Will my computer support this video card?

I have a 2005 Dell XPS 400 Desktop.

Here's my specs:
(Link to speccy.com user snapshot)

Here's the product I want to add to my PC:
(Link to newegg.com)

Can I do it easily? Is there anything special I need to do other than just unplugging the old one and inserting the new one?

Sorry, I'm sort of new to this. My specialty is software development, and of late I have acquired an interest in graphics production, etc. which my computer simply cannot handle. I don't want to pass up this excellent deal, but then again I don't want to waste money on something my computer can't run.

 

You should have these slots in your XPS 400:

3 PCI slots
1 PCIe x 1 slot
1 PCIe x 4 slot
1 PCIe x 16 (graphics) slot


I would definitely use the PCIe x16 slot. You should be able to run a 1GB card with no problem. The only issue may be your power supply. Most likely, you will have to upgrade the wattage, as this card requires a minimum of 400W.

Do you have dual graphics cards?

 

Hmm, I don't have dual video cards, but what does upgrading my power supply entail?

 

When you remove the cover on your tower, the PSU (power supply) will be in the top left corner.

All it requires is you to of course be static free, a philips head screwdriver, and the ability to match up the molex plugs at the end of the wires. When you remove the plugs from the motherboard, pay attention to the plugs, and even take a couple shots with your cellphone, or camera if you are worried. It's about impossible to plug the wrong plug, in the wrong port. Directions are usually included with new hardware as well.

Your Speccy sheet showed a "secondary" graphics card, so that is why I asked if you had dual cards. I looked again, and noticed Crossfire was disabled. So I know for sure the answer is "No".

When swapping the card, you must remember to uninstall ALL drivers and software for your current card (Add/Remove Programs), and uninstall the hardware in Device Manager. Things will go much smoother that way.

The power supply listed that came with your PC is 375W, just a little short of the power your new card would require.

 

Well... at least, I don't think I have dual graphics cards. Back when I was running WinXP, Speccy told me I had 2X 128 MB video cards but dxdiag told me I had only 128 MB video memory available... Now in Win7 it tells me I only have 32 MB available!

 

The 32MB is the memory for the card itself.

The 128 MB is the "shared" graphics memory, or "bus bandwidth" of the motherboard/PCI bus. That is a setting which is actually adjustable in the BIOS menu. You may be able to notch it up to 256MB.

When you open the cover, you most likely will see only one graphics card if it is PCIe. There is the slim chance you may have a pair of PCI cards, but I doubt it. There are two different Device ID's, but it just may be the Speccy seeing double.

Do you have two hard drives, in a RAID configuration? I see two different serial numbers.

Here is a link for a basic exploded view of your PC:

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/xps400/sm/techov.htm#wp1053345

Here is a general Technical Specifications sheet:

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/xps400/sm/specs.htm#wp1053343