[SOLVED] Budget GPU & PSU upgrade for my Gateway DX4870 ?

[linklier]

Hello. I have an old (very old) Gateway DX4870 core i3 PC. I wanted to throw a budget card in it, but because the stock PSU is 300W I don't think that is possible unless I upgrade the PSU. I did get a graphics card a long time ago and I don't think that I was able to get past bios problems or just a black screen and had to return it (I don't remember what the card was.)

I was wondering what kind of PSU I could get on a budget along with a graphics card. I am saving up to work on something much better, but right now times are kind of a pain and I just can't afford my $1500 budget to build something better (though I hope I will soon!) Given my last graphics card problem I am hesitant to drop anything else into it without trying to have a good sense that I can get it to work. This is an all stock Gateway by the way. All I have right now is Intel HD 3300 integrated which as you can imagine has its limitations with age.

I would love to have some feedback on which way to go and this tends to be a very helpful place. Thanks in advance.

 

[MrN1ce9uy]

The issue you may have is outdated BIOS that does not support UEFI boot options. Before buying anything, boot to your BIOS and find out what BIOS version you have. Then, brows to the support page of your PC and find out if there are any BIOS updates that support UEFI boot options. If so, update the BIOS.

 

[linklier]

The issue you may have is outdated BIOS that does not support UEFI boot options. Before buying anything, boot to your BIOS and find out what BIOS version you have. Then, brows to the support page of your PC and find out if there are any BIOS updates that support UEFI boot options. If so, update the BIOS.

Thank you very much for your reply. I checked on Win 10 sysinfo and found that my BIOS is in fact UEFI.

My actual version reads as below:
BIOS Version/Date American Megatrends Inc. P01-A2, 5/7/2012

I think I did flash it a long time ago. If I recall correctly I think when I plugged the card in I never could get it past a black screen. It was a long time ago and I think I chalked it up to the fact that I had a 300 W PSU though I can't say if that was really the problem. I thought that I had taken PSU in account before I got the card, but who knows.

Since I have been running with integrated which I have always been meaning to get something on the budget end (if possible) to give a little boost while I save up and to work on something better overall. However, a 300 W PSU pretty much limits what I can do. Now I don't have a problem finding a budget option for a PSU and swapping the stock one out, I just don't to spend 50-70 bucks on something and realizing I can't swap out the stock Gateway PSU in the first place. I keep saying budget of course because I don't want to spend but so much in a computer that dates so far back.

That said, my Core i3-2120 CPU @ 3.30GHz / Intel HD 3300 combination has been surprising for a lot of indie games and I have to say for a now old outdated option seems to still perform moderately considering its age. But, at any rate as I said I was wondering if a PSU/GFX card boost my squeeze a little more life out of it and make it slightly less problematic with some titles I enjoy.

 

[DSzymborski]

Probably the easiest thing to do would be just find an old used GTX 750 Ti on eBay. You should be able to use it with all your current hardware. As you note, you don't want to sink too much into this. Now, you can theoretically upgrade the PSU, but you'd have to double-check that the normal power connectors are there. I'm looking at an image of a used Gateway DX4870 motherboard from around that and I see a standard motherboard port and a four-pin CPU port. But what it comes down to is that any GPU upgrade that requires a decent PSU is probably too much of an upgrade to be worthwhile without a much more significant overhaul.

 

[linklier]

By the way, here are the mainboard specs for my desktop unit:

CPU	Support Intel Socket: LGA 1155. (95W Max) Core i7 3770 (K), 2600 Core i5 3570 (K), 3450, 3330, 2500, 2320 Core i3 3240, 3225, 3220, 2300, 2400, 2120
Chipset	Intel B75 Express
Integrated Graphics	Intel HD
Memory	4 * 240-pin DDR3 DIMM slots Supports Dual Channel DDR3 1333 non-ECC , un-buffered memory (Max 16GB)
Expansion Slots	1 * PCI Express (3.0) x16 3 * PCI Express x1
Storage	2 * SATAII 6Gb/s connectors 4 * SATAII 3Gb/s connectors Supports HDDs, Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
Audio	Realtek – High Definition
Network Adapter	Intel (Gigabit) – 10/100/1000Mb/s
Rear Panel	1 x PS/2 for mouse (color green) 1 x PS/2 for keyboard (color purple) 1 x Audio I/O (Headphone /Microphone jack) 1 x RJ45 LAN port 4 x USB 2.0 ports 2 x USB 3.0 ports 1 x VGA port 1 x HDMI port
Internal	1 x 4-pin CPU Fan connector 1 x 3-pin SYS Rear Fan connector 1 x 4-pin ATX 12V Power connector 1 x 24-pin ATX Power connector 1 x Front Audio header 1 x Front Panel header 1 x Clear CMOS jumper 1 x Battery socket (3V) 2 x USB headers
BIOS
Form Factor	Micro-ATX

I appreciate all of the advice. I suppose I will look into a 750 Ti and I think I should be okay on swapping out a PSU for perhaps a 400W? Again, I really appreciate the help from you all and it's helped me to do some more homework so far as looking around.

