Need Help Picking A Graphics Card

[Darkening Demise]

So I can't afford to build one or buy a tower yet. Figure I'll just pop in a decent graphics card for now so I can play games on higher settings without issues like 532MB virtual memory making it impossible to play up to date games like Skyrim, Fallout 4, and ARMA.

 

So my budget is $100, I can go over it a little but nothing major. Below are my specs so in case there are incompatibility issue concerns.

 

AMD Quad-Core A6-3620 Accelerated Processor

8GB DDR3 system memory

AMD Radeon HD 6530D integrated graphics

1TB hard drive

Windows 10 64-bit

PC model: p7-1254

HP Pavilion Series

 

I can play ARMA 3, Skyrim, Fallout 4 on medium/low settings so hoping to change that. But not sure if the processor is more play on that or is graphics card important too/more?

 

I have no plans on Witcher 3, Far Cry 4, etc. type of games so I don't need no Titan Black crap. Unless graphics for everyone jumps to those types of levels I just need a temporary solution to last me for a year or so.

[Vacaliga]

How much space do you have inside your case?

would be a shame if you found a good deal and it won't fit.

[Wartoot]

I see a whole lot of possible problems coming up with your pc.

First of: you have a retail computer: This means HP might have blocked your options to upgrade from the start. Before buying anything, open your case and check for the following things: A pci-e 16 slot (if you dont know how they look like, google a picture) and look at the current power supply in your computer. Depending on what power supply you have, you might have to replace that aswell.

 

Also, look for your computer model and in combination with gpu upgrade, see if others tried before. Maybe others tried before and noticed problems. that way you don't have to try.

 

If all these things work out, i would try and look for a 750ti, it's not a powerhouse, but most likely to work best since it's highly unlikely your current power supply has an extra 6 pin cable for powering gpus

 

[pinky6225]

One of the things i like about HP is that its generally possible to google the specs if you have the model number - Have a HP Elite 7100 MT myself which i've changed everything other than the case

 

I believe yours is http://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c03135882

 

And if so you need a new power supply unit before you can upgrade the graphics card to something meaty, i did get a e-mail from ebuyer the other day saying this card is on offer Sapphire Nitro R9 380 4GB GDDR5 DVI-I DVI-D HDMI DisplayPort PCI-E Graphics card for £149.99 http://www.ebuyer.com/730576-sapphire-nitro-r9-380-4gb-gddr5-dvi-i-dvi-d-hdmi-displayport-pci-e-graphics-11242-13-20g

 

The suggested power supply is 500W, i'd personally go above that to say 600 or 650 just to make sure which should be able to get for £60 to £90 depending on which make you go for (personally always found corsair good myself but everybody has there own opinion)

 

All that said though your motherboard does appear to have the older version 2 bus interface so you will not get the sort of bandwidth that the card is capable of as it PCI-Express 3.0 capable although this is backwoods compatible as i understand it (suggest double checking tho)

 

I can play ARMA 3, Skyrim, Fallout 4 on medium/low settings so hoping to change that. But not sure if the processor is more play on that or is graphics card important too/more?

 

Normally its the graphics card doing the heavy lifting in gaming so you will see the most noticeable improvements by upgrading that, after doing a complete motherboard/CPU change from an I3 to and I7 it was only on the benchmark tests involving physic calculations from 3dmark that there was much of an improvement on when i was benchmarking my new system

[sila]

I would second the suggestion for a 750ti, anything higher end would require a new psu (never get a cheap psu by the way, it is a great way to ruin your more expensive components), and it may not even fit. Before buying any gpu you should measure your case to see how much GPU clearance you have, just to make sure you dont get one too long.

 

But really, you can't go wrong with the 750ti. It will be a *massive* upgrade from your current gpu (though it still isnt going to max every game out, it WILL allow you to play games you could not with your HD6530d), it is quite small for a discrete card, and it uses almost no power.

