[SOLVED] GPU ideas for a 180 Watt PSU

[allamerican02]

Hi everyone,

I am trying to help my dad out. He owns a HP Pavilion 550-127c. He is an avid photographer and uses Adobe Photoshop and the associated suite of programs often. He does not use it for gaming. The computer has an integrated gpu.

His computer is pretty slow. I've cleaned out his sytem, and we installed some more RAM (so it has 16GB now). I was thinking I should install a GPU as well, since the motherboard has an open slot and anything would probably be better than the integrated graphics.

One of the reasons I think he needs a video card is that his integrated graphics only provides HDMI and VGA ports, but his screen only has DVI and VGA ports. So we are just using a VGA connection which is poor. So we need a card that provides a DVI connection.

The huge problem with this computer is that it only has a 180 watt PSU. I was thinking of getting him a GeForce 710 like this one, but I am just not sure if this is a good idea with such a low PSU, and most cards recommend a 300 watt PSU. Do you think this is a good card, or should I consider something else?

Thanks.

 

[ss996su]

Replace the PSU corsair TX650M and put an RX580 in there or a geforce GTX 1660 you should be fine but 180 watt psu for photo editing and a gt710 is a very bad idea, it wont do anything, it is crap.

 

[COLGeek]

The 710 should perform on-par with the integrated video adapter. Not much, if any, upgrade (more of a side-grade). Might just be time to upgrade the system.

 

[WildCard999]

Your dad would probably benefit more from a SSD then a GPU and it won't require a new PSU. If you go this route though you'll need to do a clean install of Windows onto the SSD. Then I would just update the iGPU drivers.
https://www.amd.com/en/support

 

[allamerican02]

One of the reasons I think he needs a video card is that his integrated graphics only provides HDMI and VGA ports, but his screen only has DVI and VGA ports. So we are just using a VGA connection which is poor. So we need a card that provides a DVI connection.

Also, wouldn't installing a video card free up some system resources and allow it to run faster?

 

[WildCard999]

A dedicated GPU (& PSU) may help speed it up a bit but your dumping money into a fairly outdated system.

 

[IntelTurtleFan]

Its not really worth to add a cheap card to it outside of maybe buying the cheapest possible VGA/DVI used card off ebay. I would honestly upgrade the PSU and get a decent card something like a GTX 1650/RX 570/580 at minimum with a Corsair CX (gray label). You are sort of throwing money at the wall though since the system is still relatively low spec and I would budget for a new system. Something like this would perform a million times better.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/bfyg3t - keep in mind you will need another copy of Windows. Some parts you can find better deals on Ebay. For example you can get a couple year old GTX card for fairly cheap compared to new parts (if you are willing to go the used route).

I do know photoshop pretty well and certain features are disabled if you don't have a dedicated graphics card.

 

[allamerican02]

Its not really worth to add a cheap card to it outside of maybe buying the cheapest possible VGA/DVI used card off ebay. I would honestly upgrade the PSU and get a decent card something like a GTX 1650/RX 570/580 at minimum with a Corsair CX (gray label). You are sort of throwing money at the wall though since the system is still relatively low spec and I would budget for a new system. Something like this would perform a million times better.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/bfyg3t - keep in mind you will need another copy of Windows. Some parts you can find better deals on Ebay. For example you can get a couple year old GTX card for fairly cheap compared to new parts (if you are willing to go the used route).

I do know photoshop pretty well and certain features are disabled if you don't have a dedicated graphics card.

Yeah I am not going to do that. We have a perfectly good computer, I am just trying to upgrade it. So once again, will this computer support a GeForce 710 that has a 25 watt draw, or is there some other card that I should consider that will give my dad a DVI connection? Thanks.

 

[Wolfshadw]

Forget the card and get an HDMI to DVI cable.
That system will not accept a new standard power supply, so upgrades would be limited if available at all. Adding a GT710 is just a waste of money.

-Wolf sends

 

[hang-the-9]

Yeah I am not going to do that. We have a perfectly good computer, I am just trying to upgrade it. So once again, will this computer support a GeForce 710 that has a 25 watt draw, or is there some other card that I should consider that will give my dad a DVI connection? Thanks.

Why not get a newer nicer monitor instead of a new video card so you can use HDMI? That is a good option for photo work, depending on what screen he has now. Really any card you get for that system without a new power supply will be at best the same speed as the video card in the A10. Monitor, RAM, drive upgrade are all much better. And VGA does not look that bad with a good monitor, don't think you don't want to use it just because it's an older spec.