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Think i have a problem :(

Looks good - i'll give it an hour or so and if no-one comes up with a better/cheaper card, then i'll order this - thanks.

Someone's just sold the same MSI for a good price, but they have another (HIS) for presumably the same price.

I was going to put the price, but I'm not sure if that's OK with current rules, and wouldn't want to fall foul of any mods.

You have MM access I presume, so worth having a look.

There's also a 780Ti in there for twice that of the MM 280X, but it's a considerably more powerful card, and still well under your budget.
 
Found the item in MM - i really have no clue as to what is compatible, so thanks for the steer. So the HIS is compatible and is a decent card?
 
Found the item in MM - i really have no clue as to what is compatible, so thanks for the steer. So the HIS is compatible and is a decent card?

Yes, compatible with your system.

I'm not sure how good the HIS is (but it's the same chipset as the MSI), I don't think it's as good a cooler as the MSI one, but few coolers are.

Might be a review on Google, worth checking.

Would be a good idea to ask the seller, he's been running them, after all!
 
Argh!!!! OK, i need more advice!

Looking at the specs of the HIS and the one Kelt recommends:

MSI Power 1 x 6 pin and 1 x 8 pin
HIS 2 x 8 pin (i think!)

The card i have pulled from my machine was powered by 1 x 6 pin.

Below is a pic of my card and the pc internals - can i power one of these cards? If not, what else do i need to buy?

Sorry for the questions and i really appreciate the help.

http://i.imgur.com/3dGZmNH.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/1w7dPl4.jpg
 
What's the make/model of your power supply? Can you take a picture of the sticker on the side?

If the power supply is a limiting factor you could go for something like a R9 270 (1x6-pin PCI-E) or a 750Ti (no external power needed).
 
You will usually get a molex to pci-e power adapter in the box with a new gpu, so simply attach that to 1 of the spare 4 pin molex cables and plug in to card and you should be good to go.

Although I would try find out what power the power supply unit is first.
 
It looks like the memory on the card was on the way out. I have seen similar issues when solder around the memory chips started to get a bit sketchy.

The PSU ratings look easily good enough to run any low to mid end card but i am not familiar with the brand and those numbers could be way off what it is actually capable of. The PSU may even be at fault for ruining the card, though my money is on the VRAM.
 
OK, a bit of googling and i now know what molex connectors are - sorry :(

So, if i were to buy a card which required 2 x 8pin power, then i could purchase 2 x molex to 8pin and that would be job done? (i have 0 8 pin and 4 x spare molex's)

Or am i way off?!
 
It's a budget special PSU, so to be honest I wouldn't really recommend running anything power-hungry off it. The output values on the sticker appear to be okay, but I wouldn't place any trust in the internal components actually being able to supply that for long.

An R9 280X requires 30A on the 12v rail, so THEORETICALLY the current PSU should support it so long as you use a power connector from each of the 12v rails. In practice I would not trust it at all and get a lower-powered card.

If you are planning to upgrade/build a new PC in the future I would buy a good quality PSU and keep it.
 
So, if i were to buy a card which required 2 x 8pin power, then i could purchase 2 x molex to 8pin and that would be job done? (i have 0 8 pin and 4 x spare molex's)

I would be aprehensive about running even a 6 + 8 pin card on that PSU.

6 pin connectors are suppose to be rated for 75 watts of power delivery, 8 pin are meant to be 150 watts and a card can pull up to 75watts through a PCIe 2.0 slot. Most decent PSUs can actually deliver more through the 6 and 8 pin than they are rated for and some graphics cards require the extra juice (like 290(x)). I wouldn't risk putting anything that would test either rail on that PSU and would recommend against using molex adapters for 8 pin PCIe connections.

Do yourself a favour and grab a Superflower PSU if you are going to go for a power hungry card.
 
I'm not bothered about a power hungry card or about running the likes of GTA V etc. L4D2, movies, emails, internet browsing etc is the pc's main use.

I posted my problems and got some great advice about what the issue was and what card i need. Based on this i have purchased a card from a guy in the MM.

So i am now been told this card is not compatible? Please let me know soonest as i don't want to mess a member around, nor do i want to waste £90, nor do i want to blow a card!

So do i call off the sale (providing the member allows me) and if so, what card do you recommend?
 
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What card did you order from MM?. 280X I think requires around 30amps on a rail and the 780Ti requires around 20-21amps.
 
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