 

If you do decide you want something with more power than that however... It would probably be easier to just start a new build. The case may have non-standard parts to prevent you from upgrading things like the motherboard or power supply (this may not be true, I have little experience with HP but other pre-built companies like dell tend to do this a lot for the cheaper models), and upgrading your current pc would involve replacing pretty much everything anyway (anything higher than that 750ti is going to be limited by your cpu, which would require a new mobo to upgrade).

 

Parts you can save from the old pc would be Ram, HDD, possibly the case (again, depending on if it is nonstandard or not, and whether it is large enough to hold a decent GPU),  and your CD/DVD drive.

[Darkening Demise]

Here's several screenshots of my PC. No clue on building one, no places within 30-50 miles for assistance on that stuff either. Best place is Flint, for Best Buy to get another whole tower for a rip off price. Got to love Davison, Michigan! I was looking to save up and just config a build at ibuildpower for about 2,000 something dollars. For now I just need something to help performance and visual quality. Be great to play Skyrim without the black splotches every where due to lack of virtual memory.

I'll also be cleaning my damn PC but it'll get like this in a day or so, damn pets and shit make it so hard to keep things clean-oh good lord I sound like a woman!

[Slick Silk]

Just like the guys said above, a GTX 750Ti would currently be your best bet. Anything else and you will need a new PSU, since yours is 300W. A minimum requirement for a 750Ti is exactly 300W so you should be just fine. If in the future you're up for getting a new PC I would recommend building one yourself, it's not overly compicated and it can save you a quite a sum if you choose the right specs. I'm sure the community here would love to help out, you can also use some YouTube tutorials to help you out. I'd recommend a channel called LinusTechTips if you wanna learn a bit about building PCs, he has a number of videos with full builds from scratch so that might give you an idea.

[Gepardus]

"Here's several screenshots of my PC"

Died laughing...sorry, couldnt help it

[Darkening Demise]

 

"Here's several screenshots of my PC"

Died laughing...sorry, couldnt help it

 

Not the first, not the last. 18th birthday gift from parents several years ago. Many mistake it for a laptop even.

------------

Where should I buy a GTX 750ti then? $100 budget.

[thingwhatsqueaks]

No clue on building one, no places within 30-50 miles for assistance on that stuff either.

That's what the internet is for.  I built my first computer ~9 years ago with a bit of guidance from a friend and I sit here how typing on the third incarnation of a self built computer.  If you chose to do this in the future I would advise that one area that you really don't want to skimp on is the case.  A good case can be reused from one build to the next AND usually carries the benefits of a better and/or more intuitive interior layout along with a lack of sharp edges on which to cut oneself while assembling the computer.  To date the only thing I've cut myself on with computer builds have been CPU heatsinks (which can be really sharp).

[sila]

 

 

"Here's several screenshots of my PC"

Died laughing...sorry, couldnt help it

 

Not the first, not the last. 18th birthday gift from parents several years ago. Many mistake it for a laptop even.

------------

Where should I buy a GTX 750ti then? $100 budget.

 

 

You can pick one up here: http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-750Ti-GDDR5-Graphics/dp/B00IDG3IDO

It will be just a bit over 100, but thats probably the best deal you are going to get.

 

As for getting parts, you can get anything you need for a computer off amazon or newegg for reasonable prices, and putting a pc together is *quite* easy. There are many, many guides on how to build them yourself and good builds for any budget all over the internet. 

 

When you are choosing parts, generally the biggest part of the budget is going to go to the GPU, then you put 50-75% of the cost of the gpu into the processor.  The rest of the build you can go for cheaper parts, a case for 50$ will work just fine, though the more expensive ones are certainly nicer (in terms of aesthetics and customization).

 

For advice I would recommend Tom's hardware forums http://www.tomshardware.com/ or LTT's forums: http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/286004-building-your-first-pc/

 

Edit: after looking at your screenshots, I will say you should probably buy a can of compressed air and blow out all that dust. It helps keep the heat down and extends the life of components. You should generally do that about once a month, or longer if you have a positive air flow (which you don't)

 

No clue on building one, no places within 30-50 miles for assistance on that stuff either.

