GPU Opinons: Not tech savy, need imput

[Allison_8]

System:

HP: P7-1054
AMD Athalon II X4 645 3.15 Ghz
64 Bit
Current GPU: AMD Radeon 6800
500 W Power supply, changing it isn't a problem.

I got this computer in 2012. I know my CPU is a bit outdated and that my computer in general is a little outdated. I was actually going to invest in a new system this month with the tax refund, but I needed to get a new car instead. Anywho, I probably won't commit to a new tower until next year. Meanwhile, my gaming has gotten a little sluggish. I feel like my system has a hard time with texture memory. I play a lot of sims, Second Life, and stuff on Steam - but never full out ultra high def WoW or what-have-you. Just looking to do a decent upgrade for my GPU until next year.

 

[bootcher]

Depending on your budget you can consider a RX 460, a GTX 1050ti, a RX 470, GTX 1060 3gb, or RX 480/GTX 1060 6gb. The last two being the faster cards that could work well with your CPU, any higher GPU would be limited by your current CPU. Anything below the RX 460 would not be much of an upgrade compared to the 6850 (guessing you have a 6850).
You could consider a CPU upgrade, but your options would be very limited and the increase would not be very much, seeing you won't be able to overclock much, if any, on an HP motherboard.

You will have to take into account that your PSU might not be powerful enough for a new GPU, you will have to find out how much amps it feeds on the 12 volt line, and see if your choice of GPU is good for it. For example a gtx 1060 requires 20 amps, a RX 480 requires 30 amps. If it is a decent 500 watt PSU this shouldn't be a problem.

 

[scout_03]

list of supported cpu for your system http://h20564.www2.hp.com/hpsc/doc/public/display?docId=emr_na-c02859337 also name and model of the psu you have .

 

[dontlistentome]

I'd guess that motherboard does not have a UEFI bios. The new Nvidia cards can have problems with older legacy bios systems. For that reason I'd stick with AMD. If this card is strictly for this system for the next year or so, I'd get a 2gb RX 460. That's about as good as performance is going to get on that set up. Open world games are hard on CPUs and that Athlon II wasn't a gaming CPU even back when it was brand new.

If this card is intended to be used again in your new system, then I think an RX 470 is called for here. This is assuming your PSU is a decent one with the necessary pci-e connector. I would try to avoid buying a new PSU now and buy one when you build your new system instead. You'll have a much better idea of your needs at that point.

 

[Allison_8]

Thank you all. You've been extremely helpful.