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Advice on upgrading Graphics Card + PSU!

IIROSSII

IIROSSII

IIROSSII

Associate
Joined
3 Aug 2011
Posts
9
Hey im not very good with computers, but im wanting to upgrade my Graphics card to play some newer games, can someone please advise me on a few options. Thanks.


My Specs:


Operating System
MS Windows XP Professional 32-bit SP3
CPU
Intel Core 2 Duo E4400 @ 2.00GHz 42 °C
Conroe 65nm Technology
RAM
2,00 GB Single-Channel DDR2 @ 266MHz (4-4-4-12)
Motherboard
Packard Bell BV PT890-8237A (Socket 775) 29 °C
Graphics
Default Monitor (1024x768@60Hz)
64MB GeForce 7500 LE (Sapphire/PCPartner) 63 °C
Optical Drives
PIONEER DVD-RW DVR-116D
YN9111F URN204H SCSI CdRom Device
YN9111F URN204H SCSI CdRom Device
Audio
Realtek High Definition Audio


Packard Bell - iMedia 8500T


Thats the case if needed, not the same insides but same case.


My budget is about £150/$244, i aint too bothered about it looking amazing, just descent and smooth.


I just play classic games mainly when i feel the urge to play the likes of Black & White, AOE 3, most strategies.


But i do want to play other games its just they lagg too much so i presume my system cant handle it, hence the upgrade.


If you could recommend a decent PSU+Graphics Card that would be great.

I was thinking
BeQuiet Pure Power L7 530W '80 Plus' Power Supply [BN106]

For the PSU would this work? stupid question do all PSU's come with the same cables to power devices, or would i have to pick a PSU with the right cables to power things?

And i was thinking
Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 5850 Extreme 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card **OcUK Exclusive** [11162-15-20G]

For the GPU, but ideally i want a GPU with VGA, i havnt got the funds to buy a new monitor and that runs off VGA.

I looked on my motherboard and removed my GPU but it didnt say anything like PCI-E or PCIe x16, im not sure whether it has PCIe x16, and there isnt allot of information coming from google regarding my mobo.

Is there any software that will tell me the connections my mobo has, so i can be certain it has PCIe x16.

112121212.jpg


Think this is my mobo, atleast it looks like it without the 2 devices plugged into the PCI slots.

Going on the picture above do you think EVGA GeForce GTS 450 1024MB GDDR5 PCIe will fit in there?
 
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I'd also recommend cleaning all the dust out and from all your fans and heatsinks, but be very careful not to push on anything too hard. Dust + Heat = Instability
 
Is this by any chance an e-machines system?

I opened one a while ago to harvest their almighty gt240 and that fan bloom look familiar :P
 
LoL i got the picture from google its not my actual system, that fan though does get clogged quick i have cleaned it before and within a month its full of dust, the 2 PCI slots on mine are both empty so i should be good with any dual slot card.

Thanks for recommending the card, but its a little expensive and comes with games which probably make it more expensive, its also quite large i dont know whether it would fit.

Im starting to lean towards the EVGA GeForce GTS 450 1024MB GDDR5 PCIe, i have been recommended this card by about 4 people. Do you guys think this card is any good?
 
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Hi and welcome to the forum. Would you believe I've just built a system using that very same Bequiet Psu and it has 2 X Pci-e 6pin(+2) cables supplied and is a highly regarded brand. Also I put a 1Gb 5770 in that system and would recommend it over an Nvidia 450, should be able to pick up a 5770\6770 for around £75-£85 new. good luck.:)
 
Hmmm might go for the 5770, but im not sure about the single slot it isnt really needed, did you install the single slot version rolypolyman? if so whats it like ie running temp.

Does the one linked come with a DVI to VGA? As my monitor is VGA.
 
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IIROSSII said:
Hey im not very good with computers, but im wanting to upgrade my Graphics card to play some newer games, can someone please advise me on a few options. Thanks.


My Specs:
Intel Core 2 Duo E4400 @ 2.00GHz 42 °C
Conroe 65nm Technology
RAM
2,00 GB Single-Channel DDR2 @ 266MHz (4-4-4-12)
Motherboard
Packard Bell BV PT890-8237A (Socket 775) 29 °C
Graphics
Default Monitor (1024x768@60Hz)
For the GPU, but ideally i want a GPU with VGA, i havnt got the funds to buy a new monitor and that runs off VGA.
Click to expand...
I'm surprised you guys are actually recommending cards like GTS450/5770/6770 with such a dated system, when the E4400 at 2.0GHz would totally bottleneck them. Also, for such low res which the slow CPU would be a bigger limitation, and sticking in a fast graphic card wouldn't help with frame rate beyond what the CPU is capable of delivering.