That's what the internet is for.  I built my first computer ~9 years ago with a bit of guidance from a friend and I sit here how typing on the third incarnation of a self built computer.  If you chose to do this in the future I would advise that one area that you really don't want to skimp on is the case.  A good case can be reused from one build to the next AND usually carries the benefits of a better and/or more intuitive interior layout along with a lack of sharp edges on which to cut oneself while assembling the computer.  To date the only thing I've cut myself on with computer builds have been CPU heatsinks (which can be really sharp).

 

 

mmmm, I would argue that the one thing to not skimp on would be the PSU, you can get some decent cases for 50 bucks, like the Antec 300.

[RitualClarity]

Just like the guys said above, a GTX 750Ti would currently be your best bet. Anything else and you will need a new PSU, since yours is 300W. A minimum requirement for a 750Ti is exactly 300W so you should be just fine. If in the future you're up for getting a new PC I would recommend building one yourself, it's not overly compicated and it can save you a quite a sum if you choose the right specs. I'm sure the community here would love to help out, you can also use some YouTube tutorials to help you out. I'd recommend a channel called LinusTechTips if you wanna learn a bit about building PCs, he has a number of videos with full builds from scratch so that might give you an idea.

 

You are correct... however take into consideration the age of the computer. As a computer ages the power supply output can decrease over time. If you are near max... it might just put it over the edge and cause it to shutdown when using the graphics card. This is even more true for cheap power supplies that are placed in towers. They are designed to handle the equipment given for a number of years. It appears that this computer is anywhere from 3 to 5 years old. (estimate)

 

Not that I am saying don't add the graphics card, just keep in mind that you might need to up the power to accommodate it.. Slim but still a chance due to its age. Just so you can make sure you have the budget. I believe a small 500 watt would fit there, not sure but should. If you do get a power supply and intend on gaming. Focus on the 12volt rail and try to get the highest # you can if you have a choice between two similar power supplies (prices etc). That feeds the graphics card. Higher means in the future you will be able to possible upgrade to a 950, 960 or something like that.

[Darkening Demise]

Yeah whatever....

Clean, install, careful of the power supply, got it. PCs are too expensive, jobs pay jack shit, parts are too much. Cheaper to buy whole towers at Best Buy or some place else for $500-$700. Freaking 980ti is over a thousand, I fear a I7 processor price tag.

 

Parts I'm looking at in the future (if I sell a kidney and testicle to the black market)

http://www.ibuypower.com/

 

16 GB [8 GB X2] DDR4-2800 Memory Module

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980Ti - 6GB

Intel® Core™ i7-6700K Processor (4x 4.00GHz/8MB L3 Cache)

 

Maybe then Minecraft on medium will play smoother. ^^ (its fucking ridiculous, no wonder why many go console)

[sila]

Yeah whatever....

Clean, install, careful of the power supply, got it. PCs are too expensive, jobs pay jack shit, parts are too much. Cheaper to buy whole towers at Best Buy or some place else for $500-$700. Freaking 980ti is over a thousand, I fear a I7 processor price tag.

 

Parts I'm looking at in the future (if I sell a kidney and testicle to the black market)

http://www.ibuypower.com/

 

16 GB [8 GB X2] DDR4-2800 Memory Module

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980Ti - 6GB

Intel® Core™ i7-6700K Processor (4x 4.00GHz/8MB L3 Cache)

 

Maybe then Minecraft on medium will play smoother. ^^ (its fucking ridiculous, no wonder why many go console)

 

over 1200$ for a rig witha 960.... 

For 1000$ you can easily get a 970 and a good processor like 4690k.

 

For 500$ you can build a pc that blows consoles out of the water.

 

That and the fact that pc is cheaper over time than the consoles, they really arnt as expensive as they seem.

