I have been gaming using a GTX 750 for more than 2 years now, mainly because I am limited by the 75W power supply cause I have a stock Dell PC and it has no 6 pin plug.
 
Now though, I'm wondering if even moving up to the low-power GTX 950 makes sense. And so, I was thinking...maybe I could try getting the GTX 960 right away. Even the next generation low-power card would perform at around the levels a GTX 960 does, so I figured, why wait.
 
 
Only thing is, I have never really tweaked with my PC hardware before, except for popping in the GTX 750 a couple of years ago.
 
So my question is, how easy is it to replace the power supply? Do you need to take out the motherboard etc?
 
I have an Inspiron 660. The inside pretty much looks like this: http://i42.tinypic.com/2144k5i.jpg
 
Thanks!
 
PS: Also, assuming I were to get a GTX 960 from EVGA, what is the advantage of a 2fan model over a 1fan model? I'm looking at the GTX 960 SC 4GB since it seems reasonably priced. I'm just afraid if 1fan may fry this card too fast or make my PC too hot (I don't plan to OC the card myself, just the factory OC).

You should check all the cables from the PSU: Where do they go to. Is anything "proprietary" (plugs that only Dell uses).
From the picture itself it seems like a normal ATX with a 4-pin and 24-pin for the mainboard. That should easily be replaceable.
 
2 fans should work quieter and will offer a 0rpm mode in idle.

bob16314
Replacing the ATX power supply in your PC is easy..The procedure is described in your motherboard manual and there's an instructional video here..You don't have to remove the motherboard or anything..The different versions/descriptions/specifications of the GTX 960 can be found here..The HSF/Blower style cooler exhausts heat out of the rear of the card/PC case while the ACX style coolers exhaust some heat inside your PC case, maybe making it necessary to to add more/better fans for cooling inside the case, but maybe not, you won't know until installed..Hope that helps.

How much more heaty will the single-fan SC version be compared to the dual-fan SSC?

I am pretty sure, that the 2 fan version is quieter. The amount of heat generated should be the same, but the one fan version will exhaust hotter air.

himmatsj
How much more heaty will the single-fan SC version be compared to the dual-fan SSC?

Hard to say about the heat..The Inspiron 660 has much less-than-stellar case ventilation, looks like only one rinky-dink little exhaust fan in the back and there doesn't appear to be anyplace to mount up another fan from what I can tell..That being the situation, the HSF/Blower style card might be the better choice because the heat gets blown out the back, otherwise heat might become an issue..The 2-fan ACX models are more high performance and generally throw out more heat into your case than a 1-fan ACX model..The ACX cooler fan would probably be louder due to heat generated inside the case because it's trying harder to keep itself cool using it's own hotter air..But then again, if your GTX 750 with ACX cooling wasn't a problem, then a GTX 960 ACX might not be either..Hard to say, just my take on things.

himmatsj
Whic is the HSF/Blower style card? Can you point me to the model?

HSF/Blower style is like the P/N: 04G-P4-3960-KR near the bottom of the page.

bsmegreg

himmatsj
Whic is the HSF/Blower style card? Can you point me to the model? They all seem same to me.

Firstly, there is not a blower style GTX 950 that I know of, but the 960 does. Blower style cards are the long cards with one fan. The diffrience between them and ACX cards are that blow style push air out the back of the card and out of the case. However, ACX cards blow their exhaust in the case and in small cases this can lead to overheating problems. So for small cases with limited air flow the blower style card is a necessity. I put a few below to guide you.

GTX 960 - http://www.evga.com/Produ...aspx?pn=04G-P4-3960-KR

Agreed - I would just go right to a 960 and skip a 950.

himmatsj

bsmegreg

himmatsj
Whic is the HSF/Blower style card? Can you point me to the model? They all seem same to me.

Firstly, there is not a blower style GTX 950 that I know of, but the 960 does. Blower style cards are the long cards with one fan. The diffrience between them and ACX cards are that blow style push air out the back of the card and out of the case. However, ACX cards blow their exhaust in the case and in small cases this can lead to overheating problems. So for small cases with limited air flow the blower style card is a necessity. I put a few below to guide you.

GTX 960 - http://www.evga.com/Produ...aspx?pn=04G-P4-3960-KR

Is my case considered a small case or medium/big? I linked image in OP.
 
Also yes, if someone can guarantee me it is easy to replace the PSU in my stock PC, I will get the GTX 960 4GB right away along with an EVGA PSU. Speaking of which, can someone recommend me a decent and cheap PSU? Is the 430W EVGA PSU fine for the job?

Do not get the 4gb. it's not even worth it; there is no comparison but the price ticket. Stick with 2gb.
 
http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2684508/gtx-960-2gb-4gb.html
 

himmatsj

stalinx20

himmatsj

bsmegreg

himmatsj
Whic is the HSF/Blower style card? Can you point me to the model? They all seem same to me.

Firstly, there is not a blower style GTX 950 that I know of, but the 960 does. Blower style cards are the long cards with one fan. The diffrience between them and ACX cards are that blow style push air out the back of the card and out of the case. However, ACX cards blow their exhaust in the case and in small cases this can lead to overheating problems. So for small cases with limited air flow the blower style card is a necessity. I put a few below to guide you.

