ASUS CM6850: Looking to upgrade Graphic Card + PSU

[sedora]

Hi Guys,

First off, I'm completely ignorant when it comes to hardware and PC components so bare with me please. For weeks I've been reading posts about PSU and Graphic Cards but I just feel so overwhelmed and confused. I'm not really sure what further information you guys would need regarding my PC so I did a dxdiag and will paste the system information below.

I'm looking to upgrade my Graphics Card (which is a Radeon HD 6770 1gb). We do some gaming but we're mainly looking for a graphics card that can play the Sims 3 + all expansions at max settings without problems. The HD 6770 is decent but we want better and more fluid gameplay. I looked at the GTX 650 ti but to someone like me who doesn't really understand the "anatomy" of graphics cards- it just doesn't seem to be worth upgrading to that card money-wise at least...? http://www.hwcompare.com/13681/geforce-gtx-650-ti-vs-radeon-hd-6770-1gb/

Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit (6.1, Build 7601) Service Pack 1
System Manufacturer: ASUSTeK Computer INC.
System Model: CM6850
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-2320 CPU @ 3.00GHz (4 CPUs), ~3.0GHz
Memory: 12288MB RAM
Available OS Memory: 12270MB RAM

Thank you in advance to anyone who posts! I deeply appreciate it!

 

[refillable]

I suspect your budget is <$250 for PSU and GPU both. I would like you to take a look at these:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202004
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139028

Total of $249.98

 

[sedora]

Thank you for your reply! That is around my budget, not looking to spend over $300 but I do want something powerful even if I have to go over the budget a bit. However, with our main game being the Sims 3 I don't really see the need in spending over $300... correct me if I'm wrong.

That card looks promising though! Out of all the cards I've looked at I never thought of looking at another Radeon HD series... I guess it being because I'm not too thrilled with the one I have. Do you have any nvidia suggestions?

 

[refillable]

Nvidia doesn't have any card in the <$200 price point. You will only have the 660 which is ~$230. Sims 3 is not a demanding title, I think there is no need to you to spend $300 at it (although if you want to it's fine, I mean, to be more future-proof :lol. You should be able to run it great on the 7850 I suggested. Perhaps you can stay with it for a pretty long time 😀.

 

[sedora]

Thanks again! It seems like everyone who has the card you recommended is pleased with it when it comes to the Sims.

Sorry for all the questions but like I mentioned I'm completely ignorant when it comes to PC hardware- I've read things about making sure the PSU will fit and is compatible with the Motherboard... is this PSU compatible with mine or how would I check this info? I have the Speccy program if that would help with more information but I only dl'ed it to watch the temp of my PC.

 

[refillable]

Generally, Those new PSUs (with ATX v2.3) are simply compatible with new motherboards. I don't know what should I do do make sure that it's 100% compatible, but I haven't heard anyone who have a new-released PSU not compatible with new-released motherboard (LGA 1155/2011, AM3+, etc.).

 

[sedora]

Oh okay, thank you. It had me so confused. Thank you so much for your help! I ended up going with the HD 7870 through Amazon since I have Prime. I added the 7850 to my cart and before I could find the right PSU to add to my cart the last 7850 had sold. I can't complain though the 7870 was only about $10 more. Thanks again you've been a great help!!

 

[sedora]

Best answer selected by sedora.