 

< - - some info on upgrading an older pc

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/7y8dsY 900$ build (including operating system) that beats the one you linked

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/bdnncf  600$ build that blows consoles out of the water

 

 

Edit: also this: 

[afa]

$100 for a 750ti is good, but I have to agree with the power concern.

You might be able to get a 500w for $40 or 750w for $50-60 if you are lucky. 500w should serve you well even for future build as long as you aren't planning to buy the top tier cards, 750w will be set for a long time unless you get two cards.

 

On the plus side, the current time really isn't a good time to invest in top of the line hardware so you aren't missing out on much.

[RitualClarity]

Yeah whatever....

Clean, install, careful of the power supply, got it. PCs are too expensive, jobs pay jack shit, parts are too much. Cheaper to buy whole towers at Best Buy or some place else for $500-$700. Freaking 980ti is over a thousand, I fear a I7 processor price tag.

 

Yes. your are correct, parts are expensive. There are combo deals and such that can save you some money. Now after you do get your first build you can then change out only parts that need it. Rotating through the parts of your computer every few years. One year a graphics a year or two or so later the motherboard, processor, two years later if needed a power supply and rinse and repeat. On one fo those years for motherboard replacement if needed and the connections have changed (as in recently for me going to USB3.0) change out the case.

 

Most gamer and computer users that build their rigs that I know in RL do this. You can make smaller purchases over time and have a much better more powerful rig in the end. This is when building a rig is better than buying. Key is to be a bit forward thinking. Get some of your components for the next Cycle. For example as I gave above a 550 or more power supply with the thoughts that the next graphics card you will get will need a bit more power. .

[thingwhatsqueaks]

 

 

No clue on building one, no places within 30-50 miles for assistance on that stuff either.

That's what the internet is for.  I built my first computer ~9 years ago with a bit of guidance from a friend and I sit here how typing on the third incarnation of a self built computer.  If you chose to do this in the future I would advise that one area that you really don't want to skimp on is the case.  A good case can be reused from one build to the next AND usually carries the benefits of a better and/or more intuitive interior layout along with a lack of sharp edges on which to cut oneself while assembling the computer.  To date the only thing I've cut myself on with computer builds have been CPU heatsinks (which can be really sharp).

 

 

mmmm, I would argue that the one thing to not skimp on would be the PSU, you can get some decent cases for 50 bucks, like the Antec 300.

 

Eh, I kind of disagree on the PSU.  I have a perfectly functional PSU sitting in a box in my basement because it wasn't powerful enough for my current build.  In general if you aren't buying a PSU that's massively overkill for your power needs I can't imagine, with the way that power requirements for certain computer parts keeps increasing, a PSU surviving for more than two builds and that's not even accounting for the PSU failing.  With the case I'm good until motherboard companies stop producing ATX/M-ATX stized motherboards OR GPU companies produce only produce physically gigantic graphics cards.  I'm not even saying you can't get a decent case at a reasonable price point but rather that a good case is basically future proofed and that it will make the overall build process easier.

[sila]

 

 

 

snip

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mmmm, I would argue that the one thing to not skimp on would be the PSU, you can get some decent cases for 50 bucks, like the Antec 300.

 

Eh, I kind of disagree on the PSU.  I have a perfectly functional PSU sitting in a box in my basement because it wasn't powerful enough for my current build.  In general if you aren't buying a PSU that's massively overkill for your power needs I can't imagine, with the way that power requirements for certain computer parts keeps increasing, a PSU surviving for more than two builds and that's not even accounting for the PSU failing.  With the case I'm good until motherboard companies stop producing ATX/M-ATX stized motherboards OR GPU companies produce only produce physically gigantic graphics cards.  I'm not even saying you can't get a decent case at a reasonable price point but rather that a good case is basically future proofed and that it will make the overall build process easier.

 

A cheap case is not going to fry all your components, a cheap psu can and will however. As long as you get a semi decent one though it should be fine... stay the hell away from companies like Diablotek or Coolmax. 