GTX 960 - http://www.evga.com/Produ...aspx?pn=04G-P4-3960-KR

Is my case considered a small case or medium/big? I linked image in OP.
 
Also yes, if someone can guarantee me it is easy to replace the PSU in my stock PC, I will get the GTX 960 4GB right away along with an EVGA PSU. Speaking of which, can someone recommend me a decent and cheap PSU? Is the 430W EVGA PSU fine for the job?

Do not get the 4gb. it's not even worth it; there is no comparison but the price ticket. Stick with 2gb.
 
http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2684508/gtx-960-2gb-4gb.html
 

What? I'm getting 4GB to ensure that even if I have to turn all other settings down to get 60fps, I can still game on Ultra or High texture settings at 1080p. It's worth it to me. If I get 2GB I'll fall behind the curve soon enough.
 
Honestly, the main reason I want to upgrade from GTX 750 is because of 1GB GPU. On lowest textures game look ugly/blobby and stutter non-stop because of VRAM limit. Best I get 4GB once and not bother about it for the next few years.

a 4gb card does not have the bandwidth to be able to maintain the VRAM of a 4gb. It's basically a scam. the GTX 960 only has a 128bit bus and is not capable of going above 2gb of VRAM because of the 128bit. The 970/980 have a larger bandwidth rating so they can provide more VRAM to go through the bandwidth. 128bit just will not hit 4gb. There is no way. Sure, you can get another 960 later for SLI, for another $250, but why do that? Just get a 980 then.
 
Good article of 960 SLI VS 980 ---> http://www.ocaholic.ch/modules/smartsection/item.php?itemid=1538
 
comparisons of 960 2gb vs 960 4gb (there is none) ---> http://www.techspot.com/review/1114-vram-comparison-test/
 

You will not be able to hit 3gb on the gtx 960 4gb card, while using a single card.
 
You "might" be able to achieve the 4gb in SLI because there is a second card which can help power the 4gb. But, again, why would you do that if you can get a 980 which already beats 960 in SLI?
 
The 960 only has a 128bit bus, which is the bandwidth which data goes through.
 
Save some money and stick with the 2gb. I implore you. I mean you can do what you want, but there is no difference between the 2, maybe a 1-3fps difference.

Hi,
 
I disagree with stalinx20 as the 960 is capable of using all 4GB of VRAM, when it is needed.
 
The amount of VRAM needed does really depend on the game and the resolution that you are running that game in.  If you are planning on running a newer game at 1440p or higher, 2560x1440 or higher, resolution then yes, the 4GB card makes sense.  If you are planning to run the game at 1080p or lower, 1920x1080 or lower, then the 2GB model should be plenty.
 
Hopefully the above helps.

himmatsj
if someone can guarantee me it is easy to replace the PSU in my stock PC, I will get the GTX 960 4GB right away along with an EVGA PSU. Speaking of which, can someone recommend me a decent and cheap PSU? Is the 430W EVGA PSU fine for the job?

A 4GB GTX 960 w/HSF cooling would be a good choice, but that's up to you..I would personally grab a 4GB card either way..If you use the EVGA Power Meter for a recommended PSU, you'll recieve a 20% off discount code in your email that's good only in the EVGA U.S. Shopping Cart..A PSU with ECO Mode turns off the fan during low temperature (load) resulting in noiseless operation, which would be nice..The guaranteed easy physical replacement of the PSU is as I linked you to above from Dell..The guaranteed easy instructions for the connections are in the power supply manuals included with the units which are also found on the lower part of this page.

EVGATech_ChrisB
Hi,
 
I disagree with stalinx20 as the 960 is capable of using all 4GB of VRAM, when it is needed.
 
The amount of VRAM needed does really depend on the game and the resolution that you are running that game in.  If you are planning on running a newer game at 1440p or higher, 2560x1440 or higher, resolution then yes, the 4GB card makes sense.  If you are planning to run the game at 1080p or lower, 1920x1080 or lower, then the 2GB model should be plenty.
 
Hopefully the above helps.

Would it be possible for you or another member to address specifically the scenario I raised above with regards to whether the GPU can use up more than 2GB at 1080p or not. Thanks!

This post: http://forums.evga.com/FindPost/2472770

himmatsj

EVGATech_ChrisB
Hi,
 
I disagree with stalinx20 as the 960 is capable of using all 4GB of VRAM, when it is needed.
 
The amount of VRAM needed does really depend on the game and the resolution that you are running that game in.  If you are planning on running a newer game at 1440p or higher, 2560x1440 or higher, resolution then yes, the 4GB card makes sense.  If you are planning to run the game at 1080p or lower, 1920x1080 or lower, then the 2GB model should be plenty.
 
Hopefully the above helps.

Would it be possible for you or another member to address specifically the scenario I raised above with regards to whether the GPU can use up more than 2GB at 1080p or not. Thanks!

This post: http://forums.evga.com/FindPost/2472770

YES, the card can. I also gave you a link to show the comparisons between the 2gb and 4gb cards, along with the FPS expectations you will get with 4gb. You will not maintain 60fps. http://www.techspot.com/review/1114-vram-comparison-test

Bcavenaugh, I agree, you might be able to get a 1-3 fps gain with the 4gb card, but nothing dramatic at all.