In my opinion specifically to OP's needs and requirement, the OP should just do a budget upgrade with a i3 2105 (£100) on MSI H61M-E33 motherboard (£47), 2x2GB 1600MHz DDR3 (£24) and use the intergrated HD3000 graphic handle (bare in mind most game that the OP playing are older, non FPS games), which should be fine considering it is only 1024x768 res, and wouldn't even need to upgrade the PSU.

Alternatively, the AMD Llano is worth considering as well- A8-3850 (£100), MSI A75MA-G55 motherboard (£72), 2x2GB OCZ Gold 4GB 1800MHz DDR3 (£30). This might have lesser CPU performance than the i3 2105, but it will have superior graphic performance.

But of course, if the OP don't have a copy of Windows which he can install for his upgrade, then these options are right out the window...not that his E4400 on his existing system gonna do him much good on gaming. If he's stick with his E4400, there's not much point going above 6670 as faster card won't faster card won't be faster than the 6670 when paired with the E4400 2.0GHz. Also, 6670 (£60) should run fine with on his existing PSU (not that I recommend using generic PSU), considering it is bus-powered.

Reviews of 6670 here:
http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/graphics-cards/1284373/amd-radeon-hd-6670
"The HD 6670 is, at 168mm, barely longer than a PCI Express slot, so you shouldn't have any trouble fitting it in your case. It also doesn’t need a PCI Express power connector, so even a PC with the wimpiest power supply will be able to handle the upgrade."

http://www.hardwareheaven.com/revie...d-6570-graphics-cards-review-starcraft-2.html
"StarCraft 2 has proven its popularity over the past 9 or so months and is one of the best-selling titles in that timeframe. The great news for RTS fans is that the game plays very well on the 6570/6670 at 1920x1080. 6500 series users will find Ultra detail playable, with Very High advisable for those we prefer ultra-smooth performance. The 6670 is perfectly suited to Ultra though and plays very well at this detail level, even at 1920x1080.
"
A quick google suggest that the Packard Bell BV PT890-8237A should support a Q6600 CPU, so another option you could consider is 2nd hand Q6600 G0 (£50~£60), PSU upgrade (£40), 6670 (£60) or 6770 (£85).
 
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Taken from another forum:

low speed dual core will probably bottleneck the video cards max performance a bit, but will still be light years ahead of what you have now, so you won't notice it.

If you do upgrade your CPU to a faster 3GHz range Dual or Quad core, or even an entirely new PC/Platform (whether its newer AMD or Intel CPU's) you should notice a decent boost in performance, once the cards max potential is unleashed.

Even though your card will be bottlenecked if you got one of these 2 listed, and in effect you'd be paying a bit extra for limited performance (keep in mind though, that the limited performance is so many times over what your current card is capable of, its hard to quantify), in a way, its future proofing yourself to some extent in the fact that if you did get a better CPU or PC down the road, you should/would have the same video card, but with extra unlocked performance, until you could get something better.,

i will probably upgrade the CPU at some point, what CPU would you recommended for about £100 cheaper if possible to go with the HD 5770?

Altogether my budget is £330/$538 dead, that seems like a decent amount for what i need surley there is a bundle with all this together or something.
If not can you please provide links, to where i can just buy the stuff and get on with it.

I dont really want to mess around with the mobo, is a new mobo important? and what are the advantages of a new mobo?

Is there no bundles or anything where i can get all this in 1 go on the cheap? Because paying for it all individually is costing allot.

Thank you all for your time researching this stuff, im learning allot aswell.
 
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IIROSSII said:
Hmmm might go for the 5770, but im not sure about the single slot it isnt really needed, did you install the single slot version rolypolyman? if so whats it like ie running temp.

Does the one linked come with a DVI to VGA? As my monitor is VGA.
Click to expand...

Hi, yes I installed the single slot version, nice and cool idling at mid 30's c but that will vary depending on the case and cooling fans, these cards are not known for being hot. No dvi to vga included I'm afraid. Marine has a point with the cpu bottlenecking the 5770 but if the price is right and you upgrade your cpu then this card is a nice little performer and will certainly leave the 5670\6670 type cards behind.:)
 
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