 

Basically I would never buy anything below tier 3, and would probably stick to tier 2 or higher unless I was on a *very* tight budget on the PSU tier list.

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html

[pinky6225]

 

 

 

No clue on building one, no places within 30-50 miles for assistance on that stuff either.

That's what the internet is for.  I built my first computer ~9 years ago with a bit of guidance from a friend and I sit here how typing on the third incarnation of a self built computer.  If you chose to do this in the future I would advise that one area that you really don't want to skimp on is the case.  A good case can be reused from one build to the next AND usually carries the benefits of a better and/or more intuitive interior layout along with a lack of sharp edges on which to cut oneself while assembling the computer.  To date the only thing I've cut myself on with computer builds have been CPU heatsinks (which can be really sharp).

 

 

mmmm, I would argue that the one thing to not skimp on would be the PSU, you can get some decent cases for 50 bucks, like the Antec 300.

 

Eh, I kind of disagree on the PSU.  I have a perfectly functional PSU sitting in a box in my basement because it wasn't powerful enough for my current build.  In general if you aren't buying a PSU that's massively overkill for your power needs I can't imagine, with the way that power requirements for certain computer parts keeps increasing, a PSU surviving for more than two builds and that's not even accounting for the PSU failing.  With the case I'm good until motherboard companies stop producing ATX/M-ATX stized motherboards OR GPU companies produce only produce physically gigantic graphics cards.  I'm not even saying you can't get a decent case at a reasonable price point but rather that a good case is basically future proofed and that it will make the overall build process easier.

 

 

Cheaper PSU's are generally less efficent so the cost of using the PC in the long term will be higher as you are using more electricity, that said i'm still using a corsair 650W PSU that i got in 2006 and it still works fine even though it is outside its 7 year guarentee, i am tempted to get one of the new modular PSU's however just so i can remove unneeded cables etc and have a bit better airflow, so i would say pay more for something good now and use for a long time.

 

Personally if i was in Darkening Demises situation i would get the new PSU now which would open up the possibilities of shopping around for a better graphics card and then both GPU and PSU could be put into a new build when funds are available

 

Admittedly the lack of PCIx16x3 support on the motherboard probably will be a bottle neck but then there would be an performance gain just from changing the motherboard at a later date

 

[Dazaster]

I've been building my own PC's for years, usually with cheap as possible components. I'd go for a geforce 750 or a radeon R7 260.

Your power supply should be fine. If it isn't, your PC will still boot and be fine for normal use, but may cut out under heavy load, i.e. gaming. If that happens once or twice, it'll still be OK, but you will have to upgrade the supply before gaming again.

One more thing, on an older system when trying to fit a graphics card that's several generations newer, sometimes they don't fit the exit slots at the back.

As you're well out of warranty, feel free to do what you need to get the space.

[Spartan 363]

 I also recommend the GTX 750 Ti because of the cheapo PSU that you currently have in your prebuilt system.  Then in the future, you can buy another card and use the 750 Ti as a dedicated PhysX card for games that support it or for additional monitors that would take rendering power away from the main GPU if you like having multiple displays.  The GTX 750 Ti should be able to play most modern games at Ultra settings at 720p and high settings for 1080p for example.  So if you want the most eye candy, then play your games at 720p for the best results and it's not that much of a difference than 1080p unless you are gaming on a large TV like I am (I'm at 2160p though on SLI GTX 970's).  

 

If you can save up for a bit, a GTX 970 is the go to card for ultra gaming at 1080p once you upgrade your PSU and you can also toggle the nice Nvidia exclusive features for Fallout 4 for example.  If you can shop on Craigslist, you can usually find a GTX 970 for $250 being sold locally, that's how I bought the second GTX 970 G1 for my current SLI setup.  Since the 9 series isn;t even 2 years old yet, all 970's out today are still under manufacturers warranty and you can do an RMA if the one you buy on Craigslist isn't that great and such.  You can also build a very good PC with buying used parts on Craigslist.