Recomendation for upgrading graphics card for Alienware X51 R2

[Ginjar]

My graphics card has died after almost 7 years owning the X51 R2 and I am looking for suggestions to replace this that is not too costly. Can anyone recomend a good graphics card that will fit the case and not struggle from overheating?
Previouse Graphics Card: AMD Radeon™ R9 270 with 2GB GDDR5
PC Specs:
Alienware X51 R2 Standard Base
8GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1600Mhz
Intel® Core™ i7-4770 Processor
330W AC Adaptor

 

[EmrickX51]

I had x51 r2 and tried GTX 970 before, worked well
must <150W, 2x 6pin otherwise PSU can't handle it
must be blower version, open fan design would cause whole case overheat
So far PNY GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Blower is the ideal option which Dell is also using

 

[AleXXX666]

not too costly, not struggle from overheating , should fit the case - GTX 1650 SUPER here. But if you want something more stronger - get 1660 Super. Not greater or you will see CPU bottleneck.

 

[Ginjar]

My graphics card has died after almost 7 years owning the X51 R2 and I am looking for suggestions to replace this that is not too costly. Can anyone recomend a good graphics card that will fit the case and not struggle from overheating?
Previouse Graphics Card: AMD Radeon™ R9 270 with 2GB GDDR5
PC Specs:
Alienware X51 R2 Standard Base
8GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1600Mhz
Intel® Core™ i7-4770 Processor
330W AC Adaptor

The blower version is a lot more expensive online, is there any reason for this? Also how much more is it worth investing in the 1660 over the 970?

 

[AleXXX666]

The blower version is a lot more expensive online, is there any reason for this? Also how much more is it worth investing in the 1660 over the 970?

Why do you want blower version? I like blowers too as they are hell more durable, but choosing some reputable brand as EVGA, PNY or Asus should do.
Getting 1660 over 970 is not worth it. 970=1050Ti, 1660 is barely better than 1060 6gb. Go for 1660 Super or 1650 Super. Get 1650 Super or plain 1660 CHEAPEST ones, 1660 Super something midrange. I don't reco Gigabyte anyone, their last series are sh*ttier than cheap Palit and KFA2 cards - the reason are crackling fans even after a year!

 

[EmrickX51]

The blower version is a lot more expensive online, is there any reason for this? Also how much more is it worth investing in the 1660 over the 970?

For max performance, at this moment GTX 1660 Ti is the best option, very close to RTX 2060 without RTX on.

Blower version is the best option for X51 case and airflow setting, which could push the heat airflow directly outside the case. Heavy gaming would have graphic card generate a lot of heat inside the case. Cooling is a big problem to X51. The heat from from graphic card would finally and quickly affect the CPU cooling, making the cpu fan very noise and clock dropping. That's my experience when I was using gtx 970 with open fan design. At the end I had to open the side panel.

Open fan GTX 1660 Ti is acceptable since it was not too hot and "only" rated 120W TDP if you don't care the noise.

My exx loving gaming machine, X51 R2 i3 4130+6GB+GTX 645+240w -> i7 4790+16GB+256GB SSD+GTX 760+330w -> GTX 970

I still keep the gtx 970 3dmark FIRE STRIKE EXTREME scores here https://www.3dmark.com/3dm/9993605

GTX 970 now is not that powerful for new heavy 3D gaming such like FPS, could not reach 60fps on 1080 high setting

Here is gtx 1660 ti scores https://www.3dmark.com/fs/23536545 around 40% performance difference

 

[Diok]

I have a X51 R2 i7 4790 with a GTX1650S and it work great. i play COD Warzone and Cold War like at 60fps 1080p, i dont use a blower version. i must leave the case open to avoir overheat.

 

[AleXXX666]

I have a X51 R2 i7 4790 with a GTX1650S and it work great. i play COD Warzone and Cold War like at 60fps 1080p, i dont use a blower version. i must leave the case open to avoir overheat.

The blower 1650S doesn’t exist lol.
But, I’d put 1660-1660 Ti/Super to i7-4790. 1650S is pretty weak for it.