 

[DSzymborski]

You may not need to swap out PSU for a 750 Ti. If you do, I'd target a PSU depending on what you eventually may do. If you're not going to upgrade again for a long time, look for something like an CX 450. Otherwise, look at quality PSU 550W and up. Now, you don't need all that power, but because of some of the base costs, there are very few high-quality low-wattage PSUs out there (under 450W).

 

[MrN1ce9uy]

A GTX 750 Ti is what I was initially going to recommend here. It has a TDP of 60W, requires at least a 300W PSU, doesn't require an external PSU connector, and is a little faster than a GT 1030 and can be had for around $60 on eBay. Probably the perfect pairing with your older-gen Core i3.

 

[linklier]

You may not need to swap out PSU for a 750 Ti. If you do, I'd target a PSU depending on what you eventually may do. If you're not going to upgrade again for a long time, look for something like an CX 450. Otherwise, look at quality PSU 550W and up. Now, you don't need all that power, but because of some of the base costs, there are very few high-quality low-wattage PSUs out there (under 450W).

A GTX 750 Ti is what I was initially going to recommend here. It has a TDP of 60W, requires at least a 300W PSU, doesn't require an external PSU connector, and is a little faster than a GT 1030 and can be had for around $60 on eBay. Probably the perfect pairing with your older-gen Core i3.

Thank you both for that suggestion. I have one other question and that would be your thoughts on a 1050. I have seen mixed feedback before where people have said on a 300W psu it can function fine and a few who have said not so much. I think it's the last rung on the ladder before you run into needing an external connector for gpu power support. My other question (I guess I meant two) I haven't ordered used hardware in a very long time on vends like ebay and was wondering your thoughts on what to look for. I tend to look for tested, cleaned up, etc. I stay away from refurbs because I have been burnt (not GPUs but other hardware) on stuff that comes from overseas that was run into the ground where it tends to have a rather short life.

Thanks again for everyone's help in this thread. You have really helped me with trying to nail down some choices. =)

 

[DSzymborski]

On eBay, look for suspicious pricing and photos that look like the person took it of their GPU. Make sure there's branding on the shroud/card and that an actual model that you can look up and verify is listed. If you're in the US, accept only "ships from US" or "ships from Canada" not "ships from China."

Once you avoid scams, the only question is the condition of the GPU. There's not much you can do there as GPUs don't have odometers or things to really check outside of basic functionality. It's like buying a sandwich; you can see if the bread is spoiled, but you cannot see if the meat was stored at a safe temperature or you're going to get food poisoning. In this case, eBay is good if the GPU is junk because of their policies; stay away from something like Facebook Marketplace because if you buy someone's dead GPU there, Facebook doesn't do anything (their buyer coverage only applies to buying from retail companies).

 

[Tac 25]

@linklier

a GT1030 GDDR5 is another option to consider for budget gpu. It only needs the pcie slot for power.

and I do suggest buying brand new, so you get warranty. You are gambling your money buying used gpu.

View: https://youtu.be/a80mtoQklSo

 

[MrN1ce9uy]

Thank you both for that suggestion. I have one other question and that would be your thoughts on a 1050. I have seen mixed feedback before where people have said on a 300W psu it can function fine and a few who have said not so much. I think it's the last rung on the ladder before you run into needing an external connector for gpu power support. My other question (I guess I meant two) I haven't ordered used hardware in a very long time on vends like ebay and was wondering your thoughts on what to look for. I tend to look for tested, cleaned up, etc. I stay away from refurbs because I have been burnt (not GPUs but other hardware) on stuff that comes from overseas that was run into the ground where it tends to have a rather short life.

Thanks again for everyone's help in this thread. You have really helped me with trying to nail down some choices. =)

As long as it doesn't say "Parts Only" you should be fine on the ebay 30-Day Money Back Guarantee. Also, be very sure it is not a "Fake"GPU as there are a lot on ebay. Pick one that you know is real and from a known GPU make such as EVGA, MSI, Asus, Zotac, etc.

GTX 1650 would be the last rung on the ladder of non-external GPU power connectors. But, some do require an external power connector. Just double check.