two expansion slots in the back that i could use for the dual layer of the saphire HD 4650 (providing the VGA slot shown in the picture can be placed below the card as opposed to above it)

I think the card will fit inside but it is a bit cramped as you can see...

This is the official site for the card - http://www.sapphiretech.com/presenta...n=0001&pid=274

if you look at the pictures, you can see that it should fit but are the specs good enough on this card to play fallout 3 and Call of Duty 4 as i want to develop some levels for them...

[Mosquito555]

Originally Posted by Chazdude43

As you can see, there is not much room above the PCi-E slot, hence the need for half height. The width of the computer is 10 CM and the connector on the graphics card at the back looks made to fit the various bulges and expansion slots on the back (1st pic)

I have two expansion slots in the back that i could use for the dual layer of the saphire HD 4650 (providing the VGA slot shown in the picture can be placed below the card as opposed to above it)

I think the card will fit inside but it is a bit cramped as you can see...

I believe that the card will fit your box, seems like there's enough room in there.

However I'm concerned about one thing...I don't know if the PCI-E slot is aligned with the expansion slots of your box...Check my picture: The back panel of the card isn't aligned with the wholes on the case. I believe that the back of the card is where the arrow points.

Originally Posted by Chazdude43

if you look at the pictures, you can see that it should fit but are the specs good enough on this card to play fallout 3 and Call of Duty 4 as i want to develop some levels for them...

The specs are fine. I have been playing call of duty 4 on a GF7600GS on medium settings, the HD 4650 will be more than enough. As for Fallout 3 I have already told you...This card can play Crysis on medium settings at least...It's not high end but it will do the job.