[Goofus]

Hi all!

I'm looking for a graphics card to fit my machine that must fit some strict requirements. It must be a 'low profile' card (I need to know the physical dimensions of it) and what size power supply is required for it.

My question isn't specific to any card, but more where can I find the above specs online? I've found a few low-profile cards with no mention of power requirements, and vice-versa. Does anyone know of a real geeky site that might collect such info? Even the manufacturers don't post it !

For the heck of it: Dell Dimension 4300S, 180w power supply, and room for something about the size of two credit cards end-to-end with short bracket any more powerful than my ATI 128 Ultra 16MB card... :rolleyes: Oh, and for less than 50 bucks!

Thanks!

[HVAC888]

For ATI cards, their low profile models do not use a lot of power. These models use low speed versions of their faster graphics chips, so that a large heatsink is not necessary. A couple good choices would be an ATI X1300 or an X1600. The retail package will usually include a low-profile bracket, but of course should check with the OEM first.

Here is a review of those two cards.

[Goofus]

Thanks HVAC888, good info! I check the manu specs and just by the photo it's easy to see I'd need to saw that card in half lengthwise! They are thin enough to fit. I'm still surprised the manu specs don't list system requirements/recommended power supply. I've seen it printed on boxes, but hard to find on the web.

I have heard from others looking for upgrades to this and similar Dell machines that the best one could install would be a 64MB card. Not sure why, power requirements, heat sink size, extra ports. I'm thinking of gutting an older Dell tower and moving everything over so there's room, and a bigger power supply. For me though, that's not an afternoon project!

[HVAC888]

I understand now, after googling Dell 4300S, I see the problem your having. The case uses a "card cage".

The newest low profile video cards nowadays are PCI-Express. Yours is AGP. I think it would be tough find a new low-profile agp card, you'll probably need to find a used one.

The low profile cards are about 6 3/4 inches in length. I guess it won't fit the cage?

Getting another PC is a good idea. Because Dells are so customized, the only parts you will NOT be able to transfer over is the motherboard, and possibly the RAM too.

[Goofus]

Thanks, I should have mentioned all that! It is an odd set